Mapusa (Goa), January 28, 2024: The World No. 8 Felix Lebrun of France and Chinese Taipei’s Cheng I-ching registered stunning victories to clinch the singles titles in their respective categories at the World Table Tennis Star Contender Goa 2024 at the Peddem Indoor Stadium in Mapusa, Goa on Sunday.

Lebrun lost the first two games before making a magnificent comeback to beat the World No. 7 Hugo Calderano by 4-2 (9-11, 9-11, 13-11, 11-0, 15-13, 11-7) in an enthralling men’s singles final. The Brazilian paddler began the contest on a positive note and won the first two games despite getting a tough challenge from Lebrun, who held his nerve to clinch the third game.

The 17-year-old teenage sensation showcased his sublime defensive prowess in the fourth game and won it without conceding a single point to his opponent. Lebrun carried forward the positive momentum into the next two games to emerge victorious against a fierce opponent.

Meanwhile, in the women’s singles final, Cheng I-ching, who finished as a runner-up in the competition last time, had a fairly comfortable outing as she defeated Germany’s Nina Mittelham.  

The Chinese Taipei paddler looked in complete control of the match from the beginning and defeated Mittelham 4-0 (11-8, 11-8, 17-15, 11-6) in straight sets to win the title in the tournament, co-hosted by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis under the guidance of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

Over 41 Indian paddlers participated in the tournament, marking the highest representation for the nation in a WTT event. Young Indian paddler Sreeja Akula’s quarter-final finish was the best result for India in the singles category.

Earlier, Shin Yubin and Lim Jonghoon of South Korea played brilliantly and got the better of Spain’s Alvaro Robles and Maria Xiao by 3-0 (11-2, 12-10,  13-11) in the mixed doubles final to secure the title.

Goa, January 23, 2024: Indian paddlers Manav Thakkar and Ayhika Mukherjee began their campaign in the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024 with comfortable victories on Tuesday at the Peddem Indoor Stadium in Mapusa, Goa.

Manav overcame the challenge of Anshuman Agarwal 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-4) in straight games to move into Men’s Singles – Qualifying Round 3 where he will face Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw.

In the women’s singles category, Ayhika Mukherjee defeated Sayali Wani by 3-0 (11-9, 11-2, 12-10) in Qualifying Round 2, while Poymantee Baisya beat Pritha Priya Vartikar 3-0 (12-10, 11-7, 11-7) in Qualifying Round 1.

Meanwhile, Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sanil Shetty faced defeats in the Men’s Singles – Qualifying Round 2 to exit the tournament. Sharath Kamal went down 2-3 (11-6, 12-10, 4-11, 15-17, 3-11) against South Korea’s Kang Dongsoo, whereas Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa beat Sanil Shetty 3-2 (14-12, 11-9, 11-13, 7-11, 11-6).

The tournament is co-hosted by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis under the guidance of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

In the mixed doubles category, Manush Shah and Diya Chitale defeated the Indonesian pair of Quek Izaac and Zhou Jingyi 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 11-6) in straight games, while Sreeja Akula and Snehit Suravajjula beat Pang Koen and Wong Ru of Indonesia 3-1 (11-9, 13-11, 7-11, 11-8) to reach the Qualifying Round 2.

Fans can enjoy the world-class action by booking their tickets from BookMyShow.

The action will be available live on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & Sony Sports Ten 2 HD channel on tv and live stream on Sony Liv app.

Indore, January 23: Tamil Nadu subdued title-favourites Maharashtra 3-2 to wear the Under-15 Girls crown in the 85th UTT Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Abhay Prashal Indoor Stadium here today.

Tamil Nadu, which played 23 out of 25 games to emerge victorious, should credit the win to Ananya Muralidharan and coach Aishwarya. If the former was the X-factor in their scheme of things, the latter’s chirpy encouragements instilled confidence into the players, who looked forlorn when down and almost out at times. The TN girls elevated their stature to the gold from the bronze they won at the home edition last season.

After a fine turnaround against West Bengal in the semifinal, Tamil Nadu followed the same script in the final, which paid rich dividends. To play Ananya first was a clever move. She responded well and beat Maharashtra’s No. 1 player, Riana Bhoota, 3-2. Hansini toiled but regrouped quickly to beat Divyanshi, putting Tamil Nadu 2-0.

But Ananya and Hansini lost the doubles to Kavya and Divyanshi, and Maharashtra cashed in on that opportunity and levelled the score through Riana. The left-hander beat Hansini 3-2. With the final in balance, Ananya was in no mood to cede and countered Divyanshi and her long-pimpled rubber, cleverly adapting to the pace forcing the Maharashtra girl into mistakes, and settling for the silver.

Delhi and West Bengal, who finished on the podium one-two in the last edition, shared the bronze medals.

Delhi, however, would rue their inability to go beyond the semifinals and translate their efforts into something better. If only their team management swapped the places of X (Prisha Goel) with Y (Avisha Karmakar) and vice-versa, Delhi could have made a match of their semifinals against Maharashtra.

But it was not to be. Avisha, restoring parity after Prisha lost her singles to left-handed Riana, continued with the doubles and her reverse singles and did not get an occasion to leave the table. Most importantly, Delhi wasted two others and preferred Prisha and Avisha for the crucial match. Perhaps the team management reposed too much faith in the two or did not have any against the other two.

Whatever the case, Avisha did not have the energy in the reverse singles. But a fresh Riana Bhoota, who defeated Prisha in the first rubber, returned to the table and beat Avisha in straight games.

Also, the two teams planning was contrasting. Divyanshi, who lost her singles to Avisha, joined hands with left-hander Kavya Bhatt and put Maharashtra 2-1 up. Prisha and Avisha fought back to level the score 0-2 down in the doubles. But far too many mistakes and excellent Kavya counters to swell up the lead in the decider snatched away Delhi’s chances. Nevertheless, Delhi would have taken a leaf out of the Maharashtra book on the significance of cleverly rotating the bench strength.

Tamil Nadu, too, relied too much on two players—Hansini and Ananya. Yet, the two made a 3-1 win possible from an impossible position. After Hansini became easy prey to Aarushi Nandi, their fourth player, in the first rubber. The change of plan for Bengal worked well here.

But Ananya played a stellar role when she trailed 0-2 in the second rubber to Syndrela Das. After claiming the closest third game, she followed it up with another in the fourth on her second game point. From there, she never looked back. After claiming the closest third game, she followed it up with another in the fourth on her second game point. From there, she never looked back.

Though the Bengal girl won the next game easily, Syndrela played superbly and led 5-3 at the change of ends. Syndrela was sitting pretty at 7-4, but Hanisini opened her game so well after taking her next point and went on a demolition job, taking five on the trot before conceding one to her rival. But it could not stop Hansini or Tamil Nadu from entering the final, besides exposing Bengal’s over-reliance on Syndrela. The 14-year-old is entitled to her rare failures!

Team Girls: Finals: Tamil Nadu bt Maharashtra 3-2 (Ananya Muralidharan bt Riana Bhoota 8-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 11-3, M. Hansini bt Divyanshi Bhowmick 5-11, 11-8, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5, Hanisni/Ananya lost to Kavya Bhatt/Divyanshi 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 7-11, 5-11, Hansini lost to Riana 11-9, 8-11, 10-12, 11-7, 12-14, Ananya bt Divyanshi 11-7, 11-6, 11-5).

Semifinals: Maharashtra bt Delhi 3-1 (Riana bt Prisha Goel 11-7, 11-4, 11-4, Divyanshi lost to Avisha Karmakar 9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 2-11, Divyanshi/Kavya Bhatt bt Prisha/Avisha 6-11, 5-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-9, Riana bt Avisha 11-8, 11-4, 11-6); Tamil Nadu bt West Bengal 3-1 (Hansini lost to Aarushi Nandi 6-11, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, Ananya bt Syndrela Das 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-3, Hansini/Ananaya bt Syndrela/Ankolika Chakraborty 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5, Hansini bt Syndrela 11-8, 4-11, 11-6, 3-11, 11-8). 

Indore, January 21: With a round yet to go, Maharashtra and West Bengal entered the pre-quarterfinals of the team events in the Under-15 Girls of the 85th UTT Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Abhay Prashal Indoor Stadium here today.

They translated their on-paper superiority into a reality, emerging as the leader of their respective A and B groups, comprising three teams each. In doing so, the Maharashtra girls thrashed each PSPBA and Pondicherry 3-0, and West Bengal enacted a similar scene and verdicts against Rajasthan (TTFI-1) and Madhya Pradesh, in that order.

Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Kerala, Haryana, NCOE, and Karnataka are the other teams that ensured their qualification from the remaining six groups to join them. All these teams, part of the four-squad groups, posted two wins each to secure their pre-quarterfinals place.

It leaves the battle for the second spot from each group wide open, and the teams with a better chance to qualify are PSPBA, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, UP, Gujarat, and Telangana. But they will have to win their third-round matches to get where they want to.

In the matches that were gone by, only a few matches went down to the wire, especially in the second round. Even West Bengal struggled partially against Madhya Pradesh before overcoming the hosts 3-1. After trailing 0-2, Madhya Pradesh came back in the doubles.

In the third rubber of the tie, Bhavya Rao and Advika Agrawal raised hopes and gave a harrowing moment to the Bengal pair of Aarushi Nandi and Prateeti Paul. The rubber hung in balance when the Bengal duo restored parity winning back-to-back games after MP held a 2-0 advantage.

However, Bhavya and Advika brushed aside the threat and won the decider to pull one back (13-11, 11-8, 5-11, 8-11, 11-8). But Syndrela Das, on whom the team banks heavily, played her part and won the reverse singles against Advika. Earlier, Syndrela beat Parmi Nagdeve 11-3, 11-7, 11-5. Madhya Pradesh has a good chance to beat Rajasthan (TTFI-1) in the last round and seal their second-stage berth.

Yet, the best match of the afternoon was between Kerala and Chandigarh. The battle went the distance when Tia Mundenkurian brought cheers to the Kerala bench with an 11-6, 5-11, 12-10, 11-8 win over Teetiksha Goel. Tia, however, did not have a good start and lost 9-11, 11-8, 10-12, 4-11 to Vani Sharma. But Edwina Edward beat Teetiksha 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9 in a fight, which kept Kerala interests alive.

Though they lost the next rubber, the doubles, Edwina again made brilliant efforts to beat Vani 4-11, 11-9, 15-13, 6-11, 11-7 before Tia wrapped up the fifth rubber in her team’s favour.

The draw for the second-stage team events will take place in the evening after the conclusion of the third-round matches.

Team (Rounds 1 & 2):

Group A: Maharashtra bt PSPBA 3-0; Maharashtra bt Pondicherry 3-0.

Group B: West Bengal bt Rajasthan (TTFI-1) 3-0; West Bengal bt Madhya Pradesh 3-1.

