Ayhika Mukherjee elated with first WTT medal, hopes to have good Singapore Smash event

Ayhika Mukherjee, who is hoping for a breakthrough season, has started with a bang.

The paddler from West Bengal clinched a silver medal in the women's doubles category, partnering Olympian Sutirtha Mukherjee in the recently concluded WTT Contender in Muscat.

Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha couldn't put it past the Chinese pair of Rui Zhang and Kuai Man, losing 6-11, 11-8, 10-12, 7-11 in the final. This was Ayhika's first WTT medal.

The versatile paddler, in an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda from Singapore, said she was looking forward to the Singapore Smash Table Tennis tournament. The event gets underway on March 7.

"Yes, I’m looking forward to my first-ever Singapore Smash tournament. It's a huge tournament and a big opportunity for me. I will be meeting Daniela Dodean from Romania in the first match. She’s very good I’m excited for this tournament," she said.

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Read: Ayhika Mukherjee hopes for a breakthrough season

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Ayhika Mukherjee targets more glory

The medal in the WTT Contender did a world of good for Ayhika Mukherjee. It boosted the paddler's confidence and a good performance at the start of the season will hold the youngster in good stead.

In the final of the WTT Contender, Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha were leading the decisive third game before losing their way.

Restoring parity in the second game after losing the first, the Indian duo seemed to have the upper hand at 8-1 before losing their game plan. A game point at 10-9 too slipped away as both Ayhika and Sutirtha lost their way.

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The win in the third game pepped up the Chinese pair and they breezed through the fourth game with ease as the Indians settled for the silver medal.

Speaking about the third game, Ayhika said:

"We were leading in the third game but we missed some shots and committed some unforced errors. We will work hard next time and come back stronger."

Both Ayhika and Sutirtha complement each other very well. The WTT Contender in Muscat was the first time the duo finished on the podium and Ayhika believes it was just the start of many more to come. Speaking about her partnership with Sutirtha, she said:

"It was our first medal together, so we are very happy. We've known each other since childhood, so whenever we play together, we complement each other in our playing styles. We enjoy playing together."

Ayhika went on to add:

"We have learnt that we have to practice doubles more often with each other, work on our speed and some intricate details in techniques for doubles in the future."

The Singapore Smash will see several top Indian players in action, including Manika Batra, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Achanta Sharath Kamal.

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