"I'm on the outside, looking in," lamented Little Anthony and the Imperials in 1964. Now, 57 years later, India's top table tennis talents might find the vintage slow jam a little too relatable. The unavoidably stressful last year could have been so much easier had India's stars such as Manika Batra (pictured, left) and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (right) taken care of business in January 2020. Then, at the World Team Qualification Event in Gondomar, Portugal, both India's women's and men's teams failed to secure tickets to Tokyo. Then, the world shut down due to COVID-19. Not only were the Olympics in limbo, but so too were all the players looking for a hidden door or forgotten tunnel into the castle. Despite the lack of international competition, Batra and Gnanasekaran stayed busy, training as much as circumstances would allow. Their efforts paid off in February of this year, when each won the national singles championship. While top-seeded Batra won her second title, Gnanasekaran upset all-time champion Sharath Kamal Achanta to win his first. Now, all three find themselves in Doha, Qatar for the World Table Tennis (WTT) Middle East Hub. While none has fared well in the season-opening WTT events, the WTT Contender and WTT Star Contender, each hoped to find the winning combination at the World Singles Qualification Tournament beginning today. With 73 men vying for four Olympic spots and 60 women fighting for five, it would not be easy for any of the competitors. Indeed, after the first day of play in single-elimination brackets, ninth-seeded Manika Batra is the only Indian player still in contention for qualification. While Batra has yet to drop a set, sweeping her first two opponents 4-0, her countrywoman Sutirtha Mukherjee stumbled in the second round at the hands of Russia's Paulina Mikhailova. Meanwhile, over in the men's draw, fifth-seeded Sharath Kamal Achanta received a first-round bye, only to be shown the door by Italy's Niagol Stoyanov. Achanta's teammate Sathiyan Gnanasekaran was also the victim of Italian hospitality, courtesy of Mihai Bobocica. While Manika Batra is still alive and well in her draw, she still faces a tough climb to claim a golden ring. If this latest chance slips away, she will join Mukherjee, Achanta and Gnanasekaran for the final event in the Middle East Hub, the 2020 Asian Olympic Qualification, beginning this Thursday, March 18. There, Batra and Achanta will hedge their Olympic bets by teaming up in an effort to qualify for the Olympic debut of mixed doubles. India's stars have raised their nation's profile in the world of table tennis in recent years. Nonetheless, they must take advantages of their chances, lest they be relegated to the rueful realm recently referenced in the revered recording: On the outside, looking in.

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