Divyanshi, Payas cause upsets; Sharath Kamal cruises into second round

Young Indian players shine as Divyanshi Bhowmick and Payas Jain impress, while Sharath Kamal wins at WTT Star Contender Chennai.

On a day when top-ranked paddlers including Tomokazu Harimoto, Hugo Calderano and Hina Hayata among others were given a bye, two young Indian players and an Indian legend in his swansong, hogged the limelight in the WTT Star Contender Chennai at the Nehru Indoor Stadium here on Thursday.

Fourteen-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick defeated World No.64 Giorgia Piccolin of Italy 13-15, 11-9, 9-11, 1-11, 11-6 in the women’s singles first round while 21-year-old Payas Jain outlclssed his 32-year-old compatriot G. Sathiyan 11-8, 2-11, 11-8, 11-3 in the men’s singles first round.

Later, on the show court, Sharath Kamal, India’s flagbearer for more than two decades, was too good for qualifier Anirban Ghosh as he won 11-7, 11-9, 12-10.

Playing her first-ever women’s tournament on the international circuit, Divyanshi proved she has what it takes to be in the higher echelons. “My only preparation was to enjoy the match because she’s a senior and it’s a good thing for me,” the teenager said.

As a wild card entrant, who lost in the first-round main draw in the previous two WTT Star Contender editions in Goa (2023 & 2024), Payas came through the rungs as a qualifier this time to prove his worth with an all-out attacking display.

“I feel great right now. And I am happy that I have been consistent from the qualifying round. Against Sathiyan, I was tactically good and sustained the momentum when I beat him 4-0 in the quarters of the Senior National championships in Surat in January,” said Payas.

The results (first round, Indians unless mentioned): Men’s singles: Harmeet Desai bt Kim Taehyun (Mlt) 12-10, 11-5 11-5; Manav Thakkar bt Divyansh Srivastava 11-4, 11-7, 11-7; Manush Shah bt John Oyebode (Ita) 11-13, 12-10, 13-11, 11-6; Payas Jain bt G. Sathiyan 11-8, 2-11, 11-8, 11-3; Sharath Kamal bt Anirban Ghosh 11-7, 11-9, 12-10.