Thibault Poret and Flavien Coton take home the Men's Doubles title.
French duo Thibault Poret-Flavien Coton claimed the men’s doubles title at the WTT Star Contender without even lifting the bat at the at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University in Chennai.
The French pair were set to meet No.2 seeds Lim Jonghoon-Oh Junsung in the 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, handing a walkover win to Poret-Coton.
oret-Coton, started the week with a statement win over top seeds Manav Thakkar-Manush Shah, followed up with a 3-1 victory over Carlo Rossi-John Oyebode, before completing a stunning 3-2 comeback against Payas Jain-Ankur Bhattacharjee to bank their tickets to the final.
The day also saw first-time WTT Series champions crowned in the women’s doubles final, as Sakura Yokoi-Sachi Aoki pulled off another upset in Chennai.
Yokoi-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-Ryu Hanna 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 to grab the title.
Quickly 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 8-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 comeback win over Elizabeta Samara.
Turning heads the day earlier with a jaw-dropping performance against No.7 seed Bernadette Szocs, Samara was up two games in it appeared the 17-year-old Yu-Han’s week would halt there.
However, in an extraordinary twist of fate, Yu-Han rallied 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.
But, not this time. Playing with real confidence in her stride, Yu-Han threw down the gauntlet, leaving no stone unturned to close out another headline victory in Chennai.
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, taking a 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9 victory.
Last year’s surprise story Kim Nayeong was denied back-to-back fairy tales in Chennai, seeing her week end at the hands of Sakura Yokoi 11-9, 11-9, 11-8, while Andreea Dragoman caused a stir with her 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 11-6 victory over No.3 seed Joo Cheonhui.