Group C: Tamil Nadu bt Uttarakhand 3-0, Goa bt Daman & Diu 3-0; Tamil Nadu bt Goa 3-0, Uttarakhand bt Daman & Diu 3-0.

Group D: Delhi bt Odisha 3-0, Andhra Pradesh bt J & K 3-1; Delhi bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0, Odisha bt J & K 3-1.

Group E: Chandigarh bt Assam 3-0, Kerala bt Punjab 3-0; Assam bt Punjab 3-0, Kerala bt Chandigarh 3-2.

Group F: Haryana bt Himachal 3-0, UP bt Chhattisgarh 3-0; Haryana bt UP 3-0, Himachal bt Chhattisgarh 3-0.

Group G: Gujarat bt Rajasthan (TTFI-2) 3-0, NCOE bt Bihar 3-0; NCOE bt Gujarat 3-0, Rajasthan (TTFI 2) bt Bihar 3-0.

Group H: Karnataka bt Jharkhand 3-0, Telangana bt Meghalaya 3-0; Karnataka bt Telangana 3-2, Jharkhand bt Meghalaya 3-0.

Indore, January 20: Even when a state gets 75 percent of its composition right in team championship events, it invariably ends up on the winning side. If you are cent percent accurate with the selection of your team, it leaves room for no other lineup whatsoever.

That is what the state of Maharashtra has done for the 85th UTT Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships, getting underway tomorrow at the Abhay Prashal Indoor Stadium.

After their boys finished a disappointing fifth position, Maharashtra would want to shore up their expectations and satiate their appetite with no less than the gold medals. And you can bet that the job is in the capable hands of Divyanshi Bhowmick, Riana Bhoota, Kavya Bhatt, and Ishika Umate, such a formidable bench strength which other contenders would only dream about or envy.

Under the circumstances, the job of other top teams like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi, who are sure shots to finish on the podium, becomes difficult, if not impossible. Yet, Bengal has two brightest youngsters, Syndrela Das and Ankolika Chakraborty, who can provide a twist to the tale. The former made waves across sections in the 2023 season, and it should worry even Maharashtra. But the two alone cannot achieve a wholesome result and would need the support of Prateeti Paul and Aarush Nandi.

In comparison, Tamil Nadu has a better lineup in M. Hansini, Ananaya Muralidharan, Nandhini Reena Balaji, and Yavanika Harimakeshwaran. The first three are seasoned campaigners and must share the team load. But for Tamil Nadu to win a medal, Hansini would be the go-to player for the state. Delhi will look up to Avisha Karmakar, Prisha Goel and Dhaani Jain to elevate their position with Tushti Sood. However, the job will be easier said than done.

The dark horse in the championships will be Kolkata’s National Centre of Excellence (NCOE), thanks to Ranjini Saha. She is their best bet, but the loner cannot accomplish much other than winning her two singles. Most teams sail in a similar boat and rely on one or two players, putting an extra burden on them. Besides, it also points to the need for steady supply lines from all states and grooming players with much-needed exposure at this level.

The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy is on track but still in its infancy. Maybe, a few years from now, the PSPBA and NCOE can prove themselves and hold the mirror to those lacking imagination.

However, the individuals get the opportunities to prove and shine in the singles and doubles. They need not feel despair, as they are in the thick of the championships. The group qualification events in Under-13 and Under-15 will also start tomorrow.

Competition Manager N. Ganeshan said T.G. Upadhaya, as referee for the championships, will continue with his deputies, Mangesh Mopker and K.R. Manjunatha. They all will rely on 50 other technical officials, including Blue Badge and International umpires.

Team Groupings:

Group A: Maharashtra, Pondicherry, PSPBA; Group B: West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan (TTFI-1); Group C: Tamil Nadu, Goa, Uttarakhand, Daman & Diu; Group D: Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, J & K; Group E: Chandigarh, Kerala, Assam, Punjab; Group F: Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh; Group G: Gujarat, NCOE, Rajasthan (TTFI-2), Bihar; Group H: Karnataka, Telangana, Jharkhand, Meghalaya.

Indore, January 19: Soham Mukherjee of West Bengal defeated Teshub Dinesh of Karnataka 3-1 to win the Under-15 Boys title in the 85th UTT Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships and hoist the trophy at the Abhay Prashal Indoor Stadium today.

Soham was quick, precise and finished well, which ultimately hastened his win in the final. Teshub played well in parts, but several unforced errors contributed to his downfall as he lacked consistency.

The Karnataka boy was not his usual self, while Soham was more focused. Though he dropped the second game to Teshub, the West Bengal paddler picked up steam in the third and continued with it to complete the task.

In the first semifinal, Soham emerged as the best and beat Arya 3-1. Though the two shared a game each, Soham outplayed his teammate Arya in the third and fourth to enter the final.

In the second, Karnataka’s Teshub kept cool and a calm head to overcome Debraj Bhattacharjee in a tense match, the first three games finishing on extended points. The lanky left-hander showed maturity to win the fourth and fifth to earn his spot in the final.

Aditya Das, who played match after match, was at ease in the Under-13 Boys’ final when he beat Akash Rajavelu of Tamil Nadu 3-0. There was hardly any challenge from the latter as a determined Aditya added to the doubles title he had won earlier in the day. His ball sense and presence of mind in placements surpassed his age, and it was visible time and again in the final.

In the semifinals, Aditya found a resilient Aarav and the match got dragged on to the last game. Aditya won 3-2, especially in the fifth game on extended points. On the other hand, Akash had it easy against Veer Balmiki, despite dropping a game in the second semi-final.

Ashwajit wins crown

M. Ashwajith of Tamil Nadu showed consistency throughout, including in the final, to become the Under-11 Boys National champion. His encounter with Delhi’s Dhrityaman Pandey proved easy, as he defeated his rival in straight games. 

But Arav Dutta of NCOE stretched him in the semifinal. The players won their alternate games and kept themselves until the decider, which Ashwajith won. Even Talasila Sai Manavith of Andhra Pradesh gave anxious moments to Dhrityaman, but the Delhi boy with steady nerves overcame him in the last two games.

Double for Bengal

In the all-Bengal final of the U-15 Boys’ doubles, Soham Mukherjee and Rupam Sardar defeated Aditya Das and Debraj Bhattacharjee 3-1 for the title. In the Under-13 Boys’ doubles final, West Bengal’s Aditya combined with Himon Mondal to ensure they won the title. In the process, they beat Vatsal Duklan and Viren Patil 3-2. Unfortunately, the PSPBA duo failed to cash in on the 2-0 lead and went down to their rivals.

Results:

U-15 Boys Singles: Final: Soham Mukherjee (WB) bt Teshub Dinesh (Kar) 11-5, 5-11, 11-6, 11-8.

Semi-finals: Soham bt Arya Sarthak (PSPBA) 13-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-7; Teshub bt Debraj Bhattacharjee (WB) 14-12, 16-18, 13-11, 7-11, 11-9.

Doubles final: Soham Mukherjee/Rupam Sardar (WB) bt Aditya Das/Debraj Bhattacharjee (WB) 11-4, 11-6, 10-12, 11-6.

U-13 Boys Singles: Final: Aditya Das (WB) bt Akash Rajavelu (TN) 11-6, 12-10, 11-5.

Semi-finals: Aditya bt Aarav Acharya (Rajasthan-TTFI-1) 11-9, 8-11, 6-11, 11-9, 14-12; Akash bt Veer Balmiki (UP) 11-6, 11-7, 12-14, 11-9.

Doubles final: Aditya Das/Himon Mondal (WB) bt Vatsal Duklan/Viren Patil (PSPBA) 8-11, 12-14, 11-9, 11-2, 11-5.

U-11 Boys Singles: Final: M. Ashwajith (TN) bt Dhrityaman Pandey (Del) 11-7, 11-5, 11-4.

Semi-finals: M. Ashwajith bt Arav Dutta (NCOE) 11-3, 12-10, 12-14, 9-11, 11-8; Dhrityaman bt Talasila Sai Manavith (AP)8-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8.

Goa, January 19, 2024: One of the biggest international table tennis tournaments, WTT Star Contender Goa has returned to India with its second edition, scheduled at the Peddem Indoor Stadium in Mapusa, Goa from January 23 to 28. The upcoming prestigious tournament promises a bigger and better experience for the fans, especially with the inclusion of 17 Top-20 paddlers competing for the title. The WTT Star Contender Goa 2024 will be co-hosted by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis under the guidance of Table Tennis Federation of India. Fans can book their tickets to watch the high-voltage action on BookMyShow.

Here are the Top-5 global stars to watch out for in the tournament,

1) Hugo Calderano (World No. 6, Brazil):
The World No. 6 Hugo Calderano is one of the biggest attractions of the upcoming WTT Star Contender Goa 2024. The 27-year-old paddler from Brazil is known for his explosive play style and remarkable agility. With the career-best ranking of three in January 2022, Calderano became the first-ever Pan American player to earn a place in the Top-5 of the world rankings and was also the first Brazilian and Latin American to reach the quarter-finals of table tennis in the Olympic Games. Calderano had a good 2023, winning WTT Contender Durban and WTT Contender Doha along with becoming the first three-time consecutive table tennis champion at the Pan American Games. Calderano promises to be a force to reckon with in India’s biggest international table tennis tournament. His consistent performances on the global stage make him a top contender for the men’s singles title.

2) Yubin Shin (World No. 9, Korea Republic):
Known as the prodigy back in Korea, the 19-year-old Yubin Shin enters the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024 after an exceptional 2023 wherein she won four medals, including one gold and three bronze, at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Besides Asian Games heroics, she also won the titles at the WTT Contender Lagosand and WTT Contender Lima in the same year. A rising star in the women’s table tennis, Shin has the ability to adapt quickly and deliver under pressure which makes her a strong contender in the women’s singles category. She will also be competing in the women’s doubles with Jihee Jeon and in mixed doubles with Jonghoon Lim. Having finished her campaign in the round-of-32 in the last edition, Shin will look to turn things around and grab the title when she steps onto the arena in Goa.

3) Felix Lebrun (World No. 8, France):
The rising star Felix Lebrun is one to watch out for in the tournament. Hailing from a new generation of talented players, the 17-year-old Felix’s dynamic playing style and tactical prowess have gained attention. Felix won the bronze medal in doubles at the World Tour Finals 2023 and a bronze medal in the team event of the European Championships 2023. Felix’s brother World No. 23 Alexis will also compete in this prestigious tournament. The French youngster Felix, who reached semi-finals in the last edition, will be aiming for a better finish during his return at the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024. He will also compete in the mixed doubles event along with Prithika Pavade.

