Ankur Bhattacharjee wins singles, doubles titles at WTT Feeder Olomouc

Indian paddler Ankur Bhattacharjee won his maiden WTT men’s singles title and doubles gold with Akash Pal at the WTT Feeder Olomouc 2026. He beat Slovenia’s Deni Kozul in the singles final after overcoming several tough challenges en route.

Hyderabad: Ankur Bhattacharjee produced a memorable performance at the WTT Feeder Olomouc 2026 in Czechia, winning his maiden WTT Men’s Singles title and securing an equally riveting doubles gold with partner Akash Pal.

The World No. 78 overcame third-seed Slovenia’s Deni Kozul 3-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6) in the singles final to cap a remarkable campaign. Earlier, Ankur and Akash defeated Hungary’s Csaba Andras Szantosi and Poland’s Alan Kulczycki Zalewski 3-1 (11-8, 4-11, 13-11, 11-9) in the Men’s Doubles final.

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Ankur’s singles triumph was built on resilience, having survived several difficult moments on his way to the title. In the Round of 32, he saved a match point against Belgium’s Laurens Devos before accounting for Singapore’s seeded players Josh Chua and Izaac Quek in straight games.

He produced an even more remarkable escape in the semifinal against experienced Slovakian Lubomir Pistej. After taking the opening game 11-7, the Indian dropped the next two narrowly, 12-14, 10-12, to trail 1-2. With his place in the final under threat, he held his nerve to win the fourth 13-11 and forced a decider, which he took 11-7 to complete a 3-2 comeback.

The final began with another setback as Kozul edged the opening game 11-9. Ankur, however, quickly found his rhythm, tightening his placement and controlling the rallies to win the next three games 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 and seal the title 3-1.

The Indian then joined Pal for the doubles final, where the pair overcame an early setback of their own. They took the opening game 11-8, but Szantosi and Zalewski levelled with an 11-4 second game. The Indians regained the advantage in a closely fought third game, winning 13-11, before holding their nerve to close out the fourth 11-9.

The two titles on the same day highlighted Ankur’s composure, adaptability and ability to deliver under pressure across both disciplines. The achievement also gave India two titles at the same WTT Feeder event, with Ankur and Pal emerging as the men’s doubles champions.

The result capped a strong season on the WTT Feeder Series for the Indian. The Europe Youth Smash (Sweden 2025) finalist had already reached two quarterfinals and two semifinals in 2026 before breaking through for his maiden WTT title in Olomouc.