CHENNAI: WTT Feeder Series Vadodara 2026 women’s singles finalist Anusha Kutumbale and WTT Youth Contender Vadodara 2026 boy’s u-19 singles winner Priyanuj Bhattacharyya lead India’s host wild card entrant list as the hosts will field a record 23 players in the main draw with a total of 33 entries in the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026, Co-hosted by Ultimate Table Tennis, Sharath Kamal Academy, and Stupa Sports AI with the support of SDAT scheduled to be held at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University from February 10-15.
All the four host wild cards in the women’s singles category went to Indian paddlers with up and coming paddlers Anusha Kutumbale, Sayali Wani, Kavya Bhatt and Taneesha Kotecha getting the nod while Anirban Ghosh and Divyansh Srivastava joining Priyanuj in the main draw, while Frenchman Remi Betelu is the fourth host wild card entrant in men’s singles.
Event Director Sharath Kamal said, “The idea of wild cards in such major tournaments is to provide up and coming talent an opportunity to test themselves against some of the world’s best players and I am confident that the Indian players will showcase their skills on home turf. I am very happy to see that many young players have received a wild card this year and I am confident that the opportunity to play here will help them rise on the international stage.”
Indian challenge in men’s singles will be led by last edition semi-finalist and world number 33 Manav Thakkar with the likes of WTT Feeder Series Vadodara 2026 winner Manush Shah, the experienced G Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai also making it to the main draw.