4) Dimitrij Ovtcharov (World No. 13, Germany):
The former World No. 1 Dimitrij Ovtcharov is one the most experienced paddlers to appear in the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024. A legend of the game from Germany, Ovtcharov has won six Olympics medals, including two singles bronze medals in 2012 and 2020. He has also won the World Tour title, Men’s World Cup, European championships, German National Championships. Currently ranked 13 in the world, Ovtcharov is known for his trademark backhand and iconic serve that enables him to take down the best in the business. The 35-year-old seasoned campaigner will be making his debut at the WTT Star Contender Goa and is expected to present a strong challenge in the men’s singles.

5) Cheng I-Ching (World No. 18, Chinese Taipei):
The last edition’s runner up, Chinese Taipei’s Cheng I-Ching will return to Goa with an aim to get her hands on the title this time around. Cheng will not only compete in the women’s singles event but will also try her hands in the women’s doubles category along with Ye Jhun Li. Currently ranked 18 in the world, Cheng is one of the most celebrated players, having played an important role in Chinese Taipei’s significant growth in table tennis. Cheng won the mixed doubles bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and was the integral part in Chinese Taipei’s bronze medal finish at the World Championships in 2016 and 2022. She also secured a singles silver medal in the 2016 World Cup.

The qualifying rounds will be played on January 23 and 24 whereas the semi-finals and finals are scheduled on January 27 and 28 respectively.

Indore, January 19: Two-time National champion Sreeja Akula claimed her first international title when she defeated world No. 46 Lily Zhang of the USA 3-0 (11-6, 18-16, 11-5) in the women’s singles final of the WTT Feeder Corpus Christi 2024 last night, marking a bright beginning to the new calendar year.

On her way to the final, the woman from Hyderabad beat French women Stephanie Loeuillette 3-1 and upstaged top-seed Amy Wang 3-2 (11-9, 9-11, 11-1, 6-11, 11-9) in the see-saw quarterfinals.

Ranked No. 94 in the world, the 25-year-old Indian led 2-1. But she let the world No. 37 claw her way back to level the score. However, Sreeja grabbed the last points in the decider to outsmart her.

In the semifinals, she ran into Jiangshan Gao, another US paddler of Chinese origin, and led 2-1. Precariously placed at 1-2, the US player staged a fine recovery to level the score in the fourth extended game at 12-10. After that, she finished the close fifth game to win 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9 and enter the final.

But the final turned out as a one-sided affair. After winning the stretched second game on the sixth game point against Lily, Sreeja wrapped it up for the top-of-podium finish. 

“I am immensely pleased, and my efforts got me where I wanted to be. It’s my maiden international title, and I have earned it after two close calls in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the tournament. Both (Amy and Lily) were higher-ranked players and played well against them,” said the Hyderabad woman.

Indore, January 18: Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy (PSPBA) defeated West Bengal 3-1 in the final of the 85th UTT Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships to hoist the winner’s trophy at the Abhay Prashal Indoor Stadium today.

The result may have gone the way of the top seed, but it did not reflect the gusty performance of the second seed, making it a worthy final in a long time.

After Rupam Sardar’s meek surrender to Sarthak Arya, Soham Mukerjee resisted well to stretch the left-handed Sahil, causing some harrowing moments. As a result, Sahil faltered for the first time, and Soham emerged victorious to restore parity.

Ronald Sarkar paired up with Sahil, and the two posed several questions to the West Bengal pair in the doubles rubber. In the end, Rupam and Soham could not match the guile of their opponents and wilted 2-3, providing PSPBA with a distinct 2-1 advantage. Sahil made up for his second singles loss and defeated Rupam 3-2 after the Bengal player led twice. 

Sarthak and Arya are two good finds for the PSPBA. They have delivered in the championships every time they entered the arena, and it was no different in the semifinals this morning. Sarthak found it hard against left-handed Teshub Dinesh in the first game of the opening rubber. After squandering three game points, the PSPBA paddler won 16-14. After that, he never looked back, swiftly finishing the next two games to put his side ahead.

Straightaway, left-handed Sahil went into the attack, and it paid him and his side off with a 2-0 lead against Atharva Nawarange. However, the Karnataka player made most of his opponent’s unforced errors in the third game to pull one back. Beyond that, he could not do much as Sahil wrapped the rubber for a solid lead.

In the doubles, the left-right combination of PSPBA proved a better matchup than the Karnataka pair, also a similar combination. The Karnataka duo had an edge in the first game, but Sarthak and Sahil quickly nullified it and won 12-10. The two coordinated well, and Karnataka did not have an answer to it and ended their team’s campaign with the bronze medal.

But West Bengal’s overall game plan, barring the first-game hiccups, worked so well that they could beat Odisha 3-0 in the second semifinal. Of course, Soham faced some trouble initially with Odisha’s top player, Jigyansu Sahoo. But the Bengal paddler quelled the challenge to win 3-2. For Rupam, it was a cakewalk against Anupam Anindya Das. Rupam disposed of Anupam soon to lead 2-0. 

Rupam and Soham faced little resistance in the doubles rubber, as Jigyanshu and Anupam failed to raise their game’s level. After losing badly in the first game, they showed a semblance of a fight, but it came too late and too little.

Nevertheless, Odisha and its players can take pride in whatever they achieved, a bronze medal in the nationals after three failed attempts in their previous events. They were just a step away from the medal rounds, but it seemed far away. But this time, they could not be denied the medals.

The U-11, U-13 and U-15 Boys singles have entered the knockout stages, the finals of which will be played tomorrow along with the doubles events.

Results: U-15 Boys Team: Final: PSPB-A bt West Bengal 3-1 (Sarthak Arya bt Rupam Sardar 11-8, 11-9, 11-6, Sahil Rawat lost to Soham Mukherjee 10-12, 11-3, 8-11, 6-11, Ronald Sarkar/Sahil bt Rupam/Soham 5-11, 11-8, 13-11, 10-12, 11-7, Sahil bt Rupam 5-11, 13-11, 13-11, 7-11, 13-11).

Semi-finals: PSPBA bt Karnataka 3-1 (Sarthak bt Teshub Dinesh 16-14, 11-3, 11-6, Sahil bt Atharva Nawarange 11-5, 11-9, 5-11, 11-7, Sahil/Sarthak lost to Atharva/Teshub 10-12, 6-11, 6-11, Sahil bt Teshub 7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9); West Bengal bt Odisha 3-0 (Soham bt Jigyanshu Sahoo 9-11, 15-13, 7-11, 11-8, 15-13, Rupam bt Anupam Anindya Das 11-4, 11-4, 11-5, Rupam/Soham bt Jigyanshu/Anupam 11-3, 11-7, 11-9).

Indore, January 17: Top-seed Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy (PSPB-A) and second-seed West Bengal entering the semifinals of the 85th UTT Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships at the Abhay Prashal Indoor Stadium today was a foregone conclusion. Even Karnataka boys had been there and done that before. But Odisha making it to the medal round was the real story of the day.

Having lost the opportunity before, in three Nationals at Vijayawada, Ahmedabad and Indore, the Under-15 boys from Odisha found lady luck smiling on them for the first time. And who did they beat in the quarters? Tamil Nadu, and that too for an emphatic 3-1 score.

Though Odisha had an inauspicious start when Anupam Das lost to Nikhil Menon 3-0, there was no indication of their intent. But Jigyanshu Sahoo, their pivot, made a bright start against Siddarth Prakash to level the score. However, Jigyanshu and Anupam combined well to win the doubles, crucial in a team match. The 2-1 lead gave that much confidence, and Jigyanshu beat Nikhil 3-1 to reach where they deserved.

Karnataka’s reliance on left-handed Tehsub and Atharva paid off against Maharashtra, who the former beat 3-2. After Tehsub put Karnataka ahead, Atharva failed to consolidate and went 2-3 down to Shouren. Their problems continued in the doubles, and the Karnataka lads let Maharashtra claw their way back and lead 2-1. But Tehsub beat Souren, and Atharva completed the job, leaving Maharashtra rue a lost chance.

PSPBA kept their date with destiny after beating Gujarat 3-1, and West Bengal thrashed Assam 3-0 with some authority in their quarterfinals.

After their easy passage into the knockout stage, PSPBA was taken the distance for the first time in the championships when the National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) boys kept themselves in the match until the decider. For once, the Petroleum Academy boys found their match in the NCOE rivals as the latter tried and almost changed the script when out in the dumps and trailed 0-2.

The game-changing moment came when Rajdip and Shrestho, who lost their singles to Sahil and Sarthak, fought well in the doubles to post their first rubber (3-1) win. It brought their confidence back, and Rajdip, playing the reverse singles, outsmarted Sarthak in the fourth rubber. The match went down to the wire, and Rajdip won 3-2. With the scores tied 2-2, it was up to the left-handed Sahil to make the most of the occasion. And he did not fail his team, winning the fifth rubber against Shrestho in straight games.

Gujarat beat Delhi 3-1 in a dominant pre-quarterfinal, as did Odisha against Telangana. But for these matches, the rest were one-sided, and the results spoke volumes about the supremacy of the winners.

Meanwhile, the main draw of the Under-13 boys got underway, while the U-15 and U-11 second-stage matches will begin tomorrow after the group engagements today. Concurrently, the doubles affairs are also happening in the Under-15 and Under-13 sections.

Results: U-15 Boys Team: Quarterfinals: PSPBA bt Gujarat 3-1 (Sahil Rawat lost to Arya Kataria 5-11, 9-11, 9-11, Sarthak Arya bt Sujal Kukadia 11-7, 11-9, 11-2, Ronald Sarkar/Sahil bt Malav Panchal/Abhilaksh Patel 11-2, 11-7, 11-5, Sarthak bt Arya 11-7, 9-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-9); Karnataka bt Maharashtra 3-2 (Teshub Dinesh bt Tanish Pendse 11-8, 17-15, 8-11, 13-11, Atharva Nawarange lost to Shouren Soman 9-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 7-11, Teshub/Atharva lost to Shouren/Tanish 6-11, 11-7, 15-13, 11-8, Teshub bt Shouren 6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6, Atharva bt Tanish 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4); Odisha bt Tamil Nadu 3-1 (Anupam Das lost to Nikhil Menon 6-11, 6-11, 5-11, Jigyanshu Sahoo bt Siddarth Prakasam 11-5, 9-11, 12-10, 11-6, Anindya Das/Jigyanshu bt Siddarth/Akash Rajavelu 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-7, Jigyanshu bt Nikhil 11-9, 11-3, 7-11, 11-9); West Bengal bt Assam 3-0 (Rupam Sardar bt Swapnanil Dutta 11-6, 11-9, 11-7, Soham Mukherjee bt Abheek Kashyap 6-11, 11-6, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7, Rupam/Soham bt Swapnanil/Abheek 11-9, 13-11, 11-6).

