Ankur Bhattacharjee Claims Top Seed at National Ranking Table Tennis Championships

Ankur Bhattacharjee has ascended to the top seed of the men's singles category in the ongoing National Ranking Table Tennis Championships, hosted at the Thyagaraj Stadium. This change in ranking follows the withdrawal of the National Champion, Manush Shah.

Despite exiting in the quarterfinals of the previous event, Ankur is now the No. 1 seed, pushing seasoned competitor G Sathiyan to the second position. Meanwhile, Delhi's Payas Jain retains his third seed position, and Ronit Bhanja, Vadodara's runner-up, completes the top four. With 256 participants in the men's category, 92 byes were allocated, allowing top seeds some relief before they enter the second round.

In the women's knockout, Diya Chitale remains the top seed, followed by Vadodara silver medallist Swastika. Sutirtha Mukherjee and Yashaswini Ghorpade are third and fourth seeds, respectively. Anusha Kutumbale, despite her recent triumph, is seeded sixth. A total of forty-three byes in the women's section benefit the top 16 seeds. Junior talent is also in the spotlight, with P B Abhinand securing the No. 1 seeding in the U-19 boys' singles, while Syndrela Das leads the girls with no competition in sight. Both players, like other top seeds, enjoy first-round byes.

(With inputs from agencies.)