WTT Star Contender Olympic Champion Ma Long main attraction in Goa

Reigning Olympic champion Ma Long and China’s Chen Meng will be the center of attraction among the top male and female players respectively in India for the World Table Tennis (WTET) Star Contenders Goa to be held here from February 27 to March 5. Ma Long, 34, considered the best athlete in the world, is a two-time Olympic champion. In the men’s singles section of the event, his compatriot and reigning world champion and world number one Fan Zhendong will also challenge.

The experienced Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran will spearhead the Indian challenge. Other top players participating in the tournament include world number four Tomakazu Harimoto of Japan and world number six Truls Morgaard of Sweden, world number eight Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese Taipei and world number nine Slovenia Darko Jorgic is also included. In the women’s section, apart from Chen, her compatriot and world number one Sun Yingsha has also confirmed her participation.

Along with this, world number five player Hina Hayata of Japan, world number eight Kasumi Ishikawa of Japan will present a claim for the title. These veteran players will face the challenge of India’s top player and world No. 34 Manika Batra, who will look to take advantage of the home conditions.

Talking about WTTE Star Contender Goa, Manika said, “It will be a great experience to play in my first global table tennis event in Goa. It is always a great honor to play in front of the home crowd. I am waiting to hear the enthusiasm of the audience. Hope we make them proud.” Speaking on the occasion, Sathiyan said, “I am excited to play in the WTTE series for the first time in India. Many veteran players are participating in this, in such a situation the competition will be very tough. I hope that a large number of spectators will come to support us.