Gandhidham: The Girls U-15 team competition at the UTT 87th Inter-State Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships opened with a blend of dominant wins and edge-of-the-seat battles at the M. P. Mittra Indoor Stadium in the Haresh Sangtani Sports Complex.
Leading contenders—West Bengal, Maharashtra, PSPBA, Karnataka, Assam, Rajasthan, NCOE, and Tamil Nadu—have asserted themselves early with two wins each, putting them on the brink of qualification for the pre-quarterfinals. However, with the final round of group matches still to be played, the fight for top spots remains wide open.
One of the most gripping contests of the opening day came in Group G, where Gujarat were pushed to the limit before overcoming Himachal Pradesh 3-2 in a see-saw encounter. The tie had all the elements of a thriller. Charmy Trivedi endured a marathon opening loss to Rudranshi in a deuce-heavy battle, putting Gujarat on the back foot early. Daniya Godil responded emphatically, levelling the tie with a composed straight-game win, but Himachal surged ahead again by clinching the doubles.
With Gujarat staring at defeat, Daniya stepped up under pressure, producing a strong four-game win over Rudranshi to bring the team back into contention. The responsibility then fell on Charmy, who rose to the occasion brilliantly, delivering a calm and clinical straight-game victory over Aaratrika Sharma to seal a hard-earned win. While the result gave Gujarat a positive start, the narrow margin underlined the stiff resistance they faced right from the outset.
Those early warning signs proved telling in the second round, where Gujarat fell 1-3 to NCOE, leaving their qualification hopes hanging on the outcome of their final group match against Jharkhand.
In other groups, two second-round encounters stood out for their intensity. Karnataka edged Haryana 3-2 in a tightly contested Group D clash, with Tanishka Kalbhairav leading the charge in crucial moments. After Haryana fought back through the doubles, Karnataka held firm, with Raashi Rao sealing the tie in straight games to strengthen their position at the top.
In Group E, Assam registered a narrow 3-2 win over Telangana in another absorbing battle. Divija Paul set the tone early, and despite a spirited comeback from Telangana led by Saanvi Kamarapu, Assam maintained their composure, with Ishani Gogoi clinching the decider in straight games.
With key positions still to be decided and qualification on the line for sides like Gujarat, the competition is poised for an exciting finish to the league phase.
In yet another tough battle, Kerala defeated Mizoram 3-2, but Telangana can beat Mizoram to qualify as the second team from Group E.
Results: (Team Stage 1):
U-15 Youth Girls: (Rounds 1&2)
Group A: West Bengal bt Pondicherry 3-0; West Bengal bt Uttar Pradesh 3-1.
Group B: Maharashtra bt Goa 3-0; Maharashtra bt Uttarakhand 3-0.
Group C: PSPBA bt Chandigarh 3-0, Delhi bt D&D 3-0; PSPBA bt Delhi 3-0, Chandigarh bt D&D 3-0.
Group D: Karnataka bt Odisha 3-0, Haryana bt Meghalaya 3-0; Karnataka bt Haryana 3-2, Odisha bt Meghalaya 3-0.
Group E: Assam bt Mizoram 3-0, Telangana bt Kerala 3-0; Assam bt Telangana 3-2, Kerala bt Mizoram 3-2.
Group F: Rajasthan bt Chhattisgarh 3-0, Punjab bt J&K 3-0; Rajasthan bt Punjab 3-0, Chhattisgarh bt J & K 3-0.
Group G: Gujarat bt Himachal Pradesh 3-2, NCOE bt Jharkhand 3-0; NCOE bt Gujarat 3-1, Himachal Pradesh bt Jharkhand 3-1.
Group H: Tamil Nadu bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0, MP bt Bihar 3-0; Tamil Nadu bt Madhya Pradesh 3-0, Andhra Pradesh bt Bihar 3-0.
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