Gandhidham: The 87th UTT Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships, being held at the M. P. Mittra Indoor Stadium within the Haresh Sangtani Sports Complex, has moved into a crucial phase with the Under-15 girls’ team semifinals now set. Dominant displays in the quarterfinals by leading contenders West Bengal and Maharashtra have reinforced their status as strong title challengers, setting up an exciting finale scheduled for tomorrow.
West Bengal registered a convincing 3-0 win over NCOE, highlighting both depth and composure. Ankolika Chakraborty and Sreejani Chakraborty showed great fighting spirit by recovering from difficult situations in their respective matches before combining effectively in the doubles to close out the tie. Their performance reflected a team capable of handling pressure and executing with clarity in decisive moments.
Maharashtra, too, produced an equally authoritative 3-0 triumph against Assam. Naisha Rewaskar’s dominant straight-games victory provided early momentum, while Myraa Sangelkar’s hard-earned comeback underlined the squad’s resilience. The doubles pair then held their nerve in close phases to complete a well-controlled outing, showcasing their methodical style.
Karnataka’s 3-1 victory over Rajasthan was a hard-fought contest that highlighted the team’s resilience and ability to respond under pressure. After Raashi Rao narrowly lost the opening singles in a closely contested five-game battle, Karnataka regrouped through Tanishka Kalbhairav, who edged past Samridhi Vyas in another tight encounter. The doubles pairing of Raashi and Tanishka then delivered a crucial turnaround win in five games, shifting momentum firmly in Karnataka’s favour. Riding on that advantage, Tanishka produced a composed straight-games win against Radhika Soni to seal the tie, underlining Karnataka’s fighting spirit and strong match temperament.
PSPBA, on the other hand, registered a clinical 3-0 win over Tamil Nadu, though the scoreline masked a fiercely competitive opening match. Pragnya set the tone with a hard-earned victory in a five-game thriller against B. Varnica, displaying nerves of steel in deuce situations. Aarya Redkar then provided stability with a commanding straight-games win, putting PSPBA firmly in control. The doubles pair of Pragnya and Shaanvi Sri capped off the tie with a composed performance, maintaining their edge in key moments to ensure a clean sweep.
The pre-quarterfinal stage of the U-15 Girls team event unfolded with a series of commanding performances, as several traditional powerhouses asserted their dominance to book places in the last eight. West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, PSPBA, Karnataka, and Rajasthan all cruised to 3-0 wins, while NCOE, Assam, and Maharashtra advanced with 3-1 victories, the latter overcoming hosts Gujarat in one of the round’s more competitive ties.
Gujarat, despite the loss, showed commendable fight. Charmy Trivedi pushed Naisa Rewaskar in the opener, while Daniya Godil tested Myraa Sangelkar in a closely fought second match. The hosts’ standout moment came in doubles, where Charmy and Dania combined effectively to claim a morale-boosting win, though Maharashtra sealed the tie with authority in the final singles.
Attention now shifts to the singles events, with the Under-11 and Under-13 girls’ main draws underway, signalling the start of the knockout phase.
Meanwhile, the Under-15 girls’ competition continues to gather momentum, thanks to promising, intense, and competitive action as the group-stage matches get underway.
Results (TEAM):
U-15 Youth Girls: Quarterfinals: West Bengal bt NCOE 3-0 (Ankolika Chakraborty bt Subhomita Basak 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, Sreejani Chakraborty bt Moupia Das 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-4, Ankolika/Ahona Ray bt Preetika P. Aradhya Saha 11-5, 11-8, 11-7); PSPBA bt Tamil Nadu 3-0 (Pragnya bt B. Varnica 12-10, 4-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6, Aarya Redkar bt K. Ananya 11-8, 11-3, 11-3, Pragnya/Shaanvi Sri M bt Varnica/A. Bhavitha 13-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6); Karnataka bt Rajasthan 3-1 (Raashi Rao lost to Radhika Soni 8-11, 12-14, 11-9, 11-7, 6-11, Tanishka Kalbhairav bt Samridhi Vyas 11-6, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, Raashi/Tanishka bt Radhika/Samriddhi 8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, Tanishka bt Radhika 12-10, 11-4, 11-4); Maharashtra bt Assam 3-0 (Naisha Rewaskar bt Ishani Gogoi 11-8, 11-3, 11-2, Myraa Sangelkar bt Divija Paul 9-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-9, 11-7, Naisha/Sanvi Puranik bt Ishani/Divija 11-7, 11-6, 12-14, 9-11, 11-3).
Pre-quarterfinals: West Bengal bt Haryana 3-0; NCOE bt Telangana 3-1; Tamil Nadu bt Uttarakhand 3-0; PSPBA bt Punjab 3-0; Karnataka bt Madhya Pradesh 3-0; Rajasthan bt Delhi 3-0; Assam bt Uttar Pradesh 3-1; Maharashtra bt Gujarat 3-1.
About the Author
