Sathiyan Gnanasekaran believes India is a “genuine threat” at the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026, where 27 Indian players will compete. Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah lead the doubles seeds, while Diya Chitale partners Shah in mixed doubles

Hyderabad: Asiad and CWG medallist, Arjuna Awardee, and the men’s singles 10th seed going into the tournament, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, has labelled the Indian contingent a “genuine threat” to the world’s best players ahead of the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026, set to commence Tuesday at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University.

Over 80 players from more than 15 countries will compete in the main draw across five categories: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah are the top-seeded men’s duo, while Shah and Diya Chitale — India’s history makers at the WTT Contender Muscat 2026 — will start as top seeds in the mixed doubles. India will also have three players — Thakkar, Shah, and Gnanasekaran — among the top 16 men’s singles players, a clear sign of progress from last year, when none of the Indians were seeded in the singles draw.

“I’m extremely happy to see the progress Indian table tennis has made over the last few years. The growth has been exponential across all categories, from juniors to seniors. Many Indian players have broken into the top 100, and we are now a genuine threat to the world’s best,” Gnanasekaran said.

Meanwhile, Thakkar, seeded fourth in the men’s singles draw, will also partner Shah as the top seeds in the men’s doubles event. India has 27 players and 38 entries across the main and qualifying draws, the highest by any nation at this year’s WTT Star Contender Chennai. Over 60 overseas players feature in the main draw, with South Korea (17) and Japan (13) boasting the highest share.

“It’s really special, and I’m very excited to be back playing in Chennai. I have some great memories from here and will hopefully make them even better this year. It’s always a pleasure to play in India, and this season I’ll also be competing in doubles, where I’ll be looking to do well,” Thakkar said.

The WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026 offers significant rewards, with the men’s and women’s singles champions earning USD 17,000 and 600 world ranking points. Doubles winners will receive USD 5,500 and 600 points, underlining the tournament’s importance on the global WTT calendar.