India: PSPB paddlers Manav Thakkar and Yashaswini Ghorpade claimed their maiden singles titles at the 87th UTT Senior National Table Tennis Championships, delivering outstanding performances at the Abhay Prasal Stadium.
In the men’s final, top seed Manav lived up to expectations with a comfortable 4-1 win over Jeet Chandra. The PSPB star dominated from the start and handled the first two games with ease. Although Jeet briefly fought back to win the third game, he struggled to repeat the strong form that had carried him through the semi-finals. Manav quickly regained control and sealed the contest 11-3 in the fifth game, capping an impressive title run.
The women’s final had everything you would expect from a title fight: intensity, momentum and a finish that kept everyone on the edge of their seats right up to the last point. Finally, Yashaswini etched her name in the record books and secured her title with a hard-fought 4-3 win over the young and fearless Syndrela Das.
Yashaswini started with aplomb, winning the opening game 11-6, but 16-year-old Das quickly showed she was no pushover. She prevailed 14-12 in an exciting second game, laying the foundation for what was to become an exciting battle. The two traded blows in the middle stages – Yashaswini’s controlled aggression earned her a third win, and Syndrela responded with persistence to secure her fourth.
The longer the game lasted, the greater the physical and mental demands became. Ghorpade moved back into a slight lead with a narrow 13-11 in the fifth game, but Das refused to let up and dominated the sixth game 11-6 to force a decider. When the title was on the line, it was Ghorpade’s composure that made the difference. She held her nerve in crucial rallies and finished the final game 11-8 to claim a memorable victory.
For Ghorpade, this triumph marks a breakthrough – a first championship won through courage and consistency under pressure. For Syndrela Das, despite the defeat, the performance was a promising one that pushed an experienced opponent to the limit in a final that showcased both the sport’s current excellence and future.
Manav secured his place in the final with a dominant back-to-back win over former national champion Harmeet Desai, controlling the rallies with sharp, attacking play throughout. In the other men’s semi-final, Jeet defeated Ronit Bhanja in a hard-fought seven-game battle. After squandering an early lead, Jeet regained his composure in the deciding set and secured victory.
Yashaswini showed resilience in her semi-final and bounced back after losing the first game to defeat Suhana Saini by four games in a row. But the other semi-final featured the most dramatic moment of the day as teenager Syndrela stunned defending champion Diya Chitale in a thrilling encounter. The WB paddler came out fearless, charging forward early and putting the experienced Diya under pressure with her aggressive play. However, Diya responded like a seasoned fighter, fighting back to take the game to a decider and even taking a 7-3 lead, only to reach 10-8, just a few points away from victory.
Despite being on the brink, Syndrela showed exceptional composure beyond her years. She remained calm in the tense final moments, turning defense into attack and taking advantage of small opportunities. With steely nerves, the youngster was able to make up for the deficit and win the deciding game 13:11. He made a remarkable comeback and eliminated the defending champions in a thrilling finish.
In both draws, the semi-final showed a mix of control and composure under pressure, with experienced players asserting dominance while emerging talent demonstrated their ability to challenge the established order.
Ankur-Suhana wins gold
In a thrilling mixed doubles final, Ankur Bhattacharjee (WB) and Suhana Saini (Haryana) saw off West Bengal pair Aniket Bose and Sampriti Roy in a thrilling five-match contest, winning 3-2. The WB-Haryana duo started strongly, winning the first two games with controlled aggression, but Bose and Roy staged a spirited comeback to win the next two – including a thrilling fourth game 15-13 – to force a decider. In the final game, both pairs exchanged points under great pressure but Ankur and Suhana held their nerve in the final moments and secured a narrow 12-10 win to clinch the title.
Divyanshi bags the Vishwa trophy
Divyanshi Bhowmick was awarded the D. Vishwa Trophy, which is awarded to a promising young player for outstanding performance in the Senior Nationals. She put in an impressive performance to reach the quarter-finals and push defending champion Diya Chitale to the brink in a hard-fought game yesterday.
Divyanshi won gold in the U15 singles at the Asian Youth Championships and also claimed the U19 title at the ITTF World Youth Championships last year.
Results:
Men’s Singles: Final: Manav Thakkar (PSPB) vs Jeet Chandra (RSPB) 11-2, 11-4, 6-11, 11-9, 11-3.
Semifinals: Manav bt Harmeet Desai (PSPB) 11-8, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6; Jeet vs Ronit Bhanja (RSPB) 11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7.
Women’s Singles: Final: Yashaswini Ghoropde (PSPB) vs Syndrela Das (PSPB) 11-6, 12-14, 11-5, 9-11, 13-11, 6-11, 11-8.
Semi-final: Yashaswini vs Suhana Saini (Har) 6-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-8, 11-3; Syndrela vs Diya Chitale (RBI) 7-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-9, 3-11, 3-11, 13-11.
Mixed Doubles: Final: Ankur Bhattacharjee/Suhana Saini (WB-Har) vs. Aniket Bose/Sampriti Roy (WB) 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 13-15, 12-10.
Semi-final: Ankit/Sampriti vs Ronit Bhanja/Kaushani Nath (RSPB) 7-11, 11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7; Ankur/Suhana vs Akash Pal/Poymantee Baisya (RSPB) 11-4, 8-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9.
