A total of 334 players from 10 countries will compete at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Youth Contender and the WTT Feeder Series, which are scheduled to begin at the Sama Indoor Sports Complex in Vadodara on Friday.

The second edition of the WTT Youth Contender, featuring U-11 to U-19 categories, will be held from January 2 to 5, followed by the WTT Feeder Series from January 7 to 11. The Youth Contender will see participation from 226 players representing four countries, while the Feeder Series will feature 108 players from 10 nations.

The Youth Contender begins with U-13 and U-17 singles events on Friday, with U-11, U-15 and U-19 competitions scheduled for January 4 and 5. India had dominated last year’s Youth Contenders, with Ankur Bhattacharjee and Syndrela Das winning the U-19 boys’ and girls’ singles titles respectively, while Divyanshi Bhowmick claimed both the U-15 and U-17 girls’ singles crowns.

Divyanshi will compete in U-17 and U-19 categories this year, while Syndrela will aim to defend her U-19 girls’ singles title.

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“When you want to qualify for major international events like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, you need a good ranking. Players often have to spend heavily travelling abroad to earn ranking points,” Table Tennis Federation of India Secretary General Kamlesh Mehta said in a release. “By conducting such events in India, more players get the opportunity to compete at a far lower cost and also exploit home advantage.”

Syndrela and Divyanshi will also feature in the WTT Feeder Series, alongside Korea Republic’s Park Gahyeon (world No. 75) and Yoo Yrein (world No. 78). The Indian women’s challenge will also include experienced players Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee, as well as world No. 85 Yashaswini Ghorpade, who has been awarded a wild card.

In the men’s singles, Manush Shah, who along with Diya Chitale became the first Indian mixed doubles pair to qualify for the season-ending WTT Finals, will lead the home challenge alongside Harmeet Desai, Snehit S and Ankur Bhattacharjee.

Wild cards have been awarded across men’s and women’s singles and doubles events, as well as mixed doubles, giving several young Indian players the opportunity to gain crucial international experience ahead of major tournaments.