The Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour includes a number of top international stars including World No 6 Dmitrij Ovtcharov of Germany and World No 8 Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus.
The India Open, being organised by 11Even Sports Pvt ltd with the support of the Table Tennis Federation of India, will take place here from February 14 to 19. Total prize money of $120,000 will be up for grabs in the tournament.
The rich field will be led by two Top 10 players, Ovtcharov of Germany and Samsonov of Belarus. The women's challenge will be spearheaded by the Hongkong duo, World No 14 Doo Hoi Kem and World No 19 Ching lee Ho making it one of the most thrilling sports events in the country.
Germany's Ovtcharov, the 2012 Olympic bronze medallist and winner of team Bronze in 2016 Olympics will be the top seed and is expected to be the firm favourite given his current form. Indian fans are familiar with him as he has already played here once, in the 2010 ITTF Pro Tour. He clinched the title that year and will be eager to make it a grand double during this foray. The 28-year-old is a seasoned campaigner, having won eight European Championship gold medals, including six in team events.
He is however likely to face stiff competition from Samsonov of Belarus, easily the most experienced and accomplished player on the roster. He went all the way to the quarterfinals in the recently concluded Hungarian Open, underlining the fact that he is a force to reckon with even at 40 years.
The Indian challenge will be spearheaded by Achanta Sharath Kamal and the young Soumyajit Ghosh. Eleventh seeded Sharath is India's most prolific player in table tennis, having won multiple titles at the international level; Soumyajit, on the other hand, is considered the future of Indian table tennis. Ghosh, who is currently 23 years old, has already represented India in two consecutive Olympics. The Indian charge in the women's category will be led by 21-year-old Manika Batra along with the experienced Mouma Das.