Chennai erupted with excitement on Thursday as India’s top mixed doubles pair, Manush Shah and Diya Chitale, battled their way to the quarterfinals at the WTT Contender Chennai 2026. Fresh off their triumph at the WTT Contender Muscat 2026, the duo faced a stern test against Korean qualifiers in a match that went down to the wire.
The Indian favorites saved three match points before clinching a thrilling 3-2 victory (10-12, 11-6, 12-10, 5-11, 12-10) after 42 minutes of intense action. Hosted by Ultimate Table Tennis and Sharath Kamal Academy, the event showcased the pair’s resilience and skill under pressure.
Awaiting them in the quarters is another Indian wildcard duo, Payas Jain and Sindrelia Das, who dominated Kazakhstan’s Iskender Kharki and Sarvinoz Mirkadirova 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-7) in the opening round.
Young qualifier Ankur Bhattacharjee also shone brightly, knocking out Frenchman Florian Bourasod 3-1 (11-5, 11-8, 3-11, 11-9). Next up for him is Japan’s 14th seed Kazuhiro Yoshimura in the second round.
Paired with Swastika Ghosh, Ankur overcame Korean Park Gyuhyeon and Kim Na-young 3-2 (11-9, 3-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9) to reach the mixed doubles quarters, where they face 4th seeds Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade. The Indians had earlier dispatched Romania’s Darius Movileanu and Andrea Dragoman 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 11-7).
In other action, Snehit Suravajjula staged a comeback from 1-2 down to beat Divyansh Srivastava 3-2 (9-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6), setting up a clash with Japan’s 13th seed Mizuki Oikawa. Harmeet Desai advanced by defeating Romania’s Iulian Chirita 3-1 (11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8).
In women’s singles Round of 64, 15-year-old Divyanshi Bhoumik pushed WTT Feeder Series Vadodara winner Korea’s Ryu Hanna but fell 3-1 (6-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5). Diya Chitale then cruised past wildcard Anusha Kutumbale 3-0 (11-8, 12-10, 11-8) to advance.
Indian table tennis fans are buzzing with anticipation as their stars continue to light up the Chennai courts, promising more drama in the days ahead.