Gandhidham: The 87th UTT Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships delivered exciting competition and a glimpse of India’s emerging talent as the U-15 and U-13 Girls’ Singles Finals at the MP Mittra Indoor Stadium, Haresh Sangtani Sports Complex on Tuesday delivered high-intensity, five-match thrillers marked by resilience, dynamic changes and fearless hitting.
In the U-15 Youth Girls Singles final, West Bengal’s Ankolika Chakraborty defeated Ahona Ray in an all-state match to secure the title 3-2. Chakraborty set the tone early with a dominant opening game, but Ray responded strongly and leveled the fight. The game developed into a tactical duel with both players exchanging control through aggressive rallies and sharp placements. With both games being a draw, Chakraborty held his nerve in the decider and prevailed at crucial moments to secure the championship. Notably, the duo also won gold together in the girls’ doubles event, underlining their dominance at the championships.
The U-13 Youth Girls Singles final was equally compelling as Avni Dua of Haryana edged out Aadya Baheti of Maharashtra 3-2 in another five-match battle. Dua started confidently, but Baheti’s courageous comeback ensured a hard-fought encounter. In the fourth game, Baheti brought the game into the deciding phase after a thrilling finish, and Dua impressively regrouped in the final game, dominated with composure and precision and secured the title.
Both finals highlighted the strength of the young talent in Indian table tennis, with young paddlers displaying not only technical ability but also remarkable mental strength under pressure.
In the U-15 girls doubles, West Bengal duo Ankolika Chakraborty and Ahona Ray delivered a confident performance and secured a consecutive victory over Radhika Soni and Samridhi Vyas from Rajasthan. The Bengal pair, dominant from the start, won the first game convincingly 11-2 and set the tone with sharp coordination and attacking play. Although the Rajasthan team showed a more competitive performance in the next two games, Chakraborty and Ray remained in control at crucial moments and finished the game 3-0, securing a comfortable win.
In the U-15 Youth Girls’ Singles semi-final, Ahona edged top seed Naisha Rewaskar of Maharashtra in a hard-fought five-game battle. After losing the opening game 10-12, Ahona bounced back strongly to win the next two games before Naisha forced a decider. In the last game, Ahona held her nerve and sealed the game 11:6. In the other semi-final, Ankolika delivered a dominant back-to-back win over Tanishka Kalbhairav ​​​​of Karnataka to book her place in the final 11-9, 11-6, 11-5.
There were also impressive comebacks in the semi-finals of the U-13 youth girls’ singles. Haryana’s Avni recovered from a slow start to beat Delhi’s Shanaya Tyagi 3-1 and turned the game around with aggressive play and consistency. Adya scored one of the most dramatic wins of the day against Sakshya Santosh of Karnataka. After being two games behind, Adya fought back to win 3-2 and showed remarkable composure in the final phase.
Assam couple wins gold
Assam’s Ishani Gogoi and Divija Paul overcame an early setback to win the U-13 doubles title. They won the final 3-1 against a determined Kerala pair of NK Harshitha and S Srisha, who settled for silver. The Assam pair had beaten Sreosree Chakraborty and Debanshi Chakraborty of Bengal 3-1 in the first semifinal.
The duo from Kerala had booked their first final appearance in this category after beating Jinaya Vadhan and Aadya Baheti of Maharashtra in a thrilling 3-2 semi-final (11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 9-11, 18-16). Despite being down 7-10 in the deciding game, Harshitha and Srisha showed remarkable composure and resilience to turn the tide, winning 18-16 and securing at least a silver medal.
Dayita wins U-11 title
In the U-11 youth girls’ singles, Dayita Roy of West Bengal became the winner after defeating Moksha (Haryana) 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 in the final. Dayita’s steady control and timely attack proved crucial in the third game despite Moksha’s resistance.
Earlier in the semifinals, Dayita had survived a thrilling five-game clash against Delhi’s Jenya, winning 9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9. Moksha, on the other hand, secured her place in the final with a comfortable 3-1 win over Aadya Baheti of Maharashtra.
With close competition and spirited performances in all categories, the tournament highlighted the strength of young talent and set the stage for exciting finals.
Results:
U-15 Youth Girls Singles: final: Ankolika Chakraborty (WB) vs Ahona Ray (WB) 11-3, 4-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7.
Semifinals: Ahona bt Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) 10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6; Ankolika bt Tanishka Kalbhairav ​​​​(Kar) 11-9, 11-6, 11-5.
Double: Ankolika Chakraborty/Ahona Ray (WB) vs Radhika Soni/Samridhi Vyas (Raj) 11-2, 11-7, 11-7.
U-13 Youth Girls Singles: final: Avni Dua (Har) bt Aadya Baheti (Mah) 11-4, 9-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-4.
Semifinals: Avni bt Shanaya Tyagi (Del) 7-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-5; Adya vs Sakshya Santosh (Kar) 7-11, 9-11, 11-7, 12-11, 12-10.
Double: Ishani Gogoi/Divija Paul (Asm) bt NK Harshitha/S. Srisha (KTTA) 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5.
U-11 Youth Girls Singles: final: Dayita Roy (WB) vs Moksha (Har) 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7.
Semifinals: Dayita bt Jenya (Del) 9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5,11-9; Moksha bt Aadya Baheti (Mah) 11-9, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8.
