Sathiyan Gnanasekaran
India
India
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran was born on 8 January 1993 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The professional sportsman is the number one ping pong player in India. His best world ranking was on May 2019, and it was 24. As a result, he became the first Indian who joined the World Top-25 ITTF rankings.
He is also India's first ping pong player who signed up with the tennis club Okayama Rivets in the Japanese T-league.
The right-handed attacker who uses the shakehand grip playing style won gold medals in the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games as part of the Indian team. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran has signed a contract with Jura Morez.
Quick Facts
Biography
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran is a representative from India who participates in international singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events. He comes from a middle-class family with parents who are elite academicians. After completing high school, he secured a slot at an engineering college in Chennai because his parents wanted him to work in that field.
He went in for table tennis when he was five years old. At first, it was just a hobby. Still, the sportsman started pursuing it seriously after Subramanian Raman, a prominent Indian ping pong player, spotted him and persuaded him to focus on the sport instead of taking up engineering.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran studied at St. Joseph College of Engineering. Sathiyan got an engineering degree in the field of Information Technology. The Tamil Nadu Government also offered him a scholarship that helped him to pursue table tennis.
He trained under Subramanian Raman and embraced professional table tennis, competing in the junior state and national tournaments and excelling in the singles and doubles categories.
Although he performed well in junior competitions, it was difficult for him to break into senior competitions. His coach, Subramanian, took him to Germany for advanced training, and upon return, Sathiyan played and won medals in state and national competitions for seniors.
Sathiyan’s father died of cancer in 2015.
Social Media
You can catch up with Sathiyan on his official Facebook page or on his Twitter account @sathiyantt.
Career
Sathiyan made his table tennis world stage debut when he won in the men’s singles event at the ITTF Challenge Belgium Open held in De Haan in 2016. He gained a 1-0 lead and defeated Nuytinck Cedric of Belgium in the final and became the first Indian-native ping pong player who became a winner in an ITTF event in Europe. It also became his first ITTF pro tour win. Speaking after his victory, Sathiyan, who had already had success at the Czech Open, credited his relaxed demeanor for helping him win his first World Tour title and said that he looked forward to ranking among the top 50 table tennis players worldwide.
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In 2017, Sathiyan became remembered as again the first table tennis player from his homeland who was awarded two ITTF World Tour titles after bringing a gold medal from the men’s singles during the 2017 ITTF Challenge Spanish Open in Almeria.
Sathiyan, who was the number 9 seed and the reigning champion, triumphed over Kazuhiro Yoshimura of Japan 5-2, who was the number 11 seed at the tournament.
That was the second ITTF Challenge Series win for India that year, as Soumyajit Ghosh had defeated countryman Amalraj Anthony 4-2 in the final at the 2017 Chile Open.
Sathiyan competed in the 2018 Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast, Australia). Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, together with Sharath Kamal, earned a silver medal after participating in the men’s doubles. Moreover, a gold medal was also won in the men’s team event together with Anthony Amalraj, Harmeet Desai, Sanil Shetty, as well as Sharath Kamal. Additionally, the mixed doubles event brought him and Manika Batra a bronze medal after defeating Mouma Das and Sharath Kamal with score of 11-6, 11-2, and 11-4, accordingly.
In Jakarta, during the Asian Games 2018, Sathiyan, alongside Harmeet Desai and Sharath Kamal, beat the United Arab Emirates team 3-0 in the first match of the men’s team category. Sathiyan and his teammates beat 3-1 in the men’s team event during the quarterfinal stage. He was outstanding and won all his matches. However, the Indian team suffered a 3-0 loss to the Republic of Korea in the semifinals and won a bronze medal, the first one for India in 60 years at the continental event. Woojin Jang beat Anthony Amalraj, Sharath Kamal was defeated with the scores 9-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 8-11 by Young Sik Jeoung, and Sathiyan lost to Lee Sangsu.
Sathiyan was eliminated in the singles event at the pre-quarterfinals stage of the tournament.
In 2018, Sathiyan was bestowed an Arjuna Award by the Indian Government’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for his outstanding achievement in sports.
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Sathiyan Gnanasekaran world ranking dream appeared close as he continued dominating major tournaments. In 2019, he partnered with Sharath Kamal against Lin Gaoyuan and Liang Jingkun of China in the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles and lost 11-6, 10-12, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7 at the Asian Table Tennis Championships 2019 that took place in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Sathiyan defeated Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan in straight sets in the team category and managed to reach the quarterfinals of the men’s singles. However, he was defeated by Lin Gaoyuan, who was then ranked the number four player in the world.
Sathiyan, seeded number 17, first appeared at the 2019 ITTF Men's World Cup in Chengdu, China. He won his group D matches 11-13, 9-11, 11-8, 14-12, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8 against Simon Gauzy of France and 11-9, 7-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-2 against Jonathan Groth of Denmark to qualify to the round of 16. At the pre-quarter knockout stage, Timo Boll of Germany beat Sathiyan 11 7, 8-11, 5-11, 9-11, and 8-11.
In 2021, Sathiyan competed and lost 4-3 to Siu Hang Lam from Hong Kong in the men’s singles 2nd round at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran shone at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where he won a gold medal as a member of the men’s team and a silver medal taking part in the men’s doubles with his countryman Sharath Kamal. A bronze medal was won in the men’s singles category for defeating Englishman Paul Drinkhall 4-3 and losing 4-1 to Liam Pitchford 4-1 in the semifinal.
Playing Style
Sathiyan has remarkable composure and quick reflexes, and he is flattered when his higher-ranked opponents, such as Ma Long and Fan Zhendong, drop by to watch him during his training sessions. Since even great players make mistakes, he now learns from defeat and tweaks his playing style. For instance, the attacking player switched his forehand rubber to a harder version that produces more powerful hits.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran's go-to equipment is Butterfly Dignics 09C rubber for the forehand. To be a professional player, you also need the best table tennis shoes that are durable, lightweight, and comfortable for easy mobility.
Honors and Achievements
In 2017, Sathiyan won the TOISA Table Tennis Player of the Year title.
In 2018, he won the Arjuna Award.
Medal Record
In 2016, he won a gold medal participating in the men’s singles at the ITTF Challenge Belgium Open.
In 2019, he won a bronze medal participating in the mixed doubles at the ITTF World Tour Platinum, Australian Open, and in the men’s singles at the ITTF Challenge Plus, Oman Open. He also came second in the men’s singles at the Commonwealth Championships.
Sathiyan won a silver medal taking part in the men’s doubles at the 2020 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open. After, he was the mixed doubles winner at the WTT Contender Budapest and the men’s singles winner at the ITTF Czech International Open. The attacking player also won a bronze medal during the men’s doubles at the Asian Table Tennis Championships.
At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Sathiyan earned gold as a member of the men’s team. He got silver in the men’s doubles, and the men’s singles brought him bronze. He was a runner-up in the mixed doubles at the WTT Contender Doha 2022 and the 2022 WTT Contender Nova Gorica.
Sathiyan came third in the mixed doubles at the 2023 WTT Contender Doha.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran Equipment
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Final Thoughts
Sathiyan considers table tennis the passion that has instilled in him a sense of self-discipline, leadership, team spirit, and persistence. He also enjoys the skills and speed of the game because they help him make quick decisions. No wonder he was able to have success in his studies ad sports.
GoSports Foundation currently supports Sathiyan. He works with ONGC, India's giant Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. He exercises daily, focusing on fitness training, eye coordination exercises, and reflex training. His role model is Roger Federer, and he unwinds by listening to music.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran plans to perform administrative table tennis-related work or become a coach when he retires.