Sathiyan-Harmeet rekindle previous chemistry for first TT tour doubles title

When the title was gained, Gnanasekaran Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai celebrated in their very own method. “We jumped around, really pumped up, and then a tight hug, nothing loose,” Sathiyan says. It’s a celebration they don’t get to bask in too actually because they haven’t performed doubles collectively because the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
On Saturday, the primary time they paired up in three years, they ended up claiming the World Table Tennis Contender title in Tunis, Tunisia, beating the French staff of Emmanuel Lebesson and Alexandre Cassin 3-1 within the last. It was their first tour doubles title, each individually and collectively. And there’s long-term significance of the achievement as nicely.
“We’re keeping in mind the team events at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games next year and also the Paris Olympics,” explains Sathiyan.
“All these years, it has generally been (Achanta) Sharath Kamal and Harmeet who pair up for the doubles match. We thought that if Harmeet and I play some tournaments and the combination works, it’ll give the team another option of whom to play for the doubles matches.”
The duo could not have performed for 3 years, however the final time they did, they gained the rubber that secured the staff gold on the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. Since then, each have had different paths of their particular person desk tennis journeys – Sathiyan rose to develop into the World No. 24 singles participant (one of the best rank any Indian has ever achieved), and Desai, presently 73rd on the earth, has secured his place as a high 100 participant.
Coming collectively to play on the identical facet of the desk although, after three years, discovered each of them delving into their shared previous on the home circuit.
Sathiyan remembers the camaraderie constructing since they first met at a nationwide occasion in 2001, after which grew to become regulars within the nationwide staff a decade later.
“We’re good friends off court, and share a lot of data and analysis,” says the 28-year-old, presently ranked 37. “We know more about each other’s strengths and weaknesses than anybody else. And we have the belief in each other that if I’m saying something, he knows I’m not bluffing.”

Doubles victory for Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Harmeet Desai! 🇮🇳🏆 #Congratulations for clinching the #WTTTunis Men’s Doubles title! #WTT #tabletennis #pingpong pic.twitter.com/Rt0zu9bMyK
— World Table Tennis (@WTTGlobal) October 30, 2021
Teamwork works
That belief and data-sharing got here to the fore, particularly within the robust semi-final towards the World No. 7 pair of Nandor Ecseki and Adam Szudi of Hungary.
“Harmeet had tried a banana-serve at one point but it didn’t work. He seemed to be a bit rattled but I told him to keep at it. He did and it worked in our favour,” Sathiyan says.
“Harmeet additionally observed that Nandor, who’s a difficult left-hander, was banking on weak backhand returns from me on essential factors. He instructed me about it and mentioned to step across the shot (convert it to a forehand) and hit a number of sturdy returns.
“That’s the kind of input we could give each other only because we knew each other’s games so well.”

It was extra of the identical within the last towards the French staff.
“We both play close to the table and play fast,” Desai says. “When I assault, he can comply with and when he assaults, I can sustain. It’s one thing that caught the Europeans abruptly.
“This was a good morale-booster. Sharath and Sathiyan had come up with the plan for us to play to test the combination. We were comfortable and it was easy for us. Feels really good to win the title.”
Now they may begin enjoying on the identical facet of the court docket extra typically.
“It’ll help ease some pressure on Sharath so he doesn’t have to play every doubles match. At the same time, the opponents knew it’s always Sharath and Harmeet, now we can keep them guessing because there’s another combination in the mix,” Sathiyan provides.