Tokyo Olympics table tennis qualifiers: Indians gear up for tough test at world singles

Focus will be on the Indian trio of Sharath Kamal, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra when the World Singles Qualification Tournament for the Tokyo Olympics gets underway in Doha, Qatar from March 14-17.

To be held at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena, the world qualification meet has four Olympic berths up for grabs in the men’s event while five women’s table tennis players can make the cut for Tokyo 2020.

Most of the top players in the world have already booked their place at the Tokyo Games, which was postponed to July 2021, with their national sides qualifying in the team event. But the Doha event could still prove to be tricky for the Indians, especially given the format the competition has adopted this time.

Olympic qualification process at World Singles Qualification Tournament

The 73 entries in the men’s event at the World Singles Qualification Tournament will be divided into three separate knockout brackets for Stage 1 with the winner from each knockout-round division gaining a berth for the Tokyo Games.

The losing finalists and the semi-finalists from Stage 1 will then head to the final stage of the competition where they will compete in another knock-out phase with the winner claiming the final spot for the Tokyo Olympics.

In the women’s half, with five slots up for grabs, the 60 participants will be divided into four separate brackets in Stage 1 with the winners from each group gaining a direct entry to the Tokyo Games.

The losing finalists from Stage 1 will head to the final stage of the competition for another knock-out round with the winner confirming her participation at Tokyo 2020. Watch the table tennis Olympic qualifiers live in India!

What to expect at World Singles Qualification Tournament

Given their superior rankings, both Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran are expected to feature among the seeded players in the table tennis Olympic qualifier.

But things could get tighter for them as they approach the deciding stages of the knock-outs. The experienced Robert Gardos of Austria and the entertaining Quadri Aruna of Nigeria are the ones to watch out for among the men.

The 32-year-old Quadri Aruna was in good touch at the recently-held WTT Star Contender, making the last 16 of the event, while managing a quarter-final appearance at the WTT Contender.

Sharath Kamal, ranked No. 32, too has grown in confidence during his time in Doha with a win over German and world No. 16 Patrick Franziska in the Round of 16 of the WTT Star Contender helping him get into the groove.

G Sathiyan, however, has found the going tough so far. At the WTT Star Contender, while the Indian had to dig deep for a first-round win, he was no match for one of world table tennis’ rising sensation Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan in the second.

It’s been tough for Manika Batra as well. While the top-ranked Indian woman failed to make the main draw of the WTT Contender, at the WTT Star Contender, Manika Batra lost to world No. 2, Japan’s Mima Ito, in the second round.

Sutirtha Mukherjee is the other Indian in the fray at the table tennis Olympic qualifier.

World Singles Qualification Tournament table tennis schedule and India start times

Sunday, March 14

12:30 PM IST - 5:00 PM IST: Stage 1, Round 1

6:30 PM IST - 11:00 PM IST: Stage 1, Round 2

Monday, March 15

12:30 PM IST - 4:00 PM IST: Stage 1, Round 3

5:30 PM IST - 8:00 PM IST: Stage 1, Semi-final/ Final

Tuesday, March 16

12:30 PM IST - 2:00 PM IST: Stage 1, Final

5:30 PM IST - 10:30 PM IST: Stage 2, Round of 16, Quarter-final, Semi-final

Wednesday, March 17

12:30 PM IST - 1:30 PM IST: Stage 2, Semi-finals

6:00 PM IST - 6:30 PM IST: Stage 2, Finals

Where to watch World Singles Qualification Tournament live in India?

Live streaming of the World Singles Qualification Tournament, a table tennis Olympic qualifier, will be available on the official ITTF Facebook page.