Pre-quarterfinals: PSPBA bt NCOE 3-2 (Sahil bt Rajdip Sen 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4, Sarthak bt Shresth Chakraborty 11-3, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5, Sahil/Rushikesh Jagtap lost to Rajdip/Shrestho 8-11, 10-12, 14-12, 7-11, Sarthak lost to Rajdip 4-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-4, 12-14, Sahil bt Shrestho 11-3, 11-6, 11-5); Gujarat bt Delhi 3-1 (Abhilaksh bt S. Bhaskar Singh 11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 9-11, Arya bt Raunaq Goel 11-5, 11-5, 11-7, Abhilaksh/Arya bt Bhaskar/Harnoor S Bedi 11-5, 10-12, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, Arya bt Bhaskar 11-5, 4-11, 7-11, 11-9, 14-12); Maharashtra bt Goa 3-0 (Tanish bt Khushal Naik 11-7, 11-8, 11-8, Shouren bt Chandan Caro 11-7, 11-4, 12-10, Kasthub/Parth bt Atharv Dhulapkar/Khushal 11-6, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8); Karnataka bt Rajasthan (TTFI-1) Atharva bt Aarav Acharya 14-16, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-6, Teshub bt Arinjay Kucchal 11-9, 11-3, 11-7, Arya/Arnav lost to  Aarav/Armaan Banthia 11-7, 3-11, 13-11, 4-11, 7-11, Teshub bt Aarav 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9); Odisha bt Telangana 3-1 (Jigyansu bt Devansh Malkapuri 11-4, 11-4, 11-9, Anupam Das lost to Akshay Khajandar 9-11, 3-11, 5-11, Jigyansu/Anupam bt Karthik Teja/Akshay 11-9, 11-6, 11-2, Jigyansu bt Akahay 11-5, 11-6, 11-3); Tamil Nadu bt UP 3-0 (Siddarth bt Veer Balmiki 11-9, 11-4, 11-6, Akash bt Aryan Kumar 9-11, 11-13, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6, Siddarth/Akash bt Aaryan/Veer 11-7, 12-10, 11-8); Assam bt Chandigarh 3-0 (Swapnanil bt Vadya Chawla 11-5, 1-5, 13-11, Abheek bt Vishal Garg 13-11, 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7, Swapnanil/Abheek bt Gishal/Vadya 11-3, 5-11, 11-6, 14-12); West Bengal bt Haryana 3-0 (Rupam bt Mahir Varma 11-6, 11-6, 11-5, Soham bt Shaurya Kumar 11-5, 10-12, 11-4, 11-5, Soham/Rupam bt Parsh Yadav/Mahir 11-5, 11-7, 11-9).

Indore, January 16: Justifying their top-seed position, the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy (PSPB-A) boys have entered the pre-quarterfinals of the 85th UTT Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships at the Abhay Prashal Indoor Stadium, here today.

With a new foreign expert in place, it sounded like a clear warning to the other title contenders in the Under-15 category that they would have to do a lot of homework.

The team had the foresight and courage to tinker with two combinations. So precise was its planning and execution as its boys thrashed Chandigarh and Chhattisgarh 3-0, thanks to Sahil Rawat, Ronald Sarkar, Rushikesh Jagtap and Sarthak Arya. The foreign expert of the team mix-matches with the combines, and they came out with flying colours to make the grade.

In the group qualification race, leaders West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Assam more or less sealed their top spots in their respective groups. Though they have a match each for the league engagement to end, the results will hugely alter their fortunes.

However, the last round of group matches will decide the fate of the other teams, including the borderline cases, that can occupy the second spots of their groups. 

Hosts Madhya Pradesh is one of the teams going through such a situation. Having beaten Rajasthan (TTFI-2) in their second round, the MP boys have kept their qualification chance intact. Rhythm Gada beat Bhuvanesh Meena 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 to provide the launching pad.

Abu Baker consolidated the position, winning against Moulik Rajawat 11-5, 14-12, 11-6. In the third rubber, the doubles pair of Abu and Bhavyansh made a rough weather before overcoming Yogesh Thanvi and Krishna Purohit to win 7-11, 16-14, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8.

However, they cannot rest on the one-match win laurels as they have to beat Odisha in the last round to take the second spot in Group G. But Odisha, too, will fancy its chance in the group. 

Kerala and Rajasthan (TTFI-1), NCOE and Pondicherry, UP and Uttarakhand, Delhi and Punjab, Haryana and Andhra, J & K and Goa in the other groups are sailing in the same boat. As for Group A, the winners of the Chandigarh-Chhattisgarh match will decide who advances to the second stage.

However, qualifier Gujrat from Group G had the match of the day against Odisha, who proved a hard nut to crack. Gujarat began inauspiciously losing their first rubber when Jigyanshu Sahoot beat Malav Panchal 11-4, 11-8, 11-7. But Abhilaksh Patel restored parity, beating Anupam Das 3-11, 11-5, 11-3, 7-11, 11-3.

Gujarat’s doubles duo Sujal Kukadia and Arya Kataria consolidated, downing Jigyanshu and Anupam 10-12, 12-14, 11-7, 11-7, 11-3. But Jigyanshu beat Abhilaksh 12-14, 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6 to take the issue to the decider. However, Malav made amends for the earlier loss to outplay Anupam 13-11, 11-9, 11-5.

Team Results: U-15 Boys: 

(Rounds 1 and 2):

Group A: PSPBA bt Chandigarh 3-0; PSPBA bt Chhattisgarh 3-0.

Group B: West Bengal bt Kerala 3-0, Rajasthan (TTFI-1) bt Meghalaya 3-0; West Bengal bt Rajasthan (TTFI-1) 3-0, Kerala bt Meghalaya 3-0.

Group C: NCOE bt Pondicherry 3-0, Telangana bt Manipur 3-0; Telangana bt NCOE 3-1, Pondicherry bt Manipur 3-0.

Group D: Karnataka bt Uttarakhand 3-1, Uttar Pradesh bt Uttarakhand 3-0; Karnataka bt Uttar Pradesh 3-0, Uttarakhand bt Jharkhand 3-0.

Group E: Tamil Nadu bt Punjab 3-0, Delhi bt Bihar 3-0; Tamil Nadu bt Delhi 3-0, Punjab bt Bihar 3-0.

Group F: Maharashtra bt Haryana 3-0, Andhra Pradesh bt Daman & Diu 3-0; Maharashtra bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0, Haryana bt Daman & Diu 3-0.

Group G: Gujarat bt Madhya Pradesh 3-0, Odisha bt Rajasthan (TTFI-2) 3-0; Gujarat bt Odisha 3-2, Madhya Pradesh bt Rajasthan (TTFI-2) 3-0,  

Group H:  Jammu & Kashmir bt Goa 3-1, Assam bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0; Assam bt Jammu and Kashmir 3-2, Goa bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0.

Goa, January 16, 2024: While India gears up for the much-awaited international table tennis carnival with the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024, fans can pick their preferred seats on BookMyShow to watch the high-voltage action at close quarters as ticket sales has begun.

The second edition of India’s biggest international table tennis tournament is scheduled at the Peddem Indoor Stadium in Mapusa, Goa from January 23 to 28 with top global stars including the World No. 5 Hugo Calderano, the last edition’s runner-up Cheng I-Ching (WR 18) and former World No. 1 and two-time Olympics bronze medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov (WR 12) headlining the highly competitive field along with 14 other Top-20 paddlers.

The tickets are available at:https://in.bookmyshow.com/sports/wtt-star-contender-goa-2024/ET00379757

The tournament will be co-hosted by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis under the guidance of Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

“We are excited to launch ticket sales for WTT Star Contender Goa 2024, the epitome of international tournaments. This presents a significant opportunity for Indian fans to rally behind their athletes, providing crucial motivation as they prepare for the upcoming Olympics. With the best athletes from across the globe competing, the tournament promises an exciting show and we look forward to welcoming fans from every corner of the country and world to join us in celebrating the magic of table tennis on the grandest stage,” commented Deepak Malik, Tournament Director and Co-Founder & COO, Stupa Sports Analytics.

Ace paddlers Manika Batra, Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran are set to lead the home challenge as a record 41 Indians will be in action.

Tickets are now on sale across five categories—Stand Topspin & Block, Stand Serve & Receive, Stand Push & Flick, VIP, and Premium Lounge. Prices for the qualifying rounds start at ₹349, reaching up to ₹1,499 per session. For the main draw matches, including the semi-finals and finals, ticket prices vary from ₹599 to ₹4,999 per session. VIP and Premium Lounge tickets have been designed to offer passionate fans an enhanced stadium experience, complete with a complimentary snack.

Fans can also buy a full event pass, starting from ₹4,399, which will allow them to enjoy the thrilling action on all six days.  
The qualifying rounds will be played on January 23 and 24 whereas the semi-finals and finals are scheduled on January 27 and 28 respectively.

Indore, January 15: The boys from the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy (PSPB-A) were nowhere in the picture in the last season. But just before the team draw for the Under-15 Boys in the 85th UTT Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships, one finds PSPBA pitchforked to the top position of Group A.

The team events, beginning at the Abhay Prashal Indoor Stadium tomorrow, the PSPBA boys start as the favourites for the team title. But the top seed slot and the points they collected this season cannot alone be the reason for such a tag. PSPBA, ever since it relocated itself from Ajmer, has grown in stature, and their boys have shown improvements to hit the headlines. The onus is on Arya Sarthak, Rushikesh Jagtap, Sahil Rawat and Ronald Sarkar to justify the top billing.

However, West Bengal, the top team in the second group, is equally a tough nut to crack. Soham Mukherjee, Debraj Bhattacharjee, Rupam Sardar and Aditya Das will go all out to prove their mettle. Incidentally, they will have a tough time against another team, the National Centre of Excellence, Kolkata, whose boys did a fantastic job to be among the medals in the Junior and Youth Nationals team event in Kolkata.

And Karnataka has a good young crop of Dinesh Teshub, Naveen Aamav, Atharva Nawarange and Arya Jain. They can challenge the best attack on a given day. But what is surprising is that Tamil Nadu, who won the title in Alappuzha last season on the strength of P.B. Abhinand are relegated to the fifth group, based on the rankings of two of their top players. Maharashtra has a mix-match of newcomers, and they could also pose threats to the top contenders.

In other words, of the 31 teams vying for top honours and the coveted team trophy, a host of the squads in the fray will rely on the newest entrants who have graduated from Under-13 to make it to their respective squads.

With the boys who helped the team ascend the podium in the previous edition having moved to a higher age category, it is always foolhardy to predict the winners. But the individuals will have a say when the singles get underway, along with the Under-13 and Under-11 Boys. The next four days may spring up a surprise or two, making the nationals worthy for many.

Competition Manager N. Ganeshan said T.G. Upadhaya, as referee for the championships, will have support from his deputies, Mangesh Mopker and K.R. Manjunatha. But they all will rely on 50 other technical officials, including Blue Badge and International umpires.

Ganeshan also said Stag equipment, including flooring, tables, and balls, will be used during the two-leg championships, hosted by the Madhya Pradesh Table Tennis Association.

