Twist of fate puts Manav ,Ayhika in spotlight

Margao, (Team Newsbuddy): In a significant twist at the second UTT National Ranking Championships, Harmeet Desai’s absence has reshuffled the men’s singles landscape, catapulting Manav Thakkar—despite trailing Harmeet by 120 points—into the top seed position. This unexpected development not only paves the way for Manav but also allows Manush Shah to secure the coveted second-seed spot.

Former national champion G. Sathiyan finds himself in an unfamiliar position at No. 3, while the seeding chart is rounded out by rising stars Jeet Chandra, veteran Anthony Amalraj, SFR Snehit, Payas Jain, and Akash Pal, all determined to capitalize on their hard-earned ranking points from the recent Kangra event.

Meanwhile, A. Sharath Kamal, who has missed both the Kangra competition due to commitments at the China Smash and Asian Championships and the current tournament, remarkably clings to the fourth spot in the rankings.

In the women’s singles, Ayhika Mukherjee, fresh off her bronze medal triumph in Asthana during the Asian Championships, seizes the top seeding. Poymantee Baisya follows closely in the No. 2 position. Notably, Sutirtha Mukherjee, who teamed with Ayhika for India’s historic women’s doubles medal, holds the No. 6 seed. However, young talents Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade have also made impressive strides, seeded third and fourth, respectively.

Encouragingly, the presence of a robust contingent of young players is evident, with six emerging talents making it into the top 16 seeding positions. Among them, Sayali Wani and Pritha Vartikar shine as part of the top eight.

While Sreeja Akula remains the highest-ranked national player, her withdrawal from the championships—following a recovery from injury—has opened doors for others. Meanwhile, Manika Batra, currently sitting at No. 32, can strategically select her domestic competitions as she aims to maintain her world ranking, ensuring her place in the national squad for international contests. The TTFI’s policy allowing athletes to showcase their four best performances in a season offers her and others much-needed flexibility.

The tournament kicked off with the qualifying group matches in the men’s and women’s singles. All of them play two rounds today with the last round tomorrow. With over 300 entries in the men’s singles, the players have been divided into 104 groups, while the top 16 players get direct entry into the main draw. One player from the 104 groups will join the elite lot for the knockout games. In comparison, however, the women’s singles players, besides the top 16 seeds, have been split into 66 groups. As many qualifiers will join the 16-seeded players in the fray tomorrow when the second-stage matches begin.

Concurrently, the qualifying events of the Under-19 Boys and Girls will commence on the second day.

The tournament has officially begun with the qualifying matches in both the men’s and women’s singles categories. Each player will compete in two rounds, with the final round scheduled for tomorrow. In the men’s singles, 379 entrants have been divided into 104 groups, while the top 16 players receive direct entry into the main draw. Notably, one player from each group will advance to join these elite competitors in the knockout stage.

On the women’s side, the competition is slightly different, alongside the top 16 seeds, players have been divided into 60 groups. Similar to the men’s event, several qualifiers will progress to join the seeded players for the second-stage matches starting tomorrow.

Additionally, on the second day of the tournament, qualifying events for the Under-19 Boys and Girls will commence, adding another layer of excitement to the competition