Qualifier Swara Karmarkar shines at WTT Feeder Chennai, reaches first women’s singles semifinal

The 16-year-old from Nashik defeated Suhana Saini in five games to reach her maiden women’s singles semifinal, while G. Sathiyan and Manav Thakkar set up an all-Indian clash in the men’s semifinals.

Updated : Oct 31, 2026 21:12 IST , CHENNAI - 3 MINS READ

Swara Karmarkar defeated Suhana Saini in five games to reach her maiden women’s singles semifinal. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Swara Karmarkar could very easily be mistaken for a sub-junior or junior paddler by a casual onlooker. But the diminutive 16-year-old from Nashik, ranked 947 in the world, is far more accomplished than what her rankings might suggest, and could soon emerge as a force to reckon with at the senior level.

Coached by Jay Modak, Swara is already making significant strides on the international circuit in the senior category. On Saturday, she produced a fine performance to storm into her maiden women’s singles semifinals of the WTT Feeder Chennai at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University near here.

Armed with a hook serve that often earns her easy points, Swara possesses an attacking forehand and uses a defensive long-pimpled rubber on her backhand to unsettle her opponents.

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She gave a glimpse of her repertoire in her five-game triumph over Suhana Saini in the quarterfinals. The teenager will now face second seed Yoo Yerin of South Korea. In the other women’s semifinal, Sutirtha Mukherjee will meet top seed Yang Ha Eun of South Korea.

In the men’s quarterfinals, G. Sathiyan eased past Yashansh Malik in three straight games, while top seed Manav Thakkar overcame a stiff challenge from Harmeet Desai before winning in four games. In the semifinals, Sathiyan will meet Manav, while SFR Snehit will take on Samuel Walker of England.

Earlier in the morning, there were a few upsets in the pre-quarterfinals. P. B. Abhinandh, who upset fourth seed Kwon Hyuk the other day, went down to qualifier Nikunj Attri, while Suhana got the better of fourth seed Nithya Shree Mani in the women’s round of 16. The biggest upset was the exit of Ankur Bhattacharjee, the second seed. The 19-year-old Indian lost to Walker in the pre-quarterfinals.

RESULTS

Men’s singles (Quarterfinals): Manav Thakkar bt Harmeet Desai 5-11, 11-4, 12-10, 13-11; G. Sathiyan bt Yashansh Malik 11-3, 11-9, 11-3; SFR Snehit bt Nikunj Attri 11-9, 11-9, 4-11, 11-6 Samuel Walker (Eng) bt Payas Jain 14-16, 5-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9; doubles (Semifinals): G. Sathiyan & Harmeet Desai bt Sanil Shetty & Snehit 5-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-1, 11-4; Payas Jain & Priyanuj Bhattacharyya bt Ankur Bhattacharjee & Akash Pal 4-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8.

Women’s singles (Quarterfinals): Sutirtha Mukherjee bt Divyanshi Bhowmick 11-9, 11-13, 11-8, 11-7; Yang Ha Eun (Korea) bt Lee Haelin (Korea) 11-9, 11-9, 11-6; Swara Karmarkar bt Suhana Saini 11-9, 6-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-4; Yoo Yerin (Korea) bt Avisha Karmakar 11-5, 11-5, 11-2.

Mixed doubles (Semifinals): Mehan Senthil & Ananya Muralidharan bt Kwon Hyuk & Kim Seoyun (South Korea) 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 7-11, 11-7; Manav Thakkar & Taneesha Kotecha bt Payas Jain & Sayali Wani 11-6, 12-10, 10-12, 11-7.

Published on Oct 31, 2026

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