After helping PSPB defend their men’s team crown at the 86th Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships in Surat on Wednesday (January 22), local hero and Olympian Harmeet Desai will be eyeing a double as he aims to secure back-to-back singles titles.
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Harmeet won the Senior National trophy in the men’s singles in Panchkula in the last edition in December 2023, and with local fans rooting for him at the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium from Friday (January 24), he will be hoping to repeat the feat. But, it won’t be easy as there are some top contenders including his Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) teammates G Sathiyan, Manav Thakkar, and Ankur Bhattacharjee.
“Winning the team championship final has boosted my confidence ahead of the singles event. And, playing in front of my home fans is always special,” Harmeet, who beat Sathiyan 4-3 to win the previous national title, his second, told The Federal.
Qualifying round matches
Men’s and women’s singles qualifying round matches were played on Thursday. The women’s contests will conclude on Friday with this split schedule underscores the intense competition unfolding on both sides, with players pushing their limits to secure a coveted spot.
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With record-breaking entries of 443 for the men’s singles and 299 for the women’s singles, this championship marks a significant milestone, showcasing the sport’s growing popularity. Across the 112 groups for men, the first 21 consist of three players each, while the remaining 91 groups feature four players – a structure that adds layers of strategy to the competition. Meanwhile, the women’s tournament also sees a mix of group sizes in its 80-group setup, further amplifying the stakes as they fight for advancement.
From these heated group engagements, only one qualifier from each will advance, joining 16 top-ranked players whose seeding will be finalised ahead of the main draw.
Top seed Sathiyan
Sathiyan stands tall at the top of the national rankings with 345 points, a testament to his consistent performance through five national ranking events and an institutional championship. As the two-time national champion, his drive to reclaim glory is palpable. His teammate, Ankur, holds the second seed, while the contest for the third seeding is a closely contested face-off between Harmeet and Manush Shah, each holding steady at 285 points.
The seeding process, marked by intricate point calculations, extends to players ranked five through 11, culminating in nail-biting tie-breakers while determining positioning for players like Manav, Akash Pal, and others is not as tricky. This meticulous attention to detail encapsulates the larger narrative of competitive spirit and unyielding determination.
Women’s No. 1 seed Sreeja
On the women’s side, the spotlight is on Sreeja Akula of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), who secured the No. 1 seed thanks to her impressive World Ranking points, embodying the aspirations of countless young athletes. National Ranking leader Swastika Ghosh follows closely as the second seed, but the competition is fierce. Names like Yashaswini Ghorpade, Sutirtha Mukherjee, and Poymantee Baisya are also in the mix, so the stakes are high. The anticipation of who will clinch the eighth seed between Ayhika Mukherjee and Reeth Rishya mirrors the broader narrative of ambition and rivalry in the sport.
The format allows the top 16-seeded women players to have a first-round bye, setting the stage for their highly anticipated appearance in the second round tomorrow evening. While this advantages them in strategy and recovery, it also places additional pressure on their shoulders as they aim to live up to their seeding.
11 Gujarat men enter main draw
Meanwhile, as many as 11 Gujarat paddlers entered the men’s main draw. The state’s Dhairya Parmar, Soham Bhattacharya, Jaynil Mehta, Akshit Salva, Chitrax Bhatt, Pratham Madlani, Abhilash Raval, Janmejay Patel, Monish Dedhia, Ayaz Murad and Deversh Vaghela will aim to perform well on their home turf and leave their mark while competing against country’s top paddlers in the main draw.
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