WTT Vadodara 2026: Bengal duo Sougata, Shankhadip advance to Men's Singles Main Draw

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Bengal duo Sougata Sarkar and Shankhadip Das have qualified for the Men's Singles main draw of the WTT Feeder Event in Vadodara.

The two Kolkata boys secured convincing victories in their qualifier matches on Thursday (January 8) to advance to the main draw, as the Round 1 of the Feeder event starts from Friday (January 9).

Unseeded Shankhadip Das stunned Harshit Kumar in 3-1 sets in a 33-minute battle. Das triumphed with scores of 11-8, 11-7, dropped the third 9-11, and closed 11-8. The 19-year-old from Kolkata is playing with a hip injury, but has overcome the physical hurdle as he enters the main tournament.

Similarly, veteran Sougata also stood tall as he defeated Subrat Verma 3-1 in a 22-minute thriller. Sarkar dominated with scores of 11-3, 11-4, lost the third 7-11, then sealed victory 11-4. Verma fought back briefly but couldn't overcome Sarkar's consistent attacks.

Sougata has been a veteran in the Table Tennis sector and vows to continue his journey. Despite being an LIC officer with other responsibilities, the Kolkata man's love for the game keeps him going, and he plans to keep himself fit for the upcoming battles.

For Shankhadip, qualification to the main draw was not a cakewalk. Already battling an injury, Shankhadip lost the first match but a lottery entry gave him a second bite in the qualifiers battle, and he has taken it with both hands. A player who has featured for India at the junior level, has no plans to stop as he looks to reach loftier heights.

Earlier in the youth contender, Priyanuj Bhattacharya won the U19 title and he is part of the main draw from the scratch. Along with him, Akash Pal and Ankur Bhattacharya are two other big prospects from Bengal in the Feeder event.

In the women's singles category, Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee are the two big names in the main draw, whereas youngster Syndrela Das has also qualified after clinching the U17 trophy in the youth contender. Divyanshi Bhowmick is another top prospect from Bengal to feature as the Round 1 commences on Friday.