Panaji, the capital of Goa, will host the first ever World Table Tennis (WTT) event in India.
The WTT Star Contender Goa 2023 The tournament is scheduled to run from February 27 to March 5 at the indoor Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, located on the campus of Goa University in the southern district of Taleigao.
The WTT series consists of a series of official professional table tennis tournaments scheduled throughout the year, where the best players in the world compete against each other. The Four Grand Smashes, just like the tennis Grand Slams, are the most important events in the WTT series.
Cup Finals, Champion Series and Contender Series are the other three tiers of WTT Series tournaments. The Contender series is further divided into two categories – 14 lower-tier WTT Contender tournaments and six top-tier WTT Star Contender tournaments.
The six Star Contender tournaments feature 48 men and women in their respective singles main draws. Players in the top 30 in the world are eligible to play, and four of them must be in the top 20.
WTT Star Contender tournaments also feature 16-team doubles draws for men and women, as well as an 8-team mixed doubles draw.
Eight eliminators in singles and four in doubles will also advance to the main draw, while the host countries will receive enough wildcards in both the singles and doubles categories.
“WTT is excited to be coming to Goa to host the first WTT event in India. The WTT Star Contender in Goa will introduce a new brand of table tennis to the people of India and we believe this will be the first of many WTT events in India. The world’s best table tennis players will love coming to Goa and together we will make history,” said Matt Pound, Managing Director of WTT.
