Team India suffered a 3-8 defeat against the United States in their opening match of the first stage of the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 table tennis tournament in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China, on Sunday. With seasoned players such as Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, Sharath Kamal, and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran opting out of the tournament, a young Indian table tennis team is representing the nation in Chengdu. In the mixed doubles opener, India’s Snehit Suravajjula and Poymantee Baisya lost 2-1 (12-10, 11-8, 4-11) to the USA’s Naresh Nandan and Ke Tiffany.

In the singles rubbers, Yashaswini Ghorpade and Jeet Chandra were defeated by identical 2-1 margins against Sally Moyland and Xiangjing Zhang, respectively.

World No. 88 Ghorpade was upset 11-9, 11-8, 7-11 by the 186th-ranked Moyland, while World No. 312 Chandra fell 11-9, 11-9, 7-11 to Zhang, ranked 465th in men’s singles.

The men’s doubles rubber saw Snehit Suravajjula and Jeet Chandra lose 2-0 (11-9, 11-9), capping off a disappointing day for India.

According to the tournament format, each rubber, whether singles or doubles, consists of three games. The first team to secure eight games wins the overall team match.

India’s table tennis team will next face hosts China in the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 on Monday.

The ITTF Mixed Team World Cup is in its second edition, with the inaugural tournament also held in Chengdu last year. Hosts China claimed the championship in the first edition, while India failed to progress beyond the first stage.

File image of Manika Batra.© X (Twitter)

India’s top-ranked women’s doubles pair of Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee made history, securing a historic bronze medal, the country’s first-ever medal in the category, at the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan on Sunday. Ayhika and Sutirtha have become the first-ever all-India women’s doubles pair from India to win a medal at the competition. Back in 1952, Gool Nasikwala secured a gold medal in the women’s doubles competition alongside Japan’s Yoshiko Tanaka in the inaugural edition of the tournament, as per Olympics.com.

The Mukherjees, the world number 15th pair in women’s doubles rankings, were defeated by the Japan’s world number 33 duo of Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara with a 3-0 (4-11, 9-11, 9-11). The losing semifinalists are awarded the bronze medals in this competition.

Ayhika and Sutirta did have a four point lead against their opponent in the second game. However, Miwa, who was the part of Japan’s silver medal winning Paris Olympics 2024 team and Miyuu, a three-time World Championships medalist, staged a brilliant comeback to deny any further chance of a comeback to India.

The Mukherjees made history during the Asian Games last year, by securing India’s first-ever medal in their category, a bronze. In Tunis last year, the duo became the first Indians to win a World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender women’s doubles title.

India ends the Asian Table Tennis Championships with three medals, all bronze. The Indian women’s team opened up the tally with a historic bronze, the country’s first in women’s team category since 1972 when Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) started organising the competition, following a loss to Japan. It was followed by the Indian men’s team repeating the feat and getting a bronze.

Overall, the country’s tally across all Asian Table Tennis Championships stands at eight, all of them being bronze medals.

Manika Batra in action© AFP

The Indian women’s table tennis team assured itself of a first ever medal at the Asian Championships with a stunning 3-2 win over Paris Olympics bronze medallists South Korea in the quarterfinals in Astana on Tuesday. World number 92 Ayhika Mukherjee was the architect of the famous victory as she beat world number 8 Shin Yubin and world number 16 Jeon Jihee in the rubber. Ayhika and Manika Batra had given India an unexpected 2-0 lead before the South Koreans made it 2-2. Ayhika held her nerve against Jihee to seal the win in the deciding contest.

The women’s team has been producing consistent performances in premier events and had reached the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics. Ayhika was not part of the team in Paris but back following the unexpected retirement of Archana Kamath, she made all the difference against South Korea.

Ayhika has built a reputation of being a giant killer having beaten word number one Sun Yinghsa from China at the World Team Championships earlier this year.

On Tuesday, she put India ahead with an 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-7 win over eighth ranked Shin Yuben.

World number 29 Manika then made it 2-0 for India with a 12-14, 13-11, 11-5, 5-11, 12-10 win over 16th ranked Jeon Jihee.

India’s highest ranked player at 26, Sreeja Akula, allowed the Koreans to get back in the match after losing to Lee Eunhye in straight games — 6-11, 10-12, 8-11.

Yubin then levelled the tie with a scrappy 13-11, 11-4, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10 win over Manika.

In the all-important decider, Ayhika downed Jihee 7-11, 11-6, 12-10, 12-10 to get the job done.

The Indian men’s team will play its quarterfinal on Wednesday.

Veteran Sharath Kamal and star female player Manika Batra were on Wednesday named in the India squad for the 27th Asian Table Tennis Championships, scheduled to be held in Astana, from October 7 to 13. Sharath, the 42-year-old who recently featured in his fifth and last Olympics, is the captain of the men’s team comprising Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, G Sathiyan and Manush Shah. Manika will lead the women’s team which also has Sreeja Akula, Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chital and Sutirtha Mukherjee.

