Dehradun: Powerhouses and top three seeds Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Delhi stamped their authority early, cruising into the pre-quarterfinals from their respective groups in the Under-19 Girls’ team event at the UTT 87th Inter-State Junior and Youth National Table Tennis Championships, which got underway at the Multipurpose Hall, Parade Ground, on Tuesday.
With just one round of league matches remaining—Telangana vs Punjab (Group A), Uttarakhand vs Assam (Group B), and PSPBA vs Chandigarh (Group C)—the outcomes will have little impact on the three dominant leaders, who have already sealed their progression. However, the final round will determine the second qualifiers from each group, adding intrigue to the closing league fixtures.
Elsewhere, Maharashtra (Group D), Uttar Pradesh (Group E), NCOE (Group F), Karnataka (Group G), and Gujarat (Group H) have virtually secured their pre-quarterfinal berths. Yet, the race for the remaining knockout spots remains intense, particularly in Groups E and F, where the battle for the second qualification place is expected to go down to the wire.
Placed in a tough Group C, hosts Uttarakhand lost their match to West Bengal 0-3, but they can redeem themselves when they take on Assam in their last round later tonight.
The day witnessed a gripping contest between Chhattisgarh and Kerala, with the former edging through in a tense decider. Lavnya Pandey rose to the occasion, defeating P.V. Sreelakshmi 11-6, 11-9, 11-2 to seal the tie. Earlier, Lavnya had suffered a narrow loss to Gouri Niranjana, while Samaya Pandey too faltered against the same opponent in the reverse singles. It was Pragya Pathak who turned the tide, producing a resilient performance to overcome Mariya Angel in a five-game battle and give Chhattisgarh a crucial 2-1 lead.
In Group F, NCOE survived a stern challenge from Haryana in another nail-biting encounter. Subhomita Basak emerged as the hero, clinching the deciding rubber against Kashvi Kalra in five hard-fought games, despite an earlier straight-game loss to Tanmayee Saha. Haryana had briefly taken control when Meher Garg defeated Moupia Das to go 2-1 up. However, Archismita Mahato’s victory over Tanmayee in the reverse singles forced a decider, where NCOE held their nerve. Haryana, however, girls remain well-placed to progress as the likely second qualifier from the group.
The second-stage draw will be conducted this evening after the league phase concludes, setting the stage for high-intensity pre-quarterfinal clashes as teams battle for a place in the medal rounds from tomorrow.
Meanwhile, in the Under-17 Girls’ category, the second round concluded today, with the final league matches scheduled for tonight. The singles main draw is set to begin tomorrow.
Results: (Team Stage 1):
Under-19 Girls: (Rounds 1&2)
Group A: Tamil Nadu bt Punjab 3-0; Tamil Nadu bt Telangana 3-0.
Group B: West Bengal bt Uttarakhand 3-0; West Bengal bt Assam 3-0.
Group C: Delhi bt PSPBA 3-0; Delhi bt Chandigarh 3-0.
Group D: Maharashtra bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0, Rajasthan bt Odisha 3-0; Maharashtra bt Rajasthan 3-0, Andhra Pradesh bt Odisha 3-1.
Group E: Uttar Pradesh bt Chhattisgarh 3-0, Goa bt Kerala 3-0; Uttar Pradesh bt Goa 3-0, Chhattisgarh bt Kerala 3-2.
Group F: Haryana bt Nagaland 3-0, NCOE bt Bihar 3-0; NCOE bt Haryana 3-2, Bihar bt Nagaland 3-1.
Group G: Karnataka bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0, Madhya Pradesh bt Meghalaya 3-0; Karnataka bt Madhya Pradesh 3-0, Himachal Pradesh bt Meghalaya 3-0.
Group H: Gujarat bt Jharkhand 3-0, Pondicherry bt Jammu & Kashmir 3-0; Gujarat bt Pondicherry 3-0, Jharkhand bt Jammu & Kashmir 3-0.
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