Kolkata, January 14: Ankur Bhattacharjee emerged as the Youth Boys Under-19 champion when he defeated state mate Bodhisatwa Chaudhury 4-0 in the final to hoist the winner’s trophy in the 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium today.

Ankur was close to claiming the title in the previous edition at Chennai. But he lost in the semifinals. However, the 18-year-old had the privilege, and deservingly, too.

In comparison, Bodhisatwa reached the Round of 32 at Chennai. But he has shown solid improvement since and entered what turned out as an all-Bengal final. The comparison ended there.

Ankur proved far superior on the day. If his attack was the best weapon he deployed against his friend, he has also learned to defend, making him a clever player. Bodhisatwa, on the other hand, lacked the nuances of a final and often tripped when he had to be extra cautious. Of course, the match saw excellent rallies.

Ankur’s efforts fetched him Rs. 72,000 in prize money. And runner-up Bodhisatwa received half of that amount.

Ankur needed about 35 minutes to shut Abhinand out in the first semifinal. Abhinand never gives up. But today, he could not find his rhythm despite winning the second game. The Tamil Nadu played a rank-bad third game, which exemplified his state of mind. Ankur, however, was thoroughly focused and went from strength to strength after the 2-1 lead. 

His game plan was simple. Attack ferociously and defend well. The strategy paid dividends, and he wrapped up the match quickly.

He will have a showdown with teammate Bodhisatwa, who struggled in his semifinal against K.J. Akash of Karnataka. The match swung from one extreme to another as the players kept winning alternate games. But Aakash failed to cash in on the chances in the decider and folded short of two points. The Bengal player quickly grabbed the opportunity and claimed the crucial points to earn a final berth.

PRIYANUJ WINS CROWN

Like the U-19 Boys, the two Assam boys ensured it would be an all-Assam final. Priyanuj Bhattacharyya, with a superior game plan and approach, made the title shot look easy against Rajkhowa Roy. But not before the struggle in the first game, which the eventual winner won on his fourth game point. Yet, he lost the second game badly before picking up momentum. His stroke-filled game was too hot for his state mate, and Rajkhowa failed to counter him. It made things easy for Priyanuj, who accomplished the job.

In the semifinals, Priyanuj beat R. Balamurugan from Tamil Nadu 3-2, and Rajkhowa accounted for Kushal Chopda of Maharashtra 3-1.

In the Under-17 doubles, Abhinand and Balamurugan made amends and beat their Maharashtra rivals, Sharveya Samant and Vineet Deepak, to win the title. The Tamil Nadu duo won 3-0, with little resistance from the Maharashtra pair.

In the Under-19 doubles, the Bengal pair of Ankur and Bodhisatwa beat their UP rivals, Sarth Mishra and Divyansh Srivastava 3-1 for yet another title, making the championships a profitable one.

Results:

U-19 Boys Singles: Final: Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Bodhisatwa Choudhury 11-6, 13-11, 11-8, 16-14.

Semifinals: Ankur bt P.B. Abhinand (TN) 11-5, 9-11, 11-1, 11-5, 11-2; Bodhisatwa bt K.J. Aakash (Kaar) 5-11, 11-2, 4-11, 12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9.

Doubles: Final: Ankur Bhattacharjee/Bodhisatwa Choudhury (WB) bt Sarth Mishra/Divyansh Srivastava (UP) 11-2, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8.

U-17 Boys Singles: Final: Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (ASM) bt Divyaj Rajkhowa Roy (ASM) 15-13, 2-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4.

Semifinals: Priyanuj bt Balamurugan Rajasekaran (TN) 11-3, 3-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8; Rajkhowa bt Kushal Chopda (Mah) 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6.

Doubles: Final: P.B. Abhinand/R. Balamurugan (TN) bt Sharveya Samant/Vineet Deepak (Mah) 11-8, 11-5, 11-5.

Kolkata, January 13: There was no surprise about the outcome. But the only thing the teams and the spectators would have been curious about was the margin of victory. Unfortunately, killing their inquisitiveness, hosts West Bengal beat Uttar Pradesh in the Under-19 team final in the 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium this afternoon.

So authoritative were the boys that the hosts had put up this time that it gave no chance to any team that entered the fray from Day 1. West Bengal never lost a rubber in the group or the knockout stages to their rivals, winning all the ties 3-0.

That was the confidence with which the team entered the court on the day of the final. For a change, as a team strategy, Bodhisatwa began the proceedings against Sarth Mishra. Playing with his usual poise, Bodhisatwa displayed his skills, and Sarth failed to cope with the pressure right from the start. The West Bengal player led 2-0. Sarth changed his game plan, and it brought dividends. He won the extended third game on his second game point. But he failed to sustain the tempo, and Bodhisatwa put his team 1-0 up.

Ankur Bhattacharjee was overcautious against Divyansh Srivastava in the second rubber. A few initial hiccups and unforced errors cost him the game, and it looked like the UP boy was on the right track. But Ankur levelled the score and took control of the match from thereon. The tie saw excellent rallies, but poor finishes by Divyansh worried UP. Going from strength to strength, Ankur consolidated their position.

With a 2-0 team cushion, Shankhadip began the third rubber. Shivam Chandra was not a match for the diminutive Shankhadip. But the UP boy did show his gritty side in the third game and fought back to the extent he could delay the inevitable. Nothing beyond. The UP boys ended up as the bride’s maid and not the bride. They had to be satisfied with the silver medal.

Yesterday, Tamil Nadu and the National Centre of Excellence (Kolkata) claimed the bronze after losing their semifinal matches. It was a special Nationals for NCOE boys as they ascended the podium for the first time. They showed their true potential and could pose a real threat to the established teams in the future if they continued in the same manner.

Results: U-19 Boys Team: 

Final: West Bengal bt Uttar Pradesh 3-0 (Bodhisatwa Chaudhury bt Sarth Mishra 11-6, 11-3, 11-13, 11-8, Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Divyansh Srivastava 9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-5, Shankhadip Das bt Shivam Chandra 11-6, 11-8, 13-11).

Kolkata, January 12: West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh will clash for the coveted team title tomorrow in the 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

In the first semifinal, the hosts beat Tamil Nadu 3-0, and UP defeated the National Centre for Excellence (NCOE) 3-1 in the second today.

Ankur Bhattacharjee, as usual, put Bengal 1-0 up with his fast-paced game plan and reaped instant benefits against Tharun Shanmugam. Bodhisatwa followed suit. He beat P.B. Abhinand 3-2 and consolidated their positions. Shankadip finished the job against Balamurugan, but not before dropping four tie-points in the third rubber. But in the end, the hosts secured their spot in the final.

UP started well with Sarth Mishra, who beat Praneet Bhaskaran with ease. But Divyansh, their star player, struggled against Soumil Mukherjee, taking the distance. But Divyansh ensured UP led 2-1 at that stage. However, Sridhar Joushi lost to Emon Adhikary, forcing Divyansh to revisit the table. The tall UP boy did not disappoint as he beat  Praneet in straight games.   The script in at least two quarterfinals went along the expected lines. Bengal thrashed Gujarat 3-0, and Tamil Nadu beat Delhi 3-1. But the other two quarterfinals had all the thrills and went the distance. NCOE beat Assam, and Uttar Pradesh overcame Maharashtra with identical 3-2 margins.

Bodhisatwa was rusty. It reflected in the Bengal’s second rubber after Ankur gave a fine start. Burhanuddin Malubhaiwala stretched Bodhisatwa in the first game, which the Bengal boy won on his third game point. Though he lost the second game, he brushed aside the threat to put the team 2-0 ahead. Shankadip did not break a sweat and beat Aayush to enter the semifinals.

Priyanuj Bhattacharyya stood between NCOE and their maiden entry into the medal round. After Praneet put NCOE in the lead, Soumil Mukherjee went down in straight games to Priyanuj. Emon repaired the damage to restore the lead, but Praneet could not cope with Priyanuj’s pace and accuracy, allowing Assam to level 2-2. 

Once the matter went to the decider, NCOE had the upper hand. But Soumil did not have the desired start and lost 10-12. Yet, he dared to hold his nerves, won the next three games against Jyoti Hriday Sarma, and took his side into the semifinals.

The reverse single between Divyansh Srivastava and Jash Modi was to decide the fate of UP and Maharashtra. And it eventually did, after Divyansh outplayed the lanky Maharashtrian in the fifth game. Until then, the rubber was in balance and kept the chances even. Once Divyansh did his job, it became easy for Sarth Mishra. He led 2-1 in the decider against Kushal Chopda and did not matter to the outcome even when he dropped the third game.

Divyansh beat Kushal 3-0 in the first rubber, but Sarth went 1-3 down to Jash in the second. However, the win helped Sagar Kasture put up a brave front to overcome Shridhar Joushi 3-1.

Team Results: U-19 Boys: 

Semifinals: West Bengal bt Tamil Nadu 3-0 (Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Tharun Shanmugam 11-7, 11-6, 11-8, Bodhisatwa Choudhary bt P.B. Abhinand 8-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-8, 13-11, Shankhadip Das bt Balamurugan Muthu 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7); Uttar Pradesh bt NCOE 3-1 (Sarth Mishtra bt Praneet Bhaskar 11-6, 12-10, 11-8, Divyansh Srivastava bt Soumil Mukherjee 11-3, 13-11, 10-12, 7-11, 11-6, Sridhar Joushi lost to Emon Adhikary 7-11, 5-11, 11-13, 11-13, Divyansh bt Praneet 11-3, 11-6, 11-7).

Quarterfinals:West Bengal bt Gujarat 3-0 (Aankur bt Arman Shaikh 11-7, 11-5, 11-7, Bodhisatwa bt Burhanuddin Malubhaiwala 14-12, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, Shankhadip bt Aaayush Tanna 11-3, 11-3, 11-8); Tamil Nadu bt Delhi 3-1 (Preyesh Raj lost to Aadarsh Om Chhetri 7-11, 19-17, 11-2, 16-14, P.B. Abhinand bt H. Lalruatsanga 11-8, 8-11, 11-4, 11-7, Balamurugan Muthu bt Samarth Singh 12-10, 11-4, 11-9, Abhinand bt Aadarsh 11-6, 11-9, 11-3); NCOE bt Assam 3-2 (Praneet Bhaskar bt J.H. Sharma 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7, Soumil Mukherjee lost to Priyanuj Bhattacharyya 5-11, 6-11, 8-11, Emon Adhikary bt Abheek Kashyap 11-8, 11-7, 11-5, Praneet lost to Priyanuj 10-12, 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, Soumil bt J.H. Sharma 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9); Uttar Pradesh bt Maharashtra 3-2 (Divyansh Srivastava bt Kushal Chopda 11-7, 11-8, 11-5, Sarth Mishra lost to Jash Modi 11-9, 6-11, 8-11, 6-11, Sridhar Joushi lost to Sagar Kasture 8-11, 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, Divyansh bt Jash 11-3, 5-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-4, Sarth bt Kushal 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 13-11).

