World Table Tennis Championships: Sathiyan advances to round of 32

India’s G Sathiyan advanced to the men's singles third round at the World Table Tennis Championships in Houston (USA) with a commanding 4-0 win over Russia’s Vladimir Sidorenko.

World No 37 Sathiyan eased past his 179th-ranked opponent 11-9, 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 in the second round. He will face 17th ranked Aruna Quadri of Nigeria next.

The Tamil Nadu paddler is India's biggest hope in singles after the country’s top-ranked player, Sharath Kamal (World No 30), suffered a disappointing defeat in the opening round on Tuesday.

However, Kamal can still make an impact in doubles - alongside Sathiyan in the men's event and with Archana Kamath in the mixed event. Kamal and Archana entered round of 32 with a 3-0 win over Algeria's Sami Kherouf and Katia Kessaci.

Meanwhile, Sathiyan and Manika Batra received a bye in the mixed doubles first round. They will face Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz and Brian Afandor in round of 32.

2024 World Table Tennis Championships to be held in Busan

The 2024 World Table Tennis Championships will be held in Busan, South Korea, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has announced.

The marquee event will return to the city four years after it missed out on hosting the competition due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

“I wish to thank all associations of the ITTF for their tremendous support for Busan," said Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korea Table Tennis Association and a member of the International Olympic Committee. "We will make it a competition centered on players and spectators. We also intend to create a knowledge transfer program during the competition to share our experiences and knowledge with other member associations," he added.

Chengdu, China, will host next year’s World Table Tennis Championships. The 2023 edition will be held in Durban, South Africa.