3 months ago
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For astir 1 and a fractional years, it has been a pugnacious grind for G. Sathiyan. After soaring to a career-high World No.24 successful men’s singles successful 2019, the two-time National champion saw his rankings dip. But existent to his resilient nature, helium kept refining, kept reflecting and moving connected his crippled nether the guidance of his manager S. Raman. And the WTT Feeder rubric that helium won successful August past twelvemonth was the spark that helium needed. Now, arsenic helium puts it, “It’s Sathiyan 2.0.”
The 33-year-old Indian, seeded 10 and ranked 51 successful the world, showcased a controlled yet assertive marque of array tennis, blending crisp crippled consciousness with tactical quality to outlast eighth seeded Eduard Ionescu of Romania 9-11, 11-3, 10-12, 11-7, 11-5 successful the 3rd circular (round-of-16) of the WTT Star Contender astatine the TNPESU successful Chennai connected Saturday (February 14, 2026). With the victory, Sathiyan precocious to his first-ever Star Contender quarterfinal, marking a important milestone successful his comeback journey.
“At my age, I deliberation I can’t inquire for thing better. This level is what I astir apt played successful 2019. I felt similar 25-year-old Sathiyan was back. We tweaked a batch of techniques similar moving connected abbreviated games. I could spot the advancement successful the past 8 months from winning Feeder titles to main gully successful WTT Smash. I would accidental this is Sathiyan 2.0 benignant of version. And I anticipation this would beryllium adjacent amended than what I did successful 2019,” said Sathiyan who volition instrumentality connected Czechia’s seasoned Lubomir Jancarik successful the past eight. The 38-year-old overcame India’s Manush Shah successful 4 games. The lone Indian women successful singles, Nithya Mani failed to drawback her chances to spell down to Cheng I-Ching of Taipei, the 4th seed, successful 4 games.
The 17-year-old Peng Yu-Han of Taipei, satellite ranked 238 and unseeded here, made a quiescent introduction into the past eight, with an 8-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7,11-7 triumph implicit Elizabeta Samara of Romania.
Meanwhile, Oh Junsung, the men’s apical effect successful singles, suffered an ankle wounded portion competing successful the mixed doubles semifinals and had to beryllium stretchered off. Now, helium is retired of contention and his quarterfinal hostile Thibault Poret of France volition straight participate the semifinals.
The results:
Singles:Third round: Men: Oh Junsung (Kor) bt S. F. R. Snehit 11-6, 10-12, 15-13, 11-7; G. Sathiyan bt Eduard Ionescu (Rou) 9-11, 11-3, 10-12, 11-7, 11-5; Park Ganghyeon bt Joe Seyfried (Fra) 11-13, 11-7, 11-13, 12-10, 12-10; Thibault Poret (Fra) bt Feng Yi-Hsin (Tpe) 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9; Flavien Coton (Fra) bt Kazuhiro Yoshimura (Jpn) 11-8, 11-13, 11-8, 11-5; Elias Ranefur (Swe) bt John Oyebode (Ita) 11-8, 11-2, 13-11; Lubomir Jancarik (Cze) bt Manush Shah 11-4, 13-11, 5-11, 13-11; Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Ger) bt Wim Verdonschot (Ger) 11-6, 13-11, 14-12.
Women: Third round: Cheng I-Ching (Tpe) bt Nithya Mani 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8; Peng Hu-Han (Tpe) bt Elizabeta Samara (Rou) 8-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7; Sakura Yokoi (Jpn) bt Kim Nayeong (Kor) 11-9, 11-9, 11-8; Andreea Dragoman (Rou) bt Joo Cheonhui (Kor) 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 11-6; Satsuki Odo (Jpn) bt Anna Hursey (Wales) 8-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-1; Hitomi Sato (Jpn) bt Saki Shibata (Jpn) 9-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10; Lee Eunhye (Kor) bt Huang Yu-Jie (Tpe) 6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 15-13; Miu Hirano (Jpn) bt Miyu Nagasaki (Jpn) 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9.
Men’s doubles: final: Flavien Coton & Poret (Fra) bt Lim Jonghoon & Junsung (Kor) (conceded); Mixed doubles (semifinals): Eduard Ionescu & Bernadette Szocs (Rou) bt Oh Junsung (Kor) & Miyu Nagasaki (Jpn) 11-6, 6-11, 11-9 (conceded); Harmeet Desai & Yasashwini Ghorpade bt Payas Jain & Syndrela Das 11-9, 11-6, 11-9.
