CHENNAI: Chennai's reputation as a major table tennis destination will receive a further boost as the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University ( Melakottaiyur) is all set to host the WTT Youth Contender Chennai 2026 followed by the WTT Feeder Chennai 2026, presented by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), from October 23 to November 1.
The WTT Youth Contender (U11-U19 categories) will take place from October 23-26, followed by the WTT Feeder Series from October 28 to November 1. The tournaments will feature 210 players in the Youth Contender and 124 players in the Feeder Series from 13 countries, including more than 36 players from Tamil Nadu.
This will be the third WTT event in Chennai in the span of 19 months, after the WTT Star Contender Chennai in March 2025 and February 2026, reflecting the trust in the city's organising capabilities and world-class infrastructure. The tournament is also SDAT's first major international event since the new State government took office and marks the start of SDAT's journey towards its 'Dream Olympics 2036" vision.
The Youth Contender will kick off with the U-13 and U-17 singles on October 23 and 24, and competition for the U-11, U-15 and U-19 categories will be held on October 25 and 26, with the U-15 and U-19 categories also featuring mixed doubles. In the Feeder Series, the qualifying rounds will be held on October 28 and 29, followed by the knockouts on October 30 and 31 and the finals on November 1.
In the WTT Feeder Series, World No. 48 Manav Thakkar, the top seed, will spearhead the Indian challenge in men's singles. The reigning national champion, who along with Manush Shah achieved a world No. 2 ranking in men's doubles, the highest ever by an Indian pair, will be joined by the experienced Harmeet Desai, Commonwealth Championships gold medallist Ankur Bhattacharjee, Payas Jain and Snehit Suravajjula.
All eyes will also be on local star Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, the two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Tokyo Olympian, who will be looking to make the most of the home support.
With the ITTF World Youth Championships in Istanbul (November 21-28) around the corner, the Youth Contender will serve as ideal preparation for India's top juniors.
WTT Feeder Wildcards
Men's Singles: V Nitin Thiruvengadam (IND) & MihaiBobocica (ITA)
Women's Singles: Yoo Yerin (KOR), Neha Kumari (IND), Shriya Anand (IND)
Men's Doubles: Sudhanshu Maini (IND) / Kumar Harshit (IND)
Mixed Doubles: Yashini Sivasankar (IND) / Suresh Raj Preyesh (IND)&Ankur Bhattacharjee (IND) / Sampada Bhiwandkar (IND)
