WTT Youth Contenders 2026: Duklan and Mathan Shock Top Seeds, Advance to Quarterfinals

Vadodara, Jan 3: Vatsal Duklan and Hansini Mathan produced the standout performances on Friday at the WTT Youth Contenders 2026, ousting the top seeds in boys’ and girls’ U-17 singles respectively to advance to the quarterfinals at SAMA Indoor Stadium.

Duklan pulled off a thrilling 4-11, 11-5, 11-7, 18-16 victory over top seed Ritvik Gupta in the boys’ U-17 pre-quarterfinals, while Hansini staged a stunning comeback from 1-2 down to defeat defending champion Divyanshi Bhowmick 5-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4 in the girls’ U-17 Round of 16.

Another big upset saw second seed Aditya Das fall to Sohum Mukherjee in the boys’ second round, who then overcame Rushikesh Jagtap 8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 10-12, 11-7 to secure a place in the last eight. Local hope Ved Panchal reached the pre-quarterfinal stage but succumbed to Sahil Rawat 11-3, 11-4, 11-3.

The second edition of WTT Youth Contenders in India kicked off on Friday with competitions across U-13 and U-17 categories for both boys and girls, and will continue with U-11, U-15, and U-19 events.

In the girls’ U-17 section, second seed Miku Matsushima of Japan and India’s Syndrela Das progressed comfortably to the quarterfinals. Matsushima defeated Sukrati Sharma 11-7, 11-2, 11-6, while Syndrela beat Indira Sen 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6. Rising Indian paddlers Naisha Rewaskar and Tanishka Kalbhairav also reached the last eight, setting up a quarterfinal clash between them.

Defending champion Divyanshi Bhowmik had earlier opened her campaign strongly with a 11-4, 11-1, 11-2 win over Neeza Kamat, while Syndrela and Matsushima also recorded comfortable victories in their group matches to advance to the knockout stage.

The upsets by Duklan and Hansini signal a highly competitive tournament, with India’s young paddlers showing promise against top-ranked opponents in the U-17 category.