NEW DELHI: The Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour, India’s first table tennis extravaganza in many years, has secured the participation of a number of top international stars and the country’s best players.
The India Open, being organised by 11Even Sports with the support of the Table Tennis Federation of India, will take place here from February 14 to 19. With a total prize money of $120,000 up for grabs, it will be the most lucrative TT tournament the country has ever hosted.
The field will be led by two Top 10 players - World No. 6 Dmitrij Ovtcharov of Germany and World No. 8 Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus. The women’s challenge will be spearheaded by the Hong Kong duo - World No. 14 Doo Hoi Kem and World No. 19 Ching Lee Ho.
“We are really excited about bringing the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour to India,” Vita Dani, chairperson of 11Even Sports said. “Our goal has been to promote table tennis in the country and are looking forward to hosting such a strong pool of talent at this prestigious event."
The India Open is part of the elite Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour, with only 11 other countries hosting its events. Apart from Hungary, which hosted the first leg earlier this month, Qatar (Feb. 23-26), Japan (Jun. 16-18), Korea (Apr. 20-23); China (Jun. 22-25); Australia (Jun 29-Jul. 2); Czech Republic (Aug. 24-27); Austria (Sep. 1-3); Bulgaria (Sep. 7-10); Germany (Nov 10-12) and Sweden (Nov. 16-19 Nov) will see action at this highest level.
Germany’s Ovtcharov, the 2012 Olympic Bronze medallist and winner of team Bronze at the 2016 Rio Games, is the top seed and is expected to be the firm favourite given his current form. Indian fans are familiar with him as he has already played here once, in the 2010 ITTF Pro Tour. He clinched the title that year and will be eager to make it a grand double during this foray. The 28-year-old is a seasoned campaigner, having won eight European Championship gold medals, including six in team events.
He is however likely to face stiff competition from Samsonov of Belarus, easily the most experienced and accomplished player on the roster. He went all the way to the quarterfinals in the recently concluded Hungarian Open, underlining the fact that he is a force to reckon with even at 40 years. Amazingly, he is only the second paddler in the history of the game to stay in the Top 10 for 15 long years. He has also won a whopping 26 ITTF Pro Tour titles, the most by any player.
Among other exciting players to watch out for are Japan duo of World No. 16 Koki Niwa, World No. 21 Yuto Muramatsu and UK’s World No. 40 Paul Drinkhall. A five-time national champion, Drinkhall has had a great 2016, winning the Bronze medal in the World Championships (Team). Another interesting player in the fray is World No. 64 Harimoto Tomakazu of Japan. He is a 15-year-old prodigy who became the youngest World junior champion last year. He has been making rapid strides at the senior level too, and will be one of the players to look out for.
The Indian challenge will be spearheaded by experienced Achanta Sharath Kamal and the young Soumyajit Ghosh. Eleventh seeded Sharath is India’s most prolific player in table tennis, having won multiple titles at the international level; Soumyajit, on the other hand, is considered the future of Indian table tennis. Ghosh, who is currently 23 years old, has already represented India in two consecutive Olympics. The Indian charge in the women’s category will be led by 21-year-old Manika Batra along with the experienced Mouma Das.
The Hong Kong duo of Doo Hoi Kem and Ching Lee Ho will lead the competition in the women’s section. Twenty-year-old Kem is a player with high pedigree, having already won two titles at the 2014 Youth Olympics. She also picked up the mixed doubles Bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships.
In the men’s doubles event, the Japanese duo of Masataka Morizono and Yuya Oshima will start as the top seeded pair, followed by the German pair of Ruwen Filus and Ricardo Walther of Germany and Robert Gardos of Austria and Lubomir Jancarik of Czech Republic. India’s fight will be led by the team of Amalraj Anthony and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran & Sanil Shetty and Sharath Kamal.
The women’s doubles will see the Hong Kong pair of Hoi Kem and Ching Lee start as top seeds, while Sweden’s Matilda Ekholm and Hungary’s Georgina Pota will be the second seeded team. Four teams will represent India in women’s doubles with Manika Batra and Mouma Das teaming up to lead the campaign.
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