The WTT Feeder Vadodara 2026 marks India's first-ever hosting of this entry-level World Table Tennis event, igniting the 2026 season from January 7-11 at Sama Indoor Sports Complex in Vadodara, Gujarat.
Featuring a USD 30,000 prize purse, it draws 108 players from 10 countries across singles and doubles, spotlighting India's rising stars like Manush Shah, Harmeet Desai, Snehit Suravajjula, and Yashaswini Ghorpade alongside international challengers such as Korea's Park Gahyeon.
In this article, let's have a look at 10 players to keep an eye on in the WTT Vadodara Feeder Event.
Men
Manush Shah
World Rank: 75
Manush Shah, from Gujarat, India, has risen as a top table tennis player through grit and consistency. His breakthrough came with a bronze at the 2022 Senior
Nationals, followed by a career-high world singles ranking of No. 78 in January 2025 and No. 10 in doubles with Manav Thakkar. In 2025, he clinched his maiden men's singles title at the 86th Senior National Championships in Surat, defeating Payas Jain 4-1 after dropping the first game. Shah comes in the feder event as the highest-ranked male player with a ranking of 75.
Harmeet Desai
World Rank: 78
Harmeet Desai, born July 19, 1993, in Surat, Gujarat, started table tennis at age six under his father before training at Petroleum Table Tennis Academy. He earned Arjuna Award in 2019 and became Gujarat's first National Champion in 2020. Key achievements include gold in men's team at Commonwealth Games 2018 and 2022, bronze in doubles 2018, and men's singles gold at 2019 Commonwealth Championships. Desai won ITTF Indonesia Open 2019, the first Indian ITTF title in Asia, plus bronzes at 2018 Asian Games and 2021 Asian Championships.
Edward Ly
World Rank: 126
Edward Ly achieved ITTF world ranking No. 36 in men's singles in March 2024. He competed at the 2024 Olympics in singles and teams, won gold at 2024 Pan American Cup men's singles, and silver in men's team at 2023 Pan-American Games. Earlier successes include 2021 Canadian Junior and Senior Championships titles, bronzes at Pan Am Juniors, and multiple youth wins like 2019 Canada Winter Games champion and 2016-2018 World Cadet Challenge bronzes.
Priyanuj Bhattacharya
World Rank: 428
Priyanuj Bhattacharya is an emerging youth table tennis talent showcasing resilience in national competitions. In May 2025, he won boys' singles gold at Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar, rallying from a 7-11 first-game loss to defeat Tamil Nadu's PB Abhinand 4-1 (7-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6). His performance highlighted strong comeback ability and control under pressure at Rajgir Sports Complex. Priyanuj won the U19 singles title in the WTT Vadodara Youth Contender, and will be hoping to make a mark in this feeder event.
Snehit Suravajjula
World Rank: 118
Snehit Suravajjula, born July 11, 2000, in India, is a dynamic international table tennis player known for upsets and rapid rise. He won the 2017 ITTF World Junior Circuit in Amman and reached men's world No. 89, a career-best top 100 in recent rankings. Notable for a stunning comeback at WTT Chennai, trailing 10-7 but scoring five straight points to beat No. 7 seed Yukiya Uda. Early national silvers earned him India calls; he maintains form in global circuits like WTT events.
Akash Paul
World Rank: 131
Akash Pal excels in doubles with recent international breakthroughs. In July 2025, he and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran won men's doubles gold at WTT Contender Lagos, defeating France's Leo de Nodrest and Jules Rolland 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 11-9). With Poymantee Baisya, he secured mixed doubles silver there. He shone at UTT National Ranking Championships 2024 in Bengaluru and posted dominant semi-final to final runs in multiple events. Akash represents India's strengthening doubles contingent.
Women
Yang Ea Hun
World Rank: 68
Yang Ea Hun is a South Korean table tennis prodigy known for her explosive attacking style and rapid rise in junior rankings. She claimed gold in the U-19 girls' singles at the 2025 WTT Youth Contender in China, defeating top seeds with precise forehand loops and strong serves. Her key achievements include a bronze in mixed doubles at the Asian Youth Championships and a world junior top-15 ranking by late 2025, positioning her as a future Olympic contender.[ from prior context]
Park Gahyeon
World Rank: 75
Park Gahyeon, a South Korean junior standout, excels in defensive play with exceptional spin control. She won the U-17 girls' singles title at the 2025 ITTF Asian Junior Championships, overcoming India's Divyanshi Bhowmick in the final (3-1). Notable performances feature silver in doubles at WTT Youth Star Contender and a rapid ascent to world No. 8 in U-19 rankings.
Ayhika Mukherjee
World Rank: 93
Ayhika Mukherjee, a seasoned Indian paddler from Kolkata, stunned world No. 1 Sun Yingsha at the 2024 World Team Championships. She secured bronze in women's doubles with sister Sutirtha at the 2024 Asian Championships, defeating South Korea's top pair. Her aggressive backhand and national team contributions earned her a top-50 world ranking.
Yashaswini Ghorpade
World Rank: 85
Yashaswini Ghorpade, a rising Indian star from Maharashtra, won U-19 girls' singles gold at the 2023 WTT Youth Star Contender in Doha (3-2 over Japan's Yuna Ojio). She lifted Ultimate Table Tennis titles in 2024 and 2025 with different teams, including a pivotal semi-final win in 2025. A TOP Scheme beneficiary, she holds a top-100 junior world ranking.
Syndrela Das
World Rank: 194
Syndrela Das, a 16-year-old from Surat, India, dominated the 2026 WTT Youth Contender Vadodara with U-19 mixed doubles gold (with Sarthak Arya) and U-17 girls' singles title. She reached world No. 1 in U-19 girls' doubles with Divyanshi Bhowmick in 2025, adding golds in Goa and Tunis. A national U-15/17/19 champion, she also won the U-17 title in the youth contender in Vadodara days ago.
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-176770753601012162.webp)
