Day of Upsets and Triumphs at WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025

In an eventful opening day at the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025, Payas Jain stunned by defeating Sathiyan Gnanasekaran. Achanta Sharath Kamal commenced his farewell campaign with a strong win. The tournament's high-stakes matches continued with other significant victories and surprises across various categories.

The opening day of the World Table Tennis Star Contender Chennai 2025 witnessed unexpected results as Payas Jain, a former ITTF Youth World No. 1, upset Commonwealth and Asian Games medallist Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in the Men's Singles Round of 64.

The Japanese top seeds, Tomokazu Harimoto and Sora Matsushima, showcased their mettle by dominating the Men's Doubles, while Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara replicated their success in the Women's Doubles. Indian table tennis icon Achanta Sharath Kamal secured a confident win in his farewell event, defeating qualifier Anirban Ghosh in straight games.

Sharath also paired with Snehit Suravajjula to triumph in a thrilling Men's Doubles match against the Australians Nicholas Lum and Finn Luu. Meanwhile, the tournament, organized by Stupa Sports Analytics and UTT, offers 600 ranking points and a USD 275,000 prize purse, drawing top paddlers from around the globe.

Elsewhere, Gujarat's trio of Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, and Manush Shah, made strong Men's Singles starts, while Ayhika Mukherjee's defensive play sealed her victory in a gripping all-Indian Women's Singles duel. Young talents Syndrela Das and Divyanshi Bhowmick demonstrated resilience, staging comebacks in their respective matches.

Mixed Doubles saw Hong Kong's Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem's strategic gameplay triumphing in straight games. Indian pairing Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee were surprised by Sreeja Akula and Swastika Ghosh in a Wildcard upset in the Women's Doubles.

The Main Draw will continue with high-intensity matches scheduled for the next round. Matches from Table 1 will be available live on SonyLiv, while others will stream on WTT's YouTube channel.

(With inputs from agencies.)