WTT Star -MyNai Chennai: SNEHIT, Krittwikerenter -Round from 16 to day of disturbances

It was up to the WTT star river event in Chennai on Friday, with Snehit Suravajula and Krittwika Sinha Roy who came in the round of 16 to come forward as the unexpected headliners.

Faced with the Great Japanese world no. 29 Yukiya UDA In the round of 32 was not an easy task for the local Yoker sign SNEHIT. In their previous and only meeting, the Indian had fallen 0-3 in Doha last year. But he could also take the fact that that match concerned three narrow matches-8-11, 13-15, 8-11.

A similar script unfolded on the Show Court in the Nehru Indoor Stadium when the seventh seed from Japan took the first match 11-8. The Indian tried to keep track of the pace and intensity of Udas shots, but did not find the breakthrough.

I was prepared because I played with him last year. Even then it took me some time to adapt to his speed and service, said the 24-year-old SNEHIT.

He had a 7-3 lead and two playing points in the second game, but failed to close it.

World No. 123 SNEHIT revealed that some tactical advice and encouragement of coach Massimo Costantini helped him to turn things around.

UDA has a great forehand, but he turned a lot and played these big recordings. I was afraid to play in his forehand corner, but Max (Costantini) said that I had to trust my stomach, and he believed that I would make the return. When I started doing this, he started playing some weak photos, and then I focused on his backhand, unveiled SNEHIT.

SNEHIT took the next two games with 11-9 and 11-7. The 200 spectators also played a role as the cheers became louder and louder with the comeback of Snehits.

However, the decision maker did not start in the ideal way and was 4-8 down.

I started to expect myself to win this. Once I was down, I started to take point by point and stopped thinking about the entire scenario, he said.

SNEHIT took the following two points and forced UDA to take a time-out at 8-6. The 23-year-old Japanese regrouped to earn three match points. This is where perhaps Snehits Win in Heren Double quarterfinals with Achanta Sharath Kamal from earlier in the day, because the duo had saved two competition points.

Snehit managed to pull a Houdini again and to conquer the decision maker 12-10 while UDA made several non-forced mistakes with his familiar forehand and sent the ball far beyond the table.

The reward for SNEHIT, which has reached the round of 16 of an event at this level, is a match against the 42-year-old Sharath, who plays his farewell tournament.

Read also | WTT -Sterrender Chennai: Sharath Kamal beats Nicholas Lum to reach round of 16

Manav Thakkar was the only other Indian man who made it to the next round when he won 3-1 (11-4, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8) against the 11th placed Australian Finn Luu, then Hardet Desai, Payas Jain and Manush Shah were eliminated.

Top seeds and world no. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto from Japan survived a fear of beating countryman Maharu Yoshimuru 3-2 (11-3, 11-3, 8-11, 7-11, 11-9). Nigerias Quadri Aruna, Koreas An Jaehyun, Spegins Alvaro Robles, Australia Hwan Bae and Hong Kongs Wong Chun Ting – all placed players – were shown the starting door.

Ladies Singles

In Ladies Singles, Wildcard Krittwika was the only Indian who progressed to the Tour of 16. She did this at the expense of countryman and world no. 33 Sreeja Akula with a 3-2 (11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 4-11, 11-9) victory.

World No. 170 Krittwika only plays her eighth tournament since 2022.

In 2023 the left side of my body was almost paralyzed. I had an infection in my blood and bladder. I am still medication, the 31-year-old said when he was asked about her absence of the professional circuit.

Krittwika takes on the eighth placed Japanese Miyu Nagasaki in the round of 16.

World No. 27 Manika Batra was astonished 1-3 (7-11, 10-12, 11-7, 9-11) by the Chinese Taipeis Huang Yu-Jie, a player outside the top 200.

Manika Batra lost to the Chinese Taipeis Huang Yu-Jie. | Photocredit: Ravindran.r/The Hindu

Divyanshi Bhowmick, a 14-year-old qualifying match that made the world no. 64 Giorgia Piccolin of Italy of Italy from Streek on Thursday, fights 1-3 (13-11, 4-11, 7-11, 10-12) against World No. 10 Shin Yubin.

The Korean played five games in categories, but it was the game against Divyanshi that made her sweat. In fact, the Indian had the opportunity to take the game to a decision maker, but she could not convert the only game she earned in the fourth.