Amy Wang & Nikhil Kumar Finalists in Mixed Doubles at WTT Feeder Corpus Christi, TX
by Barbara Wei
Amy Wang & Nikhil Kumar, reigning 2023 US National Champions, teamed together to finish second at the 2024 WTT Feeder Corpus Christi. The pair, ranked #58 in the world, blazed to the final, dropping only one game along the way to Mexican pair Rogelio Castro and Arantxa Cossio.
In the final, Amy and Nikhil faced Giorgia Piccolin and Niagol Stoyanov from Italy (Mixed Doubles WR #116). The Italians were able to come back after being behind, and take the win 11-9, 11-9 and 11-7.
“We had our chances in the first and second set. We were leading 4-0 in the first and 9-7 in the second…I’m still happy with the overall result and the competition overall. I do wish we could have won that one…We’ve played together since 2017 and 2018, and we know how to play better in the future.” – Nikhil Kumar
Amy and Nikhil are looking to pick up important world ranking points as they seek to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The next qualification opportunity is the World Mixed Doubles Olympic Qualification event in Havirov (CZE) and then any remaining spots by world ranking. This win gives them 90 points towards that goal.
Congratulations to all US pairs in the Mixed Doubles event in Corpus Christi. Each played with heart and represented the US well at this international event.
- Quarterfinal finish: Lily Zhang & Jishan Liang
- Round of 16 finish: Zhen Deng & Kai Zhang
- Round of 16 finish: Di Yu & Jiangshan Guo
- Round of 16 finish: Nandan Naresh & Giulia Takahashi (BRA)
- Round of 16 finish: Sid Naresh and Jiaqi Lin
About WTT Feeder Corpus Christi
WTT Feeder Corpus Christi was held at the American Bank Center-Convention Center in Corpus Christi, TX, from January 15–18, 2024. Set against a backdrop of the Gulf Coast, the event had a generous prize pool of $22,500 USD and 125 world ranking points for winners and 90 for runner-ups. A total of 103 athletes from across the world, as far as Germany, India, Chile, and Nigeria, participated in the event, alongside 14 US men and 12 US women players.