MUSCAT, JAN 12
Chinese Taipei paddler Kuo Guan-Hong, Germany’s Cedric Meissner, Slovenia’s Deni Kozul, and India’s Manush Shah secured their spots in the qualifying round one ahead of the main draw of the ongoing WTT Contender Muscat 2025. Kuo Guan-Hong, ranked World No. 216, produced a magnificent display by defeating his teammate Chang Yu-An 3-1 (12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8) and Dimitrije Levajac from Serbia 3-0 (12-10, 11-9, 11-3). Cedric Meissner from Germany overcame two Romanian paddlers, including Martin Allegro with a 3-1 win and Rares Sipos with a 3-0 victory, to advance to the first qualifying round, where he will face another qualifier from a different group. Slovenia’s Deni Kozul confirmed his place in the next round after a solid performance in the group stage, defeating Deepash Bhagwani 3-0 and India’s Mudit Dani 3-0. India’s Manush Shah progressed to the later stages of the event by overcoming Su Yu-Lun from Chinese Taipei 3-1 in a tough encounter and then outclassing Tomas Polansky from the Czech Republic 3-0 to secure his spot in the upcoming stage. The women’s singles qualifiers also witnessed fierce competition. India’s Suhana Saini advanced to the next round after registering two crucial victories: a 3-2 win over Yashaswini Ghorpade and a 3-1 triumph against Hana Arapovic from Croatia. The women’s doubles and mixed doubles competitions will commence on Monday with the first-round matches, while the main draw events are set to begin on Tuesday. The WTT Contender Muscat offers a total prize pool of $85,000, alongside significant ranking points up for grabs. The 2025 edition of the WTT Contender Muscat features 200 participants representing more than 30 countries, including Australia, Maldives, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Slovakia, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Türkiye, the United States, Wales, Singapore, and the host nation, the Sultanate of Oman. The seven-day event, organised by the Oman Table Tennis Association (OTTA) in coordination with World Table Tennis (WTT), will conclude on Friday, January 17.
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