Pre-quarterfinals: West Bengal bt Telangana 3-1; Gujarat bt Manipur 3-1; Delhi bt Rajasthan (TTFI 1) 3-0; Tamil Nadu bt Haryana 3-0; Assam bt Karnataka 3-1; NCOE bt Goa 3-0; Maharashtra bt PSPB-A 3-1; Uttar Pradesh bt Punjab 3-1. 

Goa, January 12, 2024: Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, alongside 35 other Indian paddlers, are set to compete in the singles qualifiers, marking a significant milestone as the upcoming WTT Star Contender Goa 2024 gears up to achieve the highest-ever Indian participation in a World Table Tennis (WTT) event.

The second edition of India’s biggest international table tennis tournament is co-hosted by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis under the guidance of Table Tennis Federation of India and will be played at the Peddem Indoor Stadium in Mapusa, Goa from January 23 to 28.

Nine Indians, including the highest world-ranked Indian paddler Manika Batra and Harmeet Desai, secured direct entry into the main draw. The inclusion of 32 new names in the qualifying list brings India’s total participation to 41 across categories. This surpasses the previous highest of 40 participants in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

Besides experienced campaigners like Sharath, Sathiyan, Ayhika Mukherjee, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Sanil Shetty, the qualifiers will also provide glimpses of India’s bright future with the presence of promising youngsters such as the current national champion Poymantee Baisya, Payas Jain, S Fidel R Snehit, Mudit Dani, Jeet Chandra, Diya Chitale, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Archana Kamath, Swastika Ghosh and Suhana Saini among many others.

“It’s wonderful to see that this year we have surpassed the count of Indian participants from the previous year, a trend we consistently promote as part of our dedication to contribute to the progress of Indian table tennis in this tournament. This is poised to be a transformative moment for the sport in India. Fans can expect fierce competitions starting from the qualifiers, laying the foundation for an exciting week brimming with top-tier table tennis action,” commented Megha Gambhir, co-founder and CEO of Stupa Sports Analytics.

“It’s a great opportunity for young Indian players to compete at an event where top talent from across the world is present; but in front of a home crowd. WTT Star Contender Goa offers the budding Indian talent an experience that goes beyond the table in terms of shaping them as athletes, as individuals and as competitors,” said Niraj Bajaj, co-promoter of Ultimate Table Tennis and three-time national champion.

The 2023 World Championships doubles bronze medallist Cho Dae-seong, 17-year-old Oh Junsung from Korea and Hungarian paddler Bence Majoros are among the international stars to be in action in the qualifying rounds which will offer eight singles and four doubles main draw spots.

The WTT Star Contender Goa 2024, among the most esteemed events in the international table tennis calendar, will showcase the presence of World No. 5 Hugo Calderano, alongside 16 other top-20 stars in the singles main draw. The tournament boasts an impressive prize pool of $250,000, providing players with the opportunity to earn ranking points and qualify for the WTT Cup Finals and WTT Champions Series.

Kolkata, January 11: West Bengal made a bold statement and sealed the Under-19 Boys top qualification spot in the team event of the 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium today.

In their group A match, West Bengal thrashed Punjab 3-0 and followed it up with a similar verdict against Kerala. In achieving the first target, Ankur Bhattacharjee, Shankhadip Das, and Bodhisatwa Chaudhury helped each other to keep a clean slate. They have a third-round match in the evening against Arunachal Pradesh, and it should be a formality for the hosts’ boys.

Ankur led the charge, giving the hosts a flying start when he defeated Rajveer Bhatia 11-6, 11-8, 11-7. His pace, accuracy and excellent finish were too hard for Rajveer to cope with Shankhadip, in the second rubber, set the platform with a 2-0 lead against Harkunwar Singh, but the Punjab boy fought back to level the score 2-2. However, the Bengal boy completed the task with a fine finish and won 15-13, 11-9, 10-12, 9-11, 11-7. Bodhisatwa polished off Sonu Kumar, posting an 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 win.  

In their match against Kerala, Ankur beat Anokh G. Nair 11-8, 11-8, 11-7. Consolidating their position, Bodhisatwa downed Mohamed Naffil 11-8, 11-4, 11-7, while Shankhadip routed A Gourishankar 11-4, 11-7, 11-9.

The teams that booked their top position from their respective groups include Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat and the National Centre of Excellence (NCOE).

It also means that with a slot up for grabs in each of the eight groups, the third-round matches in the evening will decide which among them will qualify to make it to the pre-quarterfinals, which begin tomorrow morning.

Apart from the expected results, some matches kept the onlookers interested. For instance, Rajasthan (TTFI 1) beat Jharkhand 3-0 in the first round and Punjab thrashed Arunachal with an identical margin in the second round.

Interestingly, Jammu and Kashmir pulled off a triumph over Jharkhand in a thriller that went to the wire. Pratham Raini made the 3-2 win possible. He first beat Satrunjay Chakravarty 11-5, 13-11, 11-9 and then Aman Kumar Pal 11-5, 11-2, 11-4. In the second rubber, Sourav Sharma put it across Aman 12-10, 12-10, 11-6, which proved crucial for J and K. Animesh Kumar and Satrunjay won a rubber each, beating their rivals Akhilesh Khajuria and Sourav Sharma.

But Gujarat carved out a hard-fought second-round 3-2 win against Assam to occupy the top position in Group G. Gujarat would have finished behind Assam if not for this win. Assam banked on Priyanuj Bhattacharyya. He won his first and reverse singles against Arman Shaikh and Burhanuddin Malubhaiwala. But what contributed to Gujarat’s victory was the crucial third game, in which Aayush Tanna won 11-9, 12-10, 11-9 against Abheek Kashyap, and the other two players won a rubber each.  

 Team Results: U-19 Boys: 

(Rounds 1 and 2):

Group A:West Bengal bt Punjab 3-0, Kerala bt Arunachal Pradesh 3-0; West Bengal bt Kerala 3-0, Punjab bt Arunachal Pradesh 3-0.

Group B: Uttar Pradesh bt Jammu & Kashmir 3-0, Rajasthan (TTFI 1) bt Jharkhand 3-0; Uttar Pradesh bt Rajasthan (TTFI 1) 3-0; J and K bt Jharkhand 3-2.

Group C: Tamil Nadu bt Madhya Pradesh 3-0, Goa bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0; Tamil Nadu bt Himachal Pradesh 3-1, Goa bt Madhya Pradesh 3-1.

Group D: Karnataka bt Bihar 3-1, Telangana bt Mizoram 3-0; Karnataka bt Telangana 3-0, Bihar bt Mizoram 3-0.

Group E:  Maharashtra bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0, Haryana bt Meghalaya 3-0; Maharashtra bt Haryana 3-1, Andhra Pradesh bt Meghalaya 3-0.

Group F:  Delhi bt Uttarakhand 3-0, PSPB-A bt Daman & Diu 3-0; Delhi bt PSPBA 3-1, Uttarakhand bt Daman & Diu 3-0.

Group G:  Assam bt Chhattisgarh 3-0, Gujarat bt Rajasthan (TTFI 2) 3-0; Gujrat bt Assam 3-2, Chhattisgarh bt Rajasthan (TTFI 2) 3-0.

Group H:  NCOE bt Odisha 3-0, Manipur bt Chandigarh 3-0; NCOE bt Manipur 3-0, Chandigarh bt Odisha 3-2.

Kolkata, January 10: The young team of West Bengal girls was not up to the mark and missed a podium finish in the ongoing 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. But their boys’ squad is upbeat to make up for the loss and bring back smiles to the faces of the hosts and into the limelight in the second leg of the championships starting tomorrow.

Led by Ankur Bhattacharjee and support coming from Punit Biswas, Bodhisatwa Chaudhury and Shankhadip Das, the hosts can bank on the team, by far the best among the 32 contestants from states that have entered the fray for the coveted team trophy. However, they cannot be complacent at all.

There are teams like Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra that can upset the applecart, given their strengths. Delhi and Assam are also in the race, and the newest entrant, the National Central of Excellence from Kolkata, is not far behind.

However, UP and Tamil Nadu are the two potential challengers. The West Bengal boys are wary of that because Divyansh Srivastava and Sarth Mishra from UP can change the tide in a fraction. If the UP boys can be calculative and aggressive in their approach, the Tamil Nadu team brings a variety of skill sets to the table. P.B. Abhinand, adjudged as the best youth boy at the Senior Nationals at Panchkula last month and the recipient of the D. Vishwa Trophy, will have to play the lead role. The supporting cast has youth Balamurugan Rajasekaran, Tharun Shanmugam and the left-hander Preyesh Raj. However, Tamil Nadu has to get its combination right.

Karnataka will largely depend on K.J. Akash. He has a perfect foil in Rohith Shankar and Abhinav Murthy. But Varun Kashyap can be a handful on his day. Yet, Maharashtra has one of the best-talented combinations in Jash Modi and Kushal Chopda, around whom Siddhant Deshpande and Saga Kasture will look to play. A peek into the Delhi squad suggests that too much load will be on Aadarsh Om Chhetri, like Assam, relying heavily on Priyanuj Bhattacharyya. The departure of Payas Jain and Yashansh Malik, who have left their teen years behind, could cost Delhi dear. Neighbouring Haryana has a very young team, but pinning hopes on the boys for a medal is foolhardy.

All these make Bengal the strongest contender for the gold, while the other top teams left in the fray will scramble and settle for the lesser medals. The rest of the teams may not be in contention for the medals, but they will not lack in their efforts as they would try and put their best foot forward to make a lasting impression at the Nationals, as most of the boys would not be eligible next season.

The rankings of the best three players are the basis for seeding teams. The team draw will take place in the evening at the venue. Competition Manager N. Ganeshan said the team events will start at 10 a.m. tomorrow with the Under-17 Boys qualification rounds. Ganeshan said A.S. Kler (referee), K.R. Manjunatha (deputy), and about 60 Blue Badge and International, besides the National umpires, will play their roles in the conduct of the championships.

Kolkata, January 9: Maintaining her flow and form, Pritha Vartikar emerged as the winner in the singles of the Under-19 Girls event of the 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium today, marking the end of the Girls’ leg.

Pritha defeated state mate Taneesha Kotecha 4-2 in a final, which had the best two paddlers after the second-seeded Suhana Saini bowed out in earlier rounds. Incidentally, Taneesha knocked her out in a tight quarterfinal.

After the initial hiccups, Pritha gained momentum to lead 3-1. From that unassailable position, the final was going only one way. Yet, Taneesha managed to pull back a game, winning the fifth. However, Pritha’s grip on the trophy was so tight that she quickly finished it off in the sixth game to be the Youth National champion.

