Nikhil Kumar

Giants of Men’s College Table Tennis Emerge

By Willy Leparulo
Press Committee Member

The NCTTA’s Men’s Singles event is one of the most competitive table tennis events in North America. All but 6 players are in the coveted 2000 level, which in table tennis means you’re topnotch.

Speaking of the top…No.1 Seed Nikhil Kumar is looking for a three-peat, having won this title twice already and currently the highest seeded player by over 100 points (2787).
Kumar’s rating is probably the highest NCTTA rating in the modern age. No other men’s singles player in NCTTA history has won this event two years in a row, much less three years in a row.
Teammate at California and 2024 runner-up to Kumar, Ved Sheth, is going to have a say in the matter as he is the #2 seed in the competition. Could there be a rematch on the horizon?

However, the competition will be quite intense, as two MLTT veterans and Texas Wesleyan University students Senura Silva and Jonatan McDonald will also be vying for the title, seeded 3 and 4 respectively.

A draw that has the top 80 men’s singles players in NCTTA featuring only six players below 2000 is looking to be a prized fight for the finish!
Check out this event and more at the 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships!

(Photo of California's Nikhil Kumar, 2-time NCTTA Men's Singles Champion. Photo by Grant Bergmann)


About 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams. Also this year a first in NCTTA’s history is the Collegiate National Team trials on Thursday April 3rd for the 2025 World University Games.

PongSpace, Peaka Pong, Stiga and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.

Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 4th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2025/video.html

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

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