Snehit Suravajjula staged a remarkable comeback by saving six match points to defeat 13th seed Mizuki Oikawa of Japan in the men’s singles pre-quarterfinals of the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026. After trailing 0-2 initially, Snehit fought back to win 3-2 (9-11, 15-17, 11-4, 11-6, 18-16) in 52 minutes, setting up a Round of 16 clash with top seed Oh Junsung. The event is co-hosted by Ultimate Table Tennis, Sharath Kamal Academy, and Stupa Sports AI with the support of SDAT.
Explaining his mindset during the crucial moments of the fifth game, Snehit mentioned focusing on one point at a time and avoiding score-related distractions. Despite low expectations, losing the first two games boosted his confidence, leading to a determined performance. The 25-year-old player expressed his struggle to believe in his ability after losing the initial games but found motivation to fight back.
In another match, the men’s doubles pair of Sathiyan G. and Harmeet Desai caused an upset by defeating the third-seeded French duo of Florian Bourrassaud and Esteban Dorr 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-7) to secure a spot in the semifinals. They are set to face Korean second seeds Lim Jonghoon and Oh Junsung for a place in the final. Meanwhile, wild card entries Payas Jain and Syndrela Das surprised top seeds Manush Shah and Diya Chitale with a 3-1 (12-10, 13-11, 10-12, 11-9) victory in the mixed doubles semifinals.
India’s top mixed doubles pair, Manush Shah and Diya Chitale, along with young talent Ankur Bhattacharjee, advanced in the tournament with notable wins. Manush and Diya, recent winners of the WTT Contender Muscat 2026, overcame tough competition from Korean qualifiers to secure a quarterfinal spot after saving three match points. Qualifier Ankur defeated Frenchman Florian Bourrassaud 3-1 (11-5, 11-8, 3-11, 11-9) and is now set to face the 14th seed Kazuhiro Yoshimura of Japan in the next round.