Lakshita Narang, who missed her chance in the team event, had another opening to even out with Pritha in the singles. However, the Delhi girl wasted the rousing start and was down 1-3 as the Maharashtra girl gained control in their semifinal. Lakshita fought back to win the fifth game, but beyond that, she had little role to play as Pritha wrapped up the match.

Taneesha overcame the first-game deficit to go 3-1 up against Sayali Wani in the second all-Maharashtra semifinal. Sayali failed to arrest the unforced errors she committed with greater consistency, allowing Taneesha to rule the table. Though Sayali won the fifth game, the damage was severe enough to repair. In the end, Taneesha ensured she had a showdown with another teammate, Pritha.

Syndrela’s dream season

Season 2023 belonged to Syndrela Das. The 14-year-old girl, who could emerge as the next-best player from West Bengal, has shown greater consistency throughout. It was no wonder she got crowned as the Under-17 Girls champion here.

Syndrela failed to go past the pre-quarterfinals in the previous edition at Chennai, and Kavya Bhatt, her rival from Maharashtra in the final today, reached the quarterfinals. The difference ended there. However, Kavya, the promising player, lacked the vision of Syndrela, a tricky customer to deal with. Even as the West Bengal paddler showed solidity across higher sections, the graph of Kavya went down.

The win Syndrela notched up today stamped her authority again. It could have been a straight game win for her. But Kavya pulled back in the second game after the deuce to win 13-11. Undeterred, Syndrela inched her way up the ladder and led 3-1. A slackened grip in between in the match helped Kavya claim her second game. But Syndrela cannot afford to be complacent, and she quickly realised her fifth-game folly before winning the sixth with minimal points and walking to the top of the podium.

The semi-finals failed to arouse interest as Kavya and Syndrela outwitted their rivals, Sayanika Maji and Riana Bhoota, respectively, with an identical 3-0 win.

Kavya went with the flow of the game against chopper Sayanika. Her defensive play posed problems, but Kavya countered well to overcome whatever deficiencies she may have had as an attacking player. The promising left-handed Riana found the going rather difficult against a well-oiled Syndrela, who had answers to all the right questions Riana asked.

Haryana, Maharashtra win gold

After their team silver, Haryana earned a gold in the Under-19 Girls Doubles. The combo of Suhana Saini and Prithoki Chakraborti had the upper hand right from the start despite the 12-10 win in the first game. The duo went 2-0 up and even led 6-4 in the third before Syndrela Das and Nandini Saha pulled one back. However, the Bengal pair could not deny the Haryana duo the gold medal as the latter wrapped it up 12-10 in the fourth game, as it had begun in the first game.

Jennifer Verghese, who had a moderate season, needs to up her game level and concentrate. She was not a part of the Maharashtra squad, as she wanted to focus on her singles. But she miserably failed in her mission and somehow made up for the losses in the Under-17 doubles. Jennifer combined with Divyanshi Bhowmick and defeated Avisha Karmakar and Vanshika Mudgal of Delhi 3-0 to end with a medal from the Nationals.

Results:

U-19 Girls Singles Finals: Pritha Vartikar (Mah) bt Taneesha Kotecha (Mah) 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6.

Semifinals: Pritha bt Lakshsita Naranag (Del) 7-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-4, 6-11, 11-6; Taneesha bt Sayali Wani (Mah) 6-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-3, 8-11, 13-11.

Doubles: Final: Suhani Saini/Prithoki Chakraborti (Har) bt Syndrela Das/Nandini Saha (WB) 12-10, 11-3, 9-11, 12-10.

U-17 Girls Singles Finals: Syndrela Das (WB) bt Kavya Bhatt (Mah) 11-6, 11-13, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9.

Semifinals: Kavya bt Sayanika Maji (Del) 11-9, 11-9, 11-4; Syndrela bt Riana Bhoota (Mah) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8.

Doubles: Final: Divyanshi Bhowmick/Jennifer Verghese (Mah) bt Avisha Karmakar/Vanshika Mudgal (Del) 11-5, 11-9, 11-3.

Kolkata, January 8: In what was a repeat final of last year between Maharashtra and Haryana in the Under-19 Girls team championships in the 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, Maharashtra retained the crown, beating Haryana 3-0 today.

Despite the presence of Suhana Saini, who is No. 2 in the national ranking, in their team, it was not Haryana’s day as Pritha Vartikar, Sayani Wali and Taneesha Kotecha, who are No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5, in that order, always had the upper hand. And it not only reflected in the way they approached the final but also retained the title.

Pritha has been in a roaring form this season. Her fearless approach even paid dividends when she got to the semifinals in the Senior Nationals at Panchkula last month. As a result, she ended at No. 6 position on the National ranking points accumulated this season. So, it did not surprise anyone that the Pune girl showed her gritty side again and beat Prithoki Chakraborti 3-1 in the first rubber.

However, Suhana Saini’s 2-3 loss in the second rubber to Sayali Wani was the last nail in the coffin. But Suhana, expected to take the battle to the fourth rubber, if not the last, had her chance when she levelled the score after the deuce in the fourth game. However, a couple of lucky points aided by Suhana’s unforced errors sealed the latter’s fate.

The left-handed Saanvi Dargan tried hard, including taking a game off Taneesha Kotecha, but could not deny Taneesha or Maharashtra the well-deserved crown. Saanvi, with her peculiar service style, confused Taneesha initially, but the Maharashtra player stuck to her game to emerge the winner. Lakshita Narang and Vanshika Mudgal are the players that Delhi depended on for further progress in the team event. Riddhima Kapoor was always capable of providing the middle cushion. But surprisingly, Riddhima won the third rubber, while both Lakshita and Vanshika failed to up the ante against a strong Maharashtra in their semifinals.

Pritha Vartikar, on the other hand, played a stellar role and first beat Vanshika and then Lakshita in her reverse singles. Sayali Wani downed Lakshita in the second rubber, which cost Delhi dear. A hard-fought 3-2 win by Riddhima against Taneesha was of no avail, as Delhi had to be satisfied with the bronze medal.

In contrast, Haryana coasted along well even after Prithoki Charaborti lost to Oishiki Joardar in the opening rubber, when Suhana Saini routed Jiya Jayswal 3-0 and Saanvi Dargan struggled past Jiya Trivedi 3-2. But the fourth rubber tipped the scales somewhat towards Gujarat when Oishiki pulled Gujarat ahead with a 3-2 win over Suhana in their reverse singles. Prithoki made amends with a calculated game plan against Riya to put Haryana in the final.

Results (Team Events):

U-19 Girls Finals: Maharashtra bt Haryana 3-0 (Pritha Vartikar bt Prithoki Chakraborti 11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, Sayali Wali bt Suhana Saini 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-9, Taneesha Kotecha bt Saanvi Dargan 101-2, 11-4, 11-5, 11-7).

Semifinals: Maharashtra bt Delhi 3-1 (Pritha bt Vanshika Mudgal 11-7, 11-8, 3-11, 11-8, Sayali bt Lakshita Narang 5-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7, Taneesha lost to Riddhima Kapoor 8-11, 11-9, 10-12, 116, 9-11,  Pritha bt Lakshita 151-13, 12-10, 11-8); Haryana bt Gujarat 3-2 (Prithoki lost to Oishiki Joardar 9-11, 8-11, 7-11, Suhana bt Riya Jayswal 11-2, 11-7, 13-11, Saanvi bt Jiya Trivedi 6-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6, Suhana lost to Oishiki 6-11, 11-1, 8-11, 11-4, 8-11, Prithoki bt Riya 11-8, 11-5, 11-4).

Kolkata, January 7: Maharashtra and Haryana, the top two seeds, are in good health and form for a possible showdown in the final of the Under-19 Girls team championships in the 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, as they pooh-poohed their respective opponents, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, in the quarterfinals with an identical 3-0 wins today.

Later tonight, Maharashtra will take on Delhi, who ousted hosts West Bengal 3-0, while Haryana will clash with Gujarat, who beat Rajasthan (TTFI 1) 3-1 in the semifinals.

The combination of Sayali Wani, Pritha Vartikar and Taneesha Kotecha proved too good for Tamil Nadu’s Shriya Anand, Kavyashree Baskar and Ananya Muralidharan. In the case of Haryana, Suhana won her singles, including the reverse, after Saanvi Dargan lost the third rubber to Sahana Murthy 1-3, and Prithoki Chakraborti accounted for Trupti Purohit.

But it was a disappointing end for the hosts as the West Bengal girls went down without a fight. After Lakshita Narang gave Delhi the lead when she beat Saanvi Roy 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5, Vanshika Mudgal won the crucial second rubber against Syndrela Das 3-2.

Vanshika countered well against the tricky Syndrela, who matched the Delhi girl stroke for stroke and kept her hopes alive until the fourth game when she tied 2-2. But in the decider, Syndrala had her chance after deuce, but Vanshika claimed the last two crucial points to put Delhi 2-0 up. Riddhima Kapoor, with a nice cushion, ran through the third rubber so quickly to beat Nandini Saha 11-3, 11-8, 11-9, ensuring themselves at least a bronze medal.

After Rajasthan beat Telangana, their girls must have nursed the ambition of reaching the medal round. But Gujarat did not waste time and pushed their opponents to the ropes. 

All the seeded teams, except for third-seeded Telangana, survived the knockout heat and moved into the quarterfinals. However, third seed Telangana bowed out 1-3 in the pre-quarterfinals to Rajasthan (TTFI 1), giving the team from the south a rude shock even as the latter celebrated their calculated triumph to live in the moment. After all, the girls knew they were clashing with Gujarat, a hard nut to crack, in the quarterfinals.

Samaira Sharma was the star performer for Rajasthan, who wrote both the opening and ending script. The free-flowing Samaira first defeated Shreshta Kontham Reddy 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5. But Sunidhi Dewan failed to consolidate their position and lost the second rubber to Satya Aspathi 6-11, 7-11, 13-15.

However, Anushka Acharya made amends in the third rubber, winning it 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-5 against Nikhita Hardandhi. When the Telangana paddler equalled the score, it was anybody’s tie, but Anushka kept a cool head and beat her opponent comfortably in the decider.

Samaira, playing her reverse singles, dropped a game to Satya after beginning aggressively. But she steadied and outsmarted the Telangana girl to win 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6.

In the other matches, top-seed Maharashtra and second-seed Haryana sharpened their knives with clinical (3-0) performances against their rivals, Chandigarh and Andhra Pradesh. Tamil Nadu, Delhi, West Bengal and Karnataka. But Gujarat, with the help of their import Oishiki Joardar, put it across Odisha 3-1 in their pre-quarterfinal tie. 