“The selection process was rigorous, with the TTFI giving precedence to the world ranking, international experience, and performance at the national level as key criteria for the final squad,” said the TTFI in a statement.

The Indian team has been under the guidance of foreign expert Massimo Constantini, who has been working to fine-tune the players’ skills and strategies since his return to India in June.

“I am hopeful they will put their best foot forward in the Asthana championships,” Constantini said.

The squad, especially the women, had done well in the Paris Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals. The men’s team had lost to the mighty China in the round of 16. It was the first time that India qualified for team events at the Olympics.

As a crucial qualification event for the World Table Tennis Championships and the Asian Games, the Asian Championships hold significant importance for the Indian team.

Men’s Team: A. Sharath Kamal (captain), Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, G. Sathiyan, Manush Shah; Reserve Players: SFR Snehit and Jeet Chandra.

Women’s Team: Sreeja Akula, Manika Batra (captain), Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee; Reserve Players: Yashaswini Ghorpade and Poymantee Baisya.

Rising star Diya Chitale pulled off a massive upset against World No. 26 Manika Batra as Dabang Delhi TTC staged a late charge to upstage table toppers PBG Bengaluru Smashers 8-7 in a thrilling UTT 2024 tie that went right down to the wire at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. Diya outplayed Manika 3-0 (11-6, 11-10, 11-8) as Dabang Delhi TTC – who were seemingly down and out after PBG Bengaluru Smashers raced into a 7-1 lead – pulled off the unthinkable by clinching seven consecutive games.

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The league is airing on Sports18 Khel and streaming live on JioCinema in India and Facebook Live outside India.

Despite suffering their first loss of the season, PBG Bengaluru Smashers became the first team to enter the knockouts with 48 points after five ties. Dabang Delhi TTC continue at the second spot with 41 points.

PBG Bengaluru Smashers were off to a promising start when Alvaro Robles blanked youngster Yashansh Malik 3-0 (11-3, 11-10, 11-5) in the first men’s singles. Lily Zhang continued her unbeaten run this season, outclassing Orawan Paranang 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-7) in the first women’s singles. 

The American star has dropped just one game this season and Sunday’s result was her fourth 3-0 win on the trot.

However, Orawan and G Sathiyan sparked the turnaround for the Delhi-based franchise when they downed the star pair of Manika and Alvaro Robles 2-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-8) in the mixed doubles. Sathiyan went on to blank a fighting Jeet Chandra 3-0 (11-10, 11-6, 11-5) to raise visions of a comeback by Dabang Delhi TTC.

That set up a nail-biting finish with Diya Chitale taking on a formidable challenge against Manika in the second women’s singles. The promising youngster pulled off a giant slaying act as she comprehensively outplayed the experienced Team India star.

Earlier in the day, Puneri Paltan Table Tennis stormed back into contention for a place in the knockouts with a 9-6 win over debutants Jaipur Patriots in an exciting clash. The team from Pune are in the fourth spot with 28 points. Jaipur Patriots leapfrogged a rung to take the fifth spot with 25 points.

Ankur Bhattacharjee put Puneri Paltan Table Tennis off to a winning start by defeating Ronit Bhanja 2-1 (10-11, 11-10, 11-8) in the first men’s singles.

Suthasini Sawettabut brought Jaipur Patriots back to level terms with a 2-1 (8-11, 11-10, 11-7) verdict over the highly rated Ayhika Mukherjee. Puneri Paltan Table Tennis regained the lead immediately when Natalia Bajor and Anirban Ghosh got the better of Nithyashree Mani and Cho Seungmin 2-1 (11-10, 7-11,11-9) in the mixed doubles clash, and then got a two-point lead when Joao Monteiro registered his first win in the tournament by beating the dangerous Cho Seungmin 21- (8-11,11-10,11-7).

Natalia Bajor wrapped up the victory for Puneri Paltan Table Tennis with a 2-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-6) win over a fighting Nithyashree Mani in the second women’s singles.

Eight-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 tennis player Andre Agassi is set to visit India in January next year to inaugurate the PWR DUPR Indian Tour and League, a major event that aims to popularise pickleball in the country. The PWR DUPR Indian Tour and League follows the recent introduction of a new rankings structure by Pickleball World Rankings (PWR), along with the launch of the PWR World Tour and PWR World Series.

In a video message to his Indian fans, Agassi said, “I’m excited to visit India and bring the excitement of pickleball to its fans. I look forward to the PWR DUPR Indian Tour & League and hope it will be a great success in the country.” Agassi has won four Australian Open titles, a French Open and Wimbledon each, and two US Open titles, as well as a gold medal in men’s singles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Ahead of the main event in January, the PWR DUPR India Masters, including the “Battle of the League: Stage 1,” a PWR 700 event, will take place in New Delhi from October 24 to 27 this year.

