Nine indians

WTT Star Contender Goa: Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, alongside 35 other Indian paddlers, are set to compete in the singles qualifiers, marking a significant milestone as the upcoming WTT Star Contender Goa gears up to achieve the highest-ever Indian participation in a World Table Tennis (WTT) event.

The second edition of India’s biggest international table tennis tournament will be played at the Peddem Indoor Stadium from January 23 to 28. It boasts an impressive prize pool of $250,000, providing players with the opportunity to earn ranking points and qualify for the WTT Cup Finals and WTT Champions Series.

Nine Indians, including the highest world-ranked Indian paddler Manika Batra and Harmeet Desai, secured direct entry into the main draw. The inclusion of 32 new names in the qualifying list brings India’s total participation to 41 across categories. This surpasses the previous highest of 40 participants in the inaugural edition of the tournament.