Results (Team Events):

U-19 Girls Quarterfinals: Maharashtra bt Tamil Nadu 3-0 (Sayali Wani bt Shriya Anand 11-6, 11-3, 11-2, Pritha Vartikar bt Kavyashree Baskar 11-2, 13-11, 11-9, Taneesha Kotecha bt Ananya Muralidharan 11-5, 11-6, 11-3); Delhi bt West Bengal 3-0 (Lakshita Narang bt Saanvi Roy 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5, Vanshika Mudgal bt Syndrela Das 11-7, 12-10, 14-16, 9-11, 12-10, Riddhima Kapoor bt Nandini Saha 11-3, 11-8, 11-9); Gujarat bt Rajasthan (TTFI 1) Riya Jayswal bt Samaira Sharma 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, Oishiki Joardar bt Sunidhi Dewan 11-4, 11-7, 11-9, Jiya Trivedi bt Anushka Acharya 12-10, 14-12, 2-11, 11-7); Haryana bt Karnataka 3-1 (Suhana Saini bt Vanshika Deshna 11-4, 11-8, 11-7, Prithoki Chakraborti bt Trupti Purohit 11-5, 4-11, 11-6, 14-12, Saanvi Dargan lost to Sahana Murthy 12-10, 8-11, 7-11, 0-11, Suhana bt Trupti 11-8, 11-17, 101-2, 11-6).

Pre-quarterfinals: Maharashtra bt Chandigarh 3-0, Tamil Nadu bt Assam 3-0, Delhi bt NCOE 3-0, West Bengal bt Uttar Pradesh 3-0, Rajasthan (TTFI 1) bt Telangana 3-1, Gujarat bt Odisha 3-1, Karnataka bt Kerala 3-0, Haryana bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0.

Kolkata, January 6: A trip-up start is never ideal, especially if it’s the National Championships of any sport. The team events in Under-19 Girls of the 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium had one such beginning as late as around 3 p.m. today, sending the schedule haywire.

The scheduled start was at 9 a.m., but the arrival of the truck carrying the equipment reached the venue in the afternoon, forcing the competition department to start the team matches as late as 3.30 p.m. According to the organisers, the truckers’ strike caused the delay.

The association of truckers finally called off the strike after the assurance by the central government on the recently legislated hit-and-run law.

After a truncated inauguration and march past by the players from the participating states, the matches moved on smoothly. However, the competition manager had to reschedule the third round in the U-19 team events and Under-17 qualifications, pushing the matches to tomorrow morning.

The championships picked up momentum after a truncated inauguration and march past by players from the participating states. However, the competition manager had to reschedule the third round of the U-19 team events and Under-17 qualifications, pushing the matches to tomorrow morning.

As expected, the leaders in each group had easy outings against their opponents, moving closer to achieving their goal of qualifying, besides finishing ahead of the second qualifier from the group.

For Maharashtra, Sayali Wani, Pritha Vartikar and Taneesha Kotecha did the job against Rajasthan (TTFI 1). Though Sayali and Taneesha won 3-0 against their rivals, Pritha almost went the distance against Sunidhi Dewan, who took a game off the Maharashtra girl, who is playing in the team event for the first time, as a replacement for Jennifer Verghese. She beat Sunidhi 8-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-7, after having the measure of Sunidhi.

Haryana began as well as expected when Prithoki Chkrabaorty beat Pelf 14-12, 11-9, 11-6 to give a rousing start. Suhana Saini followed it up with an 11-8, 11-6, 11-9 win over Cherrish Chhabra and Saanvi Dargan completed the job, beating Anjali Sharma 11-7, 11-5, 11-5.

Hosts West Bengal girls gave themselves a fine start when young Syndrela Das beat Kajal Solanki 11-5, 11-7, 11-6. Nandini Saha consolidated their position when she mounted an all-out attack on Maulisha Thanvi and won 11-5, 11-5, 11-5 before Dista Roy routed Divyanjali Negi 11-1, 11-6, 11-5.

Meanwhile, the first round of qualification matches for the Under-17 Girls got underway.

Team Results (Round 1):

Group A: U-19 Girls: Maharashtra bt TTFI 1 (Rajasthan) 3-0; Group B: Haryana bt Chandigarh 3-0, Goa bt Daman & Diu 3-0; Group C: West Bengal bt TTFI 2 (Rajasthan) 3-0, Andhra Pradesh bt Uttarakhand 3-0; Group D: NCOE bt Pondicherry 3-0, Telangana bt Mizoram (w/o) 3-0; Group E: Tamil Nadu bt Chhattisgarh 3-0, Odisha bt Jammu and Kashmir 3-0; Group F: Gujarat bt Jharkhand 3-0, Assam bt Meghalaya 3-0; Group G: Delhi bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0, Kerala bt Punjab 3-0; Group H: Uttar Pradesh bt Arunachal Pradesh 3-0, Karnataka bt Bihar 3-0.

Goa, January 6, 2024: World No. 5 Hugo Calderano will spearhead a strong singles field as India gears up for the mega table tennis carnival with the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024, scheduled at the Peddem Indoor Stadium in Goa from January 23 to 28.

Calderano, the former Youth Olympics bronze medallist from Brazil, will be among the 17 Top-20 stars to feature in the singles main draw of India’s biggest international table tennis tournament, co-hosted by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis under the guidance of Table Tennis Federation of India.

Ace Indian paddler Manika Batra, who is currently ranked 35 in the world, reigning national champion Harmeet Desai (WR 75) and Sreeja Akula (WR 89) have ensured country’s presence in the singles main draw with a direct entry.

“It’s truly heartening to witness the enthusiastic response from the global table tennis community. The first edition showcased top-tier players, and this year, we continue the tradition with 17 Top-20 paddlers in the singles main draw. With an exciting line-up, we’re set to deliver another mega carnival of table tennis, promising high-voltage action for fans worldwide. In my eyes this event holds special significance for India’s TT community. The growing interest and participation from across the country have been remarkable. Now, with the presence of world-ranked athletes on Indian soil, young paddlers can witness their idols in action, igniting inspiration and fueling their dreams,” said Megha Gambhir, co-founder and CEO of Stupa Sports Analytics.

WTT Star Contender Goa is one of the most prestigious events in the international table tennis calendar and it allows players to win ranking points and qualify for the WTT Cup Finals and WTT Champions Series.

“Hosting an international event is one of the crucial steps in promoting and developing sport in the country. Watching the world’s biggest international stars live in action encourages the younger generation to choose this sport. It is a great opportunity for our Indian players as well to take advantage of home support and make the most of this opportunity to progress in their career,” UTT co-promoter Vita Dani said.

The 17-year-old rising French star Felix Lebrun (WR 8), former World No. 1 and two-time Olympics bronze medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov (WR 12), African legend Quadri Aruna (WR 16), 2021 World Championships silver medallist Truls Moregard of Sweden (WR 19) and South Korea’s Jang Woojin (WR 10) are among the key attractions in the men’s singles main draw.

Dang Qiu (WR 13), Darko Jorgic (WR 14), Anton Kallberg (WR 15), Lim Jong-hoon (WR 17), Marcos Freitas (WR 18) and Omar Assar (WR 20) are the other Top-20 players to compete in the men’s singles main event.

The women’s singles main draw, on the other hand, will feature South Korea’s Shin Yubin (WR 9), Xiaoxin Yang (WR 14), Joo Cheonhui (WR 16) and the last edition’s runner-up Cheng I-Ching (WR 18) among others.

The 48-player singles main draw will consist of 34 direct entries, four wildcards, two Top-20 nominations by WTT and eight qualifiers. The doubles main draw will feature 16 pairs with 10 direct entries, two wildcards and four from the qualifiers.

The tournament boasts a massive prize pool of $250,000.

Four Indian pairs have also secured direct entries in their respective categories. Manika and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran will compete in the mixed doubles while Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee have made the cut for the women’s doubles main draw.

The pair of Sathiyan-Sharath Kamal and Manush Shah-Manav Thakkar will feature in the men’s doubles main draw.

Kolkata, January 5: The 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Championships, beginning at the Netaji Indoor Stadium tomorrow, get underway with the Team Events of Under-19 Girls as 31 teams have entered the fray in what looks like an interesting, but tough competition for the coveted title.

Concurrently, the events will also witness group matches in the Under-17 section alongside the team events for the Youth Girls, making the first leg of the all-girls show at the nationals fascinating.

The Maharashtra girls, who won gold in the previous edition in Chennai, is still the team to beat on its sheer strength and deservingly occupies the top slot in Group A. Haryana, hosts West Bengal and first-timer National Centre of Excellence (Kolkata) follow them in that order to take their positions in the first four groups, while Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh are in Group E to H at the end of the team draw held at the venue this afternoon.

For the team draw, the competition department has considered the rankings of the best three players of teams for the top slots, while the rest of the teams going in different groups are random.

Before we dwell into the team prospectus at the Nationals, one is equally worried over the relegation of Karnataka, whose girls finished on the podium to claim the bronze. The absence of Yashaswini Ghorpade, who has since moved to PSPB, has also graduated to the senior section, ruling out her participation.

Similarly, Maharashtra has preferred Pritha Vartika over Jennifer Verghese, who was a part of the gold-winning squad in Chennai. The induction of Pritha has undoubtedly strengthened the team, but dropping Jennifer was not a good option.

From the hosts’ point of view, they will mostly rely on Syndrela Das. The U-15 girl has remained a phenomenon this season, including winning three titles at the Vadodara National Ranking championships in November. Syndrela, on her day, can be a real threat to the best in business. However, she will have the support of teammates Dista Roy, Nandini Saha and Saanvi Roy, who all can make a difference.

But their job, apart from countering the Suhana Saini-led Haryana, the West Bengal girls will feel the heat from Subhakrita Datta of NCOE, the team from Kolkata SAI Centre. They have capable hands in Dharshini Mouriya, Vartica Bharat and Sandika Bhattacharjee.

The dark horse in the competition for medals could be Delhi. They have a good mix of Lakshita Narang, Prisha Goel, Riddhima Kapoor and Vanshika Mudgal. UP will depend on Avni Tripathi, Suhani Mahajan, Disha and Aarti. Tamil Nadu, though the Group E leader, needs to push their case through Shriya Anand, Kavyashree Baskar, Ananya Muralidharn and Sharvani Nagam. Beyond these teams, one doesn’t expect the rest in the fray to upset the applecart. Not even a miracle is possible.

However, there is some concern for the organisers, the Bengal State Table Tennis Association (BSTTA), on the eve of the championships. The equipment-laden truck from STAG was struck somewhere near Dhanbad and may not make it to the venue before midnight. The BSTTA Secretary, Sharmi Sengupta, said she hoped the championships would begin at 9 a.m. as per the scheduling by the competition, Manager N. Ganeshan.

He said A.S. Kler (referee), K.R. Manjunatha (deputy), and about 60 Blue Badge, International and National umpires, will oversee the smooth conduct of the championships, coming to Kolkata after 2014.