Mapusa
, Jan 6 (IANS) World No.5 Hugo Calderano will spearhead a strong singles field as India gears up for the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024, scheduled to be played at the Peddem Indoor Stadium here from January 23 to 28.
Calderano, the former Youth Olympics bronze medallist from Brazil, will be among the 17 Top-20 stars to feature in the singles main draw of India's biggest international table tennis tournament, co-hosted by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis under the guidance of Table Tennis Federation of India.
Ace Indian paddler Manika Batra, who is currently ranked 35 in the world, reigning national champion Harmeet Desai (WR 75) and Sreeja Akula (WR 89) have ensured the country's presence in the singles main draw with a direct entry.
WTT Star Contender Goa is one of the most prestigious events in the international table tennis calendar and it allows players to win ranking points and qualify for the WTT Cup Finals and WTT Champions Series.
The 17-year-old rising French star Felix Lebrun (WR 8), former World No. 1 and two-time Olympics bronze medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov (WR 12), African legend Quadri Aruna (WR 16), 2021 World Championships silver medallist Truls Moregard of Sweden (WR 19) and South Korea's Jang Woojin (WR 10) are among the top stars in contention in the men's singles main draw.
Dang Qiu (WR 13), Darko Jorgic (WR 14), Anton Kallberg (WR 15), Lim Jong-hoon (WR 17), Marcos Freitas (WR 18) and Omar Assar (WR 20) are the other Top-20 players to compete in the men's singles main event.
The women's singles main draw, on the other hand, will feature South Korea's Shin Yubin (WR 9), Xiaoxin Yang (WR 14), Joo Cheonhui (WR 16) and the last edition's runner-up Cheng I-Ching (WR 18) among others.
The 48-player singles main draw will consist of 34 direct entries, four wildcards, two Top-20 nominations by WTT and eight qualifiers. The doubles main draw will feature 16 pairs with 10 direct entries, two wildcards and four from the qualifiers. The tournament boasts a massive prize pool of $250,000 (Rs 2.08 crore approx), the organisers informed in a release on Saturday.
Four Indian pairs have also secured direct entries in their respective categories. Manika and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran will compete in the mixed doubles while Commonwealth Games medallists Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee have made the cut for the women's doubles main draw.
The pair of Sathiyan-Sharath Kamal and Manush Shah-Manav Thakkar will feature in the men's doubles main draw.
"It's truly heartening to witness the enthusiastic response from the global table tennis community. The first edition showcased top-tier players, and this year, we continue the tradition with 17 Top-20 paddlers in the singles main draw. With an exciting line-up, we're set to deliver another mega carnival of table tennis, promising high-voltage action for fans worldwide," said Megha Gambhir, co-founder and CEO of Stupa Sports Analytics.
"In my eyes, this event holds special significance for India's TT community. The growing interest and participation from across the country have been remarkable. Now, with the presence of world-ranked athletes on Indian soil, young paddlers can witness their idols in action, igniting inspiration and fueling their dreams," she added.