India's Ankur Bhattacharjee claims maiden WTT singles title at WTT Feeder Olomouc

Ankur Bhattacharjee's first WTT singles crown

Kolkata-born paddler Ankur Bhattacharjee captured his maiden World Table Tennis men's singles title at the WTT Feeder Olomouc in Czechia, completing a golden double after also taking the men's doubles with fellow Indian Akash Pal. The victory marks his breakthrough senior-level international title after a 2026 season in which he had previously reached two quarterfinals and two semifinals at WTT Feeder events. According to the report, Bhattacharjee's path to the sport began when his mother, a former table tennis player, took him to a table tennis hall at age nine, where he played a 70-shot rally on his first day.

Family background and junior pedigree

Both of Bhattacharjee's parents, Anshuman and Kuntali Bhattacharjee, are former table tennis players, with his father later serving as his coach throughout his career. Bhattacharjee has credited his parents as his biggest source of strength. He rose through the junior ranks as a three-time national Under-19 champion and a three-time Junior Asian Championships bronze medalist, and he also played in the Czech league in 2024 to prepare for the senior circuit.

The cost of a professional career

The report highlights the financial demands of elite table tennis, noting that Bhattacharjee competes with a DHS W968 Hurricane Long 5 blade priced at around Rs 48,500, paired with DHS Hurricane 3 Blue Sponge on his forehand and Butterfly Dignics 09C on his backhand. Specialized rubbers must be replaced regularly to withstand professional training loads, underscoring how a sport once chosen as a cheaper alternative to cricket requires substantial equipment investment.

A second Indian table tennis success on the same day

In a separate result on 3 September 2026, Hyderabad's Hitesh Dolwani won the World Para Future table tennis tournament in Finland, beating France's Julien Cigolloti 11-8, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9 in the final. Earlier in the semifinal, Dolwani defeated Great Britain's Maximillian Flint 11-4, 1-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, adding a para title to his prior national para table tennis wins.