The Battle of the Leagues is a unique team-based competition designed for amateur players, with event partners including Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR), Minor League Pickleball, Pickleball United, FansPlay, the Indian Pickleball Association, the Asian Pickleball Association, and the Global Pickleball Federation.

Winning teams in each category of the Battle of the Leagues will earn a spot in the DUPR Nationals in the USA, with travel and accommodation expenses covered by PWR. The tournament offers a total prize money of USD 50,000.

The launch of the PWR, the PWR World Series (PWS), and the PWR World Tour was recently held in Dubai, with the GCC region announced as the host for the inaugural PWR World Series in February 2025.

All PWR DUPR events are sanctioned by the Indian Pickleball Association, the Asian Pickleball Association, and the Global Pickleball Federation.

Dabang Delhi TTC captain Sathiyan Gnanasekaran put on a dazzling show against Athlead Goa Challengers’ Mihai Bobocica at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, setting the stage for his team’s first win of UTT 2024. In the battle of the Olympians, Bobocica struck first, taking Game 1 11-8 via a 23-shot rally, the longest of the season so far. However, Sathiyan retaliated with an inspired comeback and took games two and three to claim the match. 

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). 

In the tie’s first women’s singles, Dabang Delhi TTC’s Orawan Paranang scripted history by becoming the first paddler to defeat Yangzi Liu in UTT. Paranang stunned her opponent with an 11-7 win in Game 1, before taking Game 2 and, consequently, the match on a Golden Point. Liu claimed Game 3 to reduce the deficit of her defeat. 

In the mixed doubles that followed, Paranang got the better of Liu again, this time alongside her partner Sathiyan. The Dabang Delhi TTC pair together beat Liu and Harmeet Desai, two games to one. 

Later, in the second men’s singles, Athlead Goa Challengers captain Harmeet bounced back from a game down to beat Andreas Levenko 2-1. The UTT 2023 winner sustained the Austrian’s aggressive forehand attacks, bounced back in style, and registered his first match win of this season. 

Diya Chitale, who recorded her first win in Dabang Delhi TTC’s previous tie, made it two in a row for herself with her decisive win over Athlead Goa Challengers’ Yashaswini Ghorpade. Her triumph, as it happened, led the team from Delhi over the line. 

For their role in Dabang Delhi TTC’s win, Sathiyan and Paranang claimed the Indian and the Foreign Player of the Tie honours, respectively. Sathiyan also took home the DafaNews Shot of the Tie gong, while Bobocica, unsurprisingly, won the ACT Fastest Rally of the Tie. 

Thursday’s sole tie will see PBG Bengaluru Smashers take on Jaipur Patriots at 19:30, with the former looking to prolong their unbeaten run to three ties in UTT 2024. 

UTT 2024 is being broadcast live on Sports18 Khel and streamed online on JioCinema (India) and Facebook Live (Outside India). Tickets are available online on BookMyShow and offline at the box office near Gate no. 1 of the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

PBG Bengaluru Smashers will be looking to extend their unbeaten run and take a step closer to the playoffs when they face Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 debutants Jaipur Patriots at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Thursday. The team from Bengaluru has won both its ties so far and is second in the table, behind leaders Ahmedabad SG Pipers, who have played a tie more. Jaipur Patriots, on the other hand, are fourth with a loss and a win in their bag. 

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). All the thrilling ties are being aired on Sports18 Khel on TV and streaming live on JioCinema in India and Facebook Live outside India. Tickets are available online through BookMyShow and offline at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium box office near Gate no. 1. 

PBG Bengaluru Smashers have been dominant, so far, in UTT 2024; they have won both their ties, eight of the ten matches contested, and 21 of the 30 games they have played. Led by captain Alvaro Robles, the team from Bengaluru is looking to break into the playoffs for the first time, after narrowly missing out on a spot in their debut season last year. 

Robles aside, PBG Bengaluru Smashers are likely to feature star paddler Manika Batra, who claimed an impressive win over giant-slayer Ayhika Mukherjee in the previous tie, USA ace Lily Zhang, and the assertive Jeet Chandra. 

On the opposing side, Jaipur Patriots head into the tie on the back of a win against U Mumba TT. The debutants hold a balanced record, having won one tie out of two, five matches out of 10, and 15 games out of 30 contested. 

Jaipur Patriots’ clash with PBG Bengaluru Smashers is likely to pit South Korean paddler Cho Seung-min, who has impressed with his displays so far, against Robles in a highlight clash. Suthasini Sawettabut, Snehit SFR, and Nithyashree Mani have also laid down strong statements; the trio will look to build upon that in tie 3. 

Squads

PBG Bengaluru Smashers: Manika Batra, Alvaro Robles (Spain), Lily Zhang (USA), Jeet Chandra, Taneesha Kotecha, Amalraj Anthony

Jaipur Patriots: Cho Seungmin (South Korea), Suthasini Sawettabut (Thailand), Snehit SFR, Ronit Bhanja, Moumita Dutta, Nithyashree Mani