Panchkula, February 19: After four days of women’s action, the men paddlers step onto the arena with the hope to make full use of the first opportunity they get during the UTT 82nd National Table Tennis Championships.

Dejected, forlorn, and devoid of a competition milieu, the 200 entrants that have entered the fray believe the group qualification events at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium tomorrow will mark a fresh beginning with smiles back on their faces.

The focus, however, will be on the nine-time champion and top-ranked Indian in the world (No. 32) A. Sharath Kamal. But G. Sathiyan, ranked No. 37, will be one of the strong contenders for the title. However, both can expect more than a handful of challenges from defending champion Harmeet Desai.

The advantages of the last two over Sharath is that Sathiyan and Harmeet got away from India at the first opportunity when the doors of some European countries opened after Covid-19 had slackened its grip a bit. Both Sathiyan and Harmeet have had serious match-practice since, having played the leagues. Sathiyan went to Japan for another set of league matches before returning to Poland.

Yet, Sharath looks “much fitter than ever” and is expected to thrive on home conditions unlike in the past when he used to arrive in India before the nationals from Germany. “I feel far better than ever I was. I don’t have to bother about the conditions,” he said during the media interaction.

But Sathiyan and Harmeet are back in India and will challenge each other, besides Sharath, who looks to re-write the record books. Yet, one cannot rule out the possibility of young guns, especially Manav Thakkar, springing a surprise. He is not alone who can pose threats to the top contenders. Arjun Ghosh, SFR Snehit, Ronit Bhanja and Jeet Chandra are all capable of upsetting the applecart. And think of the prize purse of Rs. 2.50 lakh for the winner.

Interestingly, the championships offer the best chance to reboot themselves for the WTT Contenders (march 3-6) and Star Contenders (March 8-13) at Doha, major prize money events. The World Singles (14-17) and Asian Olympics Qualification (March 18-20), both the gateway to Tokyo Olympics, follow suit.

Sharath expected that the Indians could sew it up for Tokyo during the qualification events in Qatar. “We also expect to seal our mixed doubles spot, which will be a bonus,” he added. 

Understandably, Sharath and Sathiyan have been seeded No. 1 and 2 due to their world rankings. Sathiyan, who skipped all domestic tournaments in 2019, will look to adjust to the conditions. But for Sharath, who has attended a 42-day national camp at Sonepat, knows them better. He is also in good shape despite being inactive. The other14 seeds will be picked during the open draw before Stage 2 matches begin. The remaining players, divided into 60 groups, will have between three to four players each.

After the group qualification, the main draw will be filled with 128 slots, including 52 byes. However, the top 16 and a few lucky ones from among the group qualifiers will reap the benefit of first-round-byes.

“We will use DHS DJ 40+ balls during the tournament, the same as during the World Singles and Asian Qualification event in Doha and the Tokyo Olympics,” said Competition Manager N. Ganeshan. C.L. Thade, the experienced referee, will be in charge of the tournament with support from deputy Atul Dubey and 45 technical hands.