Gandhidham: Gujarat held its nerve in a thrilling contest today to defeat Maharashtra 3-2 in the U15 boys’ team final of the 87th Inter-State Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships at the MP Mittra Indoor Stadium in the Haresh Sangtani Sports Complex.
The summit turned into a thrilling back-and-forth battle with Maharashtra taking the top spot through Nilay Pattekar, who defeated Dev Bhatt in straight games. Gujarat responded quickly as Vivaan Dave turned the tide and recovered from a poor start, defeating Prateek Tulsani in four games and restoring parity.
With momentum at stake, the double surface proved crucial. The Gujarat duo of Dev and Vivaan successfully combined against Nilay and Prateek in a close four-match clash to take their team ahead in the crucial clash.
However, Maharashtra refused to budge. The left-handed Nilay once again rose to the occasion and prevailed in a dramatic five-game clash against Vivan, leveling the tie despite giving away some draw points and taking the final to a decisive fifth game.
In the ultimate showdown, Dev showed remarkable composure under pressure. After losing a hard-fought opening game, he rallied strongly, overwhelmed Prateek, secured victory and sparked celebrations from hosts Gujarat after a hard-fought finale that lived up to his expectations.
Last night’s semi-final produced two thrilling encounters, with Maharashtra and Gujarat progressing to the final after identical 3-1 victories built on strong comebacks and outstanding individual performances.
Maharashtra fell behind early as Aditya Das defeated Prateek in straight games (3-0), giving West Bengal the advantage. The tide was turned by Nilay, who held his nerve in a hard-fought encounter, defeating Rishaan Chattopadhyay in a close contest (11-9, 11-9, 11-9) and bringing his team on level terms. Nilay and Prateek carried this momentum into the doubles, where together they effectively defeated Bengal duo Aditya and Rishaan 3-1 to put Maharashtra in the lead. Nilay then capped an impressive performance by winning the fourth round against Aditya 11-7, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4, sealing the tie and becoming the deciding factor in Maharashtra’s victory.
Tamil Nadu also prevailed in the other semi-final as K. Akshay Bhushan registered a consecutive win against Dev (3-1). However, Gujarat responded quickly and Vivaan defeated Akash Rajavelu 11-9, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9 to restore parity. The doubles match proved crucial with Dev and Vivaan putting in a strong performance to defeat Akshay and JN Sanjey Arwindh 12-10, 6-11, 11-4, 11-2, giving Gujarat the lead. Vivaan then returned to the table to secure the draw in a hard-fought five-game battle against Akshay, winning 12-14, 13-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5. His resilience in the decider secured Gujarat’s place in the final and ensured a thrilling clash with Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, the main draw for the U15 and U13 boys’ individual competitions has begun, while the U11 boys’ category has reached the quarter-finals. In the U15 and U13 doubles, the players reached the round of 32 on the penultimate matchday.
While the boys complete their busy schedule tomorrow – with all finals scheduled – the girls are expected to arrive a day later, with their events starting on March 28.
Results:
U-15 Boys’ Team: Final: Gujarat vs. Maharashtra 3:2 (Dev Bhatt lost to Nilay Pattekar 7:11, 6:11, 8:11, Vivan Dave vs. Prateek Tulsani 3:11, 11:9, 12:10, 11:6, Dev/Vivaan vs. Nilay/Prateek 11:5, 11:9, 5-11, 12-10, Vivaan lost to Nilay 11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 4-11, 13-15, Dev bt Prateek 14-16, 13-11, 12-10, 11-2).
Semi-final: Maharashtra vs West Bengal 3-1 (Prateek lost to Aditya Das 7-11, 5-11, 8-11, Nilay vs Rishaan Chattopadhyay 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, Nilay/Prateek vs Aditya/Rishaan 11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7, Nilay vs Rishaan Chattopadhyay Aditya 11-7, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4); Gujarat vs Tamil Nadu 3-1 (Dev lost to K. Akshay Bhushan 6-11, 7-11, 5-11, Vivaan vs Akash Rajavelu 11-9, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9, Dev/Vivaan vs Akshay/JN Sanjey Arwindh 12-10, 6-11, 11-4, 11-2, Vivaan bt Akshay 12-14, 13-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5).
