Manav, Ananth, Archana make World Juniors TT cut

Manav Thakkar, Ananth Devarajan and Archana Kamath have qualified for the singles events of the World Junior Table Tennis Championships to be held in South Africa in November-December.

The players made the cut based on their September world rankings with Manav at No.40 and Ananth at No.43. Archana is No.49, according to a release.

Among the junior team members both Manav Thakkar and Ananth Devarajan have qualified due to their performance in the Bangkok Asian Juniors while Archana has been selected by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on the strength of her rankings.

The three players got the right to participate in the World Juniors after meeting the criteria established for the individual events by ITTF.

India's Junior Boys and Junior Girls reached the quarter-finals of the recently held Bangkok Asian Juniors.

On the basis of that performance, the Indian team are on the waiting list as a second reserve behind Chinese Taipei to play in the World Junior Table Tennis Championships.

India can only play in the event if two teams pull out.

Apart from the continental slot, the boys' team can also make the grade through world rankings, said Dhanraj Choudhary, secretary general of TTFI.

"Our boys' team rankings are better and it can qualify even otherwise," he said.

"It is a good opportunity for the Indians to showcase their talent in championships like these."

--IANS

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