Poret-Coton win men’s doubles title, Yokoi-Aoki are women’s champions in Chennai meet

The first title of WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026 was won by Thibault Poret and Flavien Coton, with the French duo claiming the Men’s Doubles plaudits at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University in Chennai on Saturday.

Poret and Coton, who started the week with a statement win over top seeds Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah, followed up with a 3-1 victory over Carlo Rossi and John Oyebode, before completing a stunning 3-2 comeback against Payas Jain and Ankur Bhattacharjee to bank their tickets to the final.

The French pair were set to meet No.2 seeds Lim Jonghoon and Oh Junsung in Saturday’s title clash. However, an injury sustained in his Mixed Doubles semifinal match alongside Miyu Nagasaki prevented Oh Junsung from competing in the Men’s Doubles final, meaning Poret and Coton were awarded a walkover win.

After further medical evaluation, neither Oh nor Lim were able to be present at the official award ceremony. Instead, the winner’s trophies were presented to Poret and Coton following the conclusion of the Women’s Doubles final. The end result is that Thibault Poret and Flavien Coton get their hands on their first WTT Series title as a pair, the former WTT Youth Series stars are now beginning to make a name for themselves at the highest level.

Sakura Yokoi and Sachi Aoki pulled off another upset to be crowned Women’s Doubles champions.  Yokoi and Aoki, who knocked out the No.2 seeds at the second hurdle, finished the event in style, defying the odds again in Saturday’s final to beat top seeds Kim Nayeong and Ryu Hanna to the title (11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8).

Earlier, emerging as the breakout story of WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026, all eyes are firmly fixed on the rise of Peng Yu-Han, who banked her ticket to the Women’s Singles quarterfinals with a stunning 3-2 comeback win over Elizabeta Samara (8-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7).

Turning heads with a jaw-dropping performance against No.7 seed Bernadette Szocs, another world class Romanian player awaited Peng in Saturday’s round of 16 clash, and two games in it appeared the 17-year-old’s week would halt there.

However, in an extraordinary twist of fate, Peng would rally late on, taking a crucial third game 11-6 before going on to tie things up at two games apiece. Momentum had truly shifted, but Samara, with all her experience and guile, was still well-backed to get the job done.

Not this time. Playing with real confidence in her stride, Peng threw down the gauntlet, leaving no stone unturned to close out another headline victory.

In the opposite half of the draw, No.2 seed Miyu Nagasaki was hit with a round of 16 setback, as fellow Japanese star Miu Hirano looked back to her best on Table 2 (8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9).

Last year’s surprise story Kim Nayeong was denied back-to-back fairy tales in Chennai, seeing her weekend at the hands of Sakura Yokoi (11-9, 11-9, 11-8), while Andreea Dragoman caused a stir with her victory over No.3 seed Joo Cheonhui (11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 11-6).

Through to the third round of a WTT Star Contender event for the first time, John Oyebode is living the dream at the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026, extending his stay in the Men’s Singles draw with a statement 3-0 win over No.6 seed Kristian Karlsson (11-8, 11-9, 11-9).

Oyebode, who encountered a round of 64 setback last year in Chennai, entered the week’s action at World No.181 and was the overwhelming underdog, facing off against a player who was ranked in the World Top 15 only a few seasons back.

However, in a week that’s been packed with drama, the Italian would contribute one of the biggest upsets so far. Celebrating every point he won with passion, Oyebode cut through Karlsson with explosive power on offense, ending the match with a punishing third ball attack beyond Karlsson’s reach to clinch an unforgettable victory on Table 3.

With local star Manav Thakkar exiting earlier in the day, the Chennai faithful lent their support to the remaining Indian hopefuls left in the draw, and they weren’t left disappointed.

Laying claim to his first senior title just last month, things continue to progress at an exciting rate for Manush Shah, who banked his ticket to the round of 16 with a commanding win over Park Gyuhyeon (11-6, 11-7, 11-9). Elsewhere, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran also got in on the act, producing a seriously impressive display to eliminate Lim Jonghoon from contention (11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 13-11).

Women’s Singles top seed Satsuki Odo couldn’t have asked for a better start to her week in Chennai, showing her authority as the out-right title favourite with a powerful 3-0 victory over qualifier Sachi Aoki (11-7, 11-8, 11-7).

But there was a dramatic shakeup in the opposite half of the draw, as No.7 seed Bernadette Szocs saw her week come to a premature end. A former WTT Finals semifinalist, the Romanian player was well-backed to go all the way in Chennai. But a jaw-dropping effort from 17-year-old Peng Yu-Han would crush those aspirations (11-9, 11-8, 15-13), meaning Szocs’ pursuit of that elusive WTT Series title goes on.