All posts tagged: Bernadette Szocs

Manav joins UP Prometheans, Diya Chitale tops Indian picks again

Manav joins UP Prometheans, Diya Chitale tops Indian picks again

Published by Webster

UP Prometheans made full use of their purse, bringing together India’s Manav Thakkar, one of the world’s leading doubles players, and two-time league MVP Yangzi Liu in a standout combination at the UTT Season 7 auction on Tuesday. Reigning champion Bernadette Szocs emerged as the highest-valued player at 40 L tokens, joining two-time winners Dempo Goa Challengers, while Diya Chitale was the highest-valued Indian for the second consecutive year, moving to PBG Pune Jaguars for 37.4 L tokens. Chitale’s international doubles partner, Manush Shah, was picked up by U Mumba TT for 37.2 L tokens, bolstering their line-up alongside the retained Akash Pal. Fifteen-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick became the youngest-ever player to be signed by a UTT team, earning a spot with Sathiyan Gnanasekaran-led Dabang Delhi TTC, while Syndrela Das, 16, was secured by Dempo Goa Challengers. The franchise-based league, co-promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India, will take place from July 9 to 26 at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa. It’ll …

Desai-Ghorpade enter mixed doubles final

Desai-Ghorpade enter mixed doubles final

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Fourth seeds Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade progressed to the mixed doubles final, while Sathiyan G booked his place in the men’s singles quarterfinals at the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026 on Saturday. Desai and Ghorpade dominated the all-Indian mixed doubles semifinal, defeating wild card entrants Payas Jain and Syndrela Das 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-9). The fourth-seeded duo controlled the tempo throughout and secured victory in straight games to move into the title round. They will face Romanian second seeds Eduard Ionescu and Bernadette Szocs in the final. The Romanian pair advanced after their semifinal opponents, third seeds Oh Junsung and Miku Nagasaki, conceded while trailing 1-2. Sathiyan stages comeback in singles In men’s singles, Sathiyan kept India’s campaign alive with a comeback win over Eduard Ionescu. After falling behind 1-2 in games, the Indian rallied to claim the match 3-2 (9-11, 11-3, 10-12, 11-7, 11-5). He will next take on Czechia’s Lubomir Jancarik, who eliminated India’s Manush Shah in four games. Sehit Suravajjula’s impressive run ended in the pre-quarterfinals after a 3-1 defeat to …

Team rosters to be shaped by auction for the first time

Team rosters to be shaped by auction for the first time

Published by Webster

Chinese paddler Fan Siqi, world No. 13 Bernadette Szocs, Olympians Aruna Quadri and Alvaro Robles, and several rising Indian paddlers led by Junior World No. 6 Ankur Bhattacharjee, will headline the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6 player auction, set to take place in Mumbai on Tuesday. For the first time in UTT history, team rosters will be shaped through a unique player auction, giving franchises greater control over their recruitment and strategies. Virtual token for bids Among the 56 players in the auction pool, youngsters Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade—India’s top-ranked women’s singles players—teenage sensation Syndrela Das, and former U-17 World No. 1 Payas Jain lead a group of 25 rising Indian stars under 25, who have earned their spot alongside seasoned pros like two-time champion Harmeet Desai, former winners Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Manika Batra, Sutirtha Mukherjee, and WTT Contender Lagos 2024 winner Sreeja Akula. All eight teams have been allotted 50 lakh virtual tokens to bid on the players, along with a one-time Right to Match (RTM) card to retain a player from the previous …

Manika Batra stuns Bernadette Szocs at WTT Champions, creates history

Manika Batra stuns Bernadette Szocs at WTT Champions, creates history

Published by Webster

Star Indian paddler Manika Batra reached the quarterfinals of the WTT Champions event as she upset World No. 14 Bernadette Szocs in Montpellier, France, on Friday night. World No. 30 Manika, delivering a sterling performance in the Round of 16, defeated eighth-seeded Szocs 3-1 (11-9, 6-11, 13-11, 11-9) in 29 minutes. With this convincing win, Manika, who made history by becoming the first Indian paddler ever to reach pre-quarterfinals in singles at the Olympics in Paris, became the first Indian paddler ever to qualify for the quarter-finals of a WTT Champions event. Manika will next play Qian Tianyi on Saturday in the quarterfinals. After the match stayed in balance, with both Manika and Szocs winning a game apiece, the Indian saved two game points in a thrilling third game to win 13-11 and claim a 2-1 lead. Manika Batra marches to the QFs of the WTT Champions event in Montpellier, France.🏓💥 The Indian won 3️⃣-1️⃣ in 29 minutes⏰ against the 8️⃣th seed Romanian Bernadette Szocs in round of 16 clash. She will now face 🇨🇳’s …