The WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 is set to bring elite table tennis action to India for the first time, with the tournament scheduled from March 25 to 30 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.
This marks the 14th edition of the prestigious event, featuring some of the world’s top-ranked players battling for a $270,000 prize pool and crucial World Table Tennis (WTT) ranking points.
India’s Strong Contingent Ready to Shine
A large Indian contingent will be competing across all five events: Men’s Singles (MS), Women’s Singles (WS), Men’s Doubles (MD), Women’s Doubles (WD), and Mixed Doubles (XD). Several players have earned direct main draw entries, while many will aim to fight their way through the qualification rounds.
Indian Players in the Main Draw
🔹 Women’s Singles (WS)
• Manika Batra
• Sreeja Akula
• Ayhika Mukherjee
• Yashaswini Ghorpade
• Sutirtha Mukherjee
• Swastika Ghosh
• Diya Chitale
• Krittwika Roy
• Suhana Saini
• Taneesha Kotecha
📝 30 more Indian players will compete in the WS qualification draw.
🔹 Men’s Singles (MS)
• Sharath Kamal
• Manav Thakkar
• Sathiyan Gnanasekaran
• Harmeet Desai
• Manush Shah
• Snehit Suravajjula
• Ankur Bhattacharjee
📝 19 additional Indian players will fight for a main draw spot through the qualifiers.
🔹 Men’s Doubles (MD)
• Manav Thakkar / Manush Shah
• Sathiyan Gnanasekaran / Harmeet Desai
• Sharath Kamal / Snehit Suravajjula
• Mudit Dani / Kim Taehyun (Malta)
📝 Four more Indian pairs are in the MD qualification draw.
🔹 Women’s Doubles (WD)
• Ayhika Mukherjee / Sutirtha Mukherjee
• Yashaswini Ghorpade / Diya Chitale
• Swastika Ghosh / Sreeja Akula
• Syndrela Saha / Suhana Saini
📝 Five Indian pairs will compete in WD qualifiers.
🔹 Mixed Doubles (XD)
• Manush Shah / Diya Chitale
• Harmeet Desai / Yashaswini Ghorpade
• Manav Thakkar / Manika Batra
• Sathiyan Gnanasekaran / Sreeja Akula
📝 Three more Indian pairs will fight in the XD qualification rounds.
Wildcards & Rising Stars
India’s women’s singles wildcards have been awarded to Sutirtha Mukherjee, Krittwika Sinha Roy, Swastika Ghosh, and national champion Diya Chitale. In men’s singles, Snehit Suravajjula and Manush Shah secured the wildcard spots.
Among foreign wildcard entries, South Korea’s Park Ganghyeon, a 2022 Asian Games silver medallist, and Malta’s Kim Taehyun will be ones to watch.
International Stars to Watch in Chennai
🔸 Tomokazu Harimoto (Japan) – The top seed is aiming for his fourth WTT Star Contender title and is returning to India hungry for victory.
🔸 Hina Hayata (Japan) – One of the world’s top-ranked women’s players, she is set to lead the challenge in Chennai.
🔸 Quadri Aruna (Nigeria) – The Nigerian superstar replaces Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Germany) and will be a strong contender in the men’s singles event.
🔸 Martin Allegro (Belgium) – Steps into the main draw following the withdrawal of Jang Woojin (South Korea) due to injury.
WTT Star Contender: Ranking Points & Importance
The WTT Star Contender series is crucial for players looking to climb the world rankings and earn points for Olympic and World Championship qualifications.
📌 Ranking Points Distribution:
🏆 Winner – 600 points
🥈 Runner-up – 420 points
🏅 Semifinals – 210 points
🏅 Quarterfinals – 105 points
💥 Round of 32 – 55 points
🎯 First-round exit – 5 points
Doubles events follow a similar point structure, making this tournament a key battleground for both Indian and international stars.
The Road Ahead: What’s Next for Indian Table Tennis?
India’s table tennis players have been on the rise, with recent strong performances on the WTT circuit. Sreeja Akula, in particular, will look to build on her impressive WTT Star Contender Goa run, where she reached her first-ever quarterfinal.
With the WTT Star Contender Chennai marking India’s entry into hosting top-tier international events, this is a golden opportunity for Indian paddlers to shine on home soil and gain crucial exposure against world-class competition.
Stay tuned as the action unfolds from March 25 to 30 in Chennai!
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