New Delhi, Sept 27 (Reporter) Young Indian players delivered a stunning performance at the WTT Youth Contender Dammam 2024 in Saudi Arabia, amassing a total of 27 medals—6 gold, 7 silver, and 14 bronze, according to Table Tennis Federation of India. The absence of key players from traditional powerhouses may have aided their strong display, but India seized the opportunity to make a resounding steak of fortune against nations like Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, Egypt, South Africa, Qatar, and Yemen. In the U-19 Girls singles, India achieved a complete sweep, with Suhana Saini, Taneesha Kotcha, Sayali Wani, and Pritha Vartikar taking all the podium spots. For the U-19 Boys singles, Ankur Bhattacharjee secured silver, while P.B. Abhinand and Jash Modi claimed bronze, though Kazakhstan’s Alan Kurumangaliyet took the gold. In the U-17 Boys singles, Priyanuj Bhattacharyya won silver, narrowly losing to Chinese Taipei's Liu Shih-Ming in a hard-fought final. Abhinand added a bronze alongside Qatari paddler Rawad Alnaser. The U-17 Girls final saw an Indian face-off where M. Hansini beat Syndrela Das to secure gold, with Divyanshi Bowmick and Jennifer Verghese sharing bronze. Chinese Taipei’s dominance was felt in the U-15 Boys section, where Sarthak Arya took bronze. In the U-15 Girls, India once again ruled, with Kavya Bhatt, Hansini, Syndrela, and Divyanshi completing another medal sweep. India continued its success in the mixed doubles events. In the U-19 category, Jas Modi and Taneesha Kotcha captured gold, defeating compatriots Muthu Rajasekaran and Jennifer Verghese. The bronze went to two Indian pairs, Sarth Mishra-Sayali Wani and Suhana Saini-Divyansh Srivastava. In U-15 mixed doubles, Sarthak Arya and Kavya Bhatt claimed gold, while the bronze went to Sahil Rawat-Divyanshi and Sarthak Arya-Syndrela Das. India’s young paddlers capitalized on the absence of stronger competitors, making the tournament a landmark event for Indian table tennis...////...