India’s Manav Thakkar and Japan’s Sachi Aoki will lead the men’s and women’s singles draws respectively at the WTT Feeder Chennai 2026, scheduled to take place from October 28 to November 1 at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University (TNPESU).
The tournament will feature a strong Indian contingent alongside international competitors, with several leading players looking to make their mark in Chennai.
World No. 48 Thakkar enters as the highest-ranked player in the men’s singles competition, while Aoki, ranked 55th globally, heads the women’s field.
Manav Thakkar Leads Strong Indian Men’s Singles Lineup
India will have a significant presence in the men’s singles draw, occupying seven of the eight highest-ranked positions.
Ankur Bhattacharjee, ranked 66th, and experienced paddler G. Sathiyan, ranked 82nd, will join Thakkar among the leading contenders.
South Korea’s Kwon Hyuk, ranked 93rd, is the highest-ranked international challenger in the men’s competition.
Harmeet Desai, ranked 97th, completes the top five, while Payas Jain (107), Snehit Suravajjula (117) and Akash Pal (146) strengthen India’s representation.
The strong home lineup gives Indian players an opportunity to compete for the title in familiar conditions.
Diya Chitale Headlines Indian Women’s Challenge
Asian Games mixed doubles bronze medallist Diya Chitale will spearhead India’s women’s singles campaign.
Ranked 66th in the world, Chitale returns to international action on home soil after securing bronze alongside Manush Shah at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
She will face competition from top seed Aoki and South Korea’s Yang Haeun, who occupies 60th place in the world rankings.
Other Indian entrants include Yashaswini Ghorpade (76), Divyanshi Bhowmick (120), Sutirtha Mukherjee (128), Nithya Mani (130) and Swastika Ghosh (138).
Japan’s Cocona Muramatsu, ranked 132nd, is also part of the women’s singles field.
Mixed Doubles Pairs Aim for Success in Chennai
Desai and Ghorpade will reunite in mixed doubles after finishing runners-up at February’s WTT Star Contender Chennai.
The Indian combination lost that final to Romania’s Eduard Ionescu and Bernadette Szocs.
Thakkar will partner Taneesha Kotecha, while Pal joins Mukherjee and Jain teams up with Sayali Wani.
South Korea’s Kwon Hyuk and Kim Seoyun are also among the competing pairs.
Aoki returns to Chennai after winning the Star Contender women’s doubles crown alongside Sakura Yokoi earlier this year, defeating South Korea’s Ryu Hanna and Kim Nayeong 3-1 in the final.
The senior event follows the WTT Youth Contender Chennai, scheduled from October 23 to 26.
It will be Chennai’s second senior WTT competition of 2026, following February’s Star Contender, while India previously hosted the WTT Feeder Vadodara in January.
