India’s rising table tennis talents continued to stamp their authority on the international youth circuit as Syndrela Das and Rupam Sardar clinched the U-17 girls’ and boys’ singles titles respectively at the WTT Youth Contender 2026, held at the SAMA Indoor Sports Complex on Friday.
Adding to a memorable day for the hosts, Divija Paul and Dev Pranav Bhatt emerged champions in the U-13 girls’ and boys’ singles categories.
Now in its second consecutive year in Vadodara, the WTT Youth Contender has quickly established itself as a key platform for young paddlers, featuring competitions across age groups from U-11 to U-19. This year’s edition has attracted 226 players, underlining the tournament’s growing stature in the global junior table tennis calendar.
Syndrela Das, who had already announced her arrival by winning the U-19 girls’ singles title last year, once again showcased her class and maturity beyond her years. In the U-17 girls’ singles final, she brought an end to Hansini Mathan’s impressive run with a composed 11-3, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8 victory. The result not only reaffirmed Syndrela’s status as one of India’s brightest prospects but also highlighted her ability to handle pressure in tightly contested matches.
The final followed a familiar pattern for Syndrela through the tournament. She began with authority, dominating the opening game with sharp placement and early initiative. Hansini, however, responded admirably in the second game, settling into rallies and forcing errors to level the match. The turning point came in the third game, where Syndrela’s experience and tactical awareness allowed her to edge ahead despite a close contest. She maintained her composure in the fourth to seal the title.
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Syndrela’s path to the final had already been marked by a standout performance in the semi-finals, where she upset second seed Miku Matsushima of Japan. Hansini, meanwhile, had earlier produced one of the shocks of the tournament by defeating top seed Divyanshi Bhowmick in the pre-quarterfinals, making her run to the final all the more noteworthy.
In the U-17 boys’ singles final, Rupam Sardar delivered a confident performance to defeat Soham Mukherjee 11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 11-3. After dropping the second game, Rupam raised his level significantly, dictating play with aggressive forehands and sharp serves to close out the contest in four games. His controlled aggression and consistency proved decisive as the match progressed.
The younger age groups also produced compelling contests. In the U-13 girls’ singles final, Divija Paul displayed remarkable resilience to overturn a 1-2 deficit against Harshitha Nurani. Divija eventually prevailed 11-7, 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, showing maturity and mental strength well beyond her age to claim the title. On the boys’ side, Dev Pranav Bhatt was equally impressive, securing the U-13 singles crown with an 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4 win over Ashvajith Muthukumaran.
Beyond the singles events, attention also turned to the doubles competitions, where several dramatic encounters unfolded. Syndrela Das remains in contention for a second title, having reached the U-19 mixed doubles final alongside Sarthak Arya. The Indian pair will face top seeds Abhinandh Pradhivadhi and Ananya Muralidharan in the summit clash on Sunday.
In the semi-finals, Abhinandh and Ananya lived up to their top billing by overcoming Ritvik Gupta and Ahona Ray 9-11, 14-12, 11-7, 11-8. On the other side of the draw, Sarthak and Syndrela ended the spirited run of Sahil Rawat and Hardee Patel with an 11-6, 12-10, 5-11, 11-5 victory to book their place in the final.
One of the most thrilling matches of the day came in the U-15 mixed doubles semi-final, where Vivaan Dave and Naisha Rewaskar pulled off a stunning upset over top seeds Aditya Das and Ankolika Chakraborty. The contest swung back and forth before Vivaan and Naisha eventually prevailed 13-11, 5-11, 11-7, 5-11, 23-21 in a dramatic decider.
The pair showed exceptional nerve, saving multiple match points in the final game and matching their opponents point for point before stringing together four consecutive points to close out the match. They will now face Reyansh Jalan and Tanishka Kalbhairav in the final, after the latter duo defeated Sanjay Jagdish and Myraa Sangelkar in straight games.
As the WTT Youth Contender 2026 progresses, the strong performances by Indian players across age groups reflect the growing depth of talent in the country’s table tennis pipeline.
With finals still to come, Vadodara continues to be the stage for the next generation of Indian paddlers to announce themselves on the international scene.
