WTT Star Contender: Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra, G Sathiyan eye opening round wins

After a dismal show in the WTT Contender in Doha last week, star Indian paddlers Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra and G Sathiyan will be once again in action in the second event of the middle-east hub – WTT Star Contender – at the same Lusail Sports Arena starting from Monday (March 8).

The tournament not only provides the Indian contingent a much-needed preparation before the Asian and World Qualifiers but also gives a chance for these paddlers to redeem themselves to come out all guns blazing and be the favorites to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics later this year.

World No.32, Kamal, who was the best-placed Indian in the WTT Contender reaching the round-of-16, has been given direct entry to the singles main draw along with compatriots Batra and Sathiyan.

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While Batra failed to make it to the main draw, losing the final round of qualifiers at the WTT Contender, Sathiyan was knocked out in the main draw's first round.

Batra, a Commonwealth Games medallist, will be up against Chinese Taipei’s Hsien-Tzu Cheng in the first round of WTT Star Contender and could face Japanese Mima Ito in the next round. Sathiyan will face France's Emmanuel Lebesson in the opening round while Kamal’s opponent is yet to be decided.

Disappointment for host of Indian paddlers in WTT Star Contender qualifiers

Meanwhile, both Anthony Amalraj and Harmeet Desai lost their men’s singles qualifying matches last weekend. While Desai lost to Ukrainian Yevhen Pryshchepa 10-12, 9-11, 13-11, 9-11; Amalraj surrendered to Mizuki Oikawa of Japan 6-11, 11-9, 3-11, 7-11.

In the WTT Star Contender women’s singles qualifiers too, a host of Indians lost their respective matches in the first round. Sreeja Akula went down fighting against Japanese Sakura Yokoi 12-10, 7-11, 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, Diya Parag Chitale lost to Daria Trigolos 11-7, 10-12, 6-11, 5-11 and Archana Girish Kamath bowed out against 6-11, 11-9, 6-11, 5-11.

Bengal girls Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee managed to win their first round matches but both went down in the second round to exit the tournament. Ayhika lost to Romanian 5-11, 11-13, 7-11 and Sutirtha went down to Korean Hayeong Kim 11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 9-11, 9-11.

Sathiyan, who is nursing a minor shoulder injury, has opted out of both the WTT Star Contender men’s doubles and mixed doubles.