Gandhidham: The boys’ U-15 team event at the UTT 87th Inter-State Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships got off to a dominant start with top-flight teams from all groups gaining early control and securing their places in the pre-quarterfinals at the MP Mittra Indoor Stadium at the Haresh Sangtani Sports Complex.
With the top two teams in each group reaching the knockout stages, the top contenders wasted no time in sending out a strong message and cruised through their opening games with confidence. The first two rounds largely followed a predictable scenario, with several teams recording convincing 3-0 victories, although some closely fought games in the second round provided additional excitement.
Sailing on a wave of confidence and home support, hosts Gujarat delivered two confident performances in the first two rounds, underlining their intention to be serious contenders for the title.
Against Chhattisgarh, Gujarat barely made a mistake and secured a comfortable 3-0 win. Vivaan Dave set the tone with a controlled back-to-back win against Aryan Kumar Singh, going 11-9 in the first two games before pulling away decisively in the third. Dwij Bhalodia cemented Gujarat’s reign over the game with a confident performance against Dikshant Kumar Jangde, winning in three comfortable games. Doubles pair Vivaan and Dev completed the formalities with another win in a row, ensuring a flawless start for the hosts.
However, the second round presented a tougher test as Gujarat faced a strong Maharashtra side. The contest started tensely as Vivaan Dave was pushed into a five-game battle by Vanshi Chouhan. After losing the opening game, Vivaan responded with the authority to win the next two, but his opponent forced a decider. Vivaan showed composure under pressure and raised his level in the fifth round, securing the decisive win and giving Gujarat the early lead.
Dev Bhatt then delivered a composed and confident performance against Mradul Joshi and won consecutively, leaving Gujarat firmly in control of the game. Vivaan and Dev carried that momentum into the doubles, where they once again played together effectively, outscoring Maharashtra pair Mradul Joshi and Atharva Singh in three games to post a 3-0 scoreline that was far more competitive than the result suggested.
West Bengal topped Group A, beating both Assam and Haryana, while Tamil Nadu were also confident in Group B, edging past Odisha and Pondicherry without conceding a goal. Maharashtra dominated Group C with identical wins over Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The closest battle came in Group E, where Rajasthan beat Goa 3-2 in a thrilling encounter after both teams comfortably won their opening games. Group F also saw competitive clashes with NCOE beating spirited Delhi 3-1 while Jammu and Kashmir defeated Meghalaya 3-2 in a closely fought encounter.
In Group G, PSPBA remained in control but faced resistance from Karnataka before claiming a 3-1 victory. Telangana, on the other hand, stood out in Group H with two clear 3-0 wins, underlining its status as a strong competitor.
While the early results showed the dominance of the top teams, the closer games in the second round suggested that the race for the knockout places could become increasingly tough as the tournament progressed.
While the U-13 and U-11 individual qualifications have already begun, the third round of the team competition will take place later this evening.
Results🙁Team phase 1):
U-15 youth boys🙁Round 1 and 2)
Group A: West Bengal against Assam 3-0, Haryana against Bihar 3-0; West Bengal against Haryana 3-0, Assam against Bihar 3-0.
Group B: Tamil Nadu vs Odisha 3-0, Pondicherry 3-0; Tamil Nadu against Pondicherry 3-0, Odisha against Nagaland 3-0.
Group C: Maharashtra vs Andhra Pradesh 3-0, Uttar Pradesh vs Manipur 3-0; Maharashtra vs. Uttar Pradesh 3-0, Andhra Pradesh vs. Manipur 3-0.
Group D: Gujarat vs Chhattisgarh 3-0, Madhya Pradesh vs Andaman & Nicobar 3-0; Gujarat against Madhya Pradesh 3-0, Chhattisgarh against Andaman and Nicobar Islands 3-0.
Group E: Rajasthan vs Himachal Pradesh 3-0, Goa vs Kerala 3-0; Rajasthan vs. Goa 3:2, Himachal Pradesh vs. Kerala 3:0.
Group F: NCOE vs. Jammu and Kashmir 3-0, Delhi vs. Meghalaya 3-0; NCOE against Delhi 3:1, Jammu and Kashmir against Meghalaya 3:2.
Group G: PSPBA vs Chandigarh 3-0; Karnataka vs Daman & Diu 3-0; PSPBA vs Karnataka 3-1, Chandigarh vs Daman & Diu 3-0.
Group H: Telangana vs Jharkhand 3-0, Punjab vs Uttarakhand 3-0; Telangana vs. Punjab 3-0, Uttarakhand vs. Jharkhand 3-1.
