Panchkula: West Bengal’s Rajdeep Biswas and Karnataka’s Sakshya Santosh gave a rousing display of young talent and determination and stole the limelight by securing the U11 Youth Boys and Youth Girls titles at the fourth UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Tau Devi Lal Multipurpose Indoor Stadium today.
Rajdeep and Aarav Cremey fought their way through intense semi-final battles against Rajvardhan Tiwari and Yuvaan Singh Walia of Maharashtra. But once Rajdeep reached the final, he was unstoppable and delivered a comfortable 3-0 win to clinch the title with confidence and flair.
In the girls’ category, Sakshya started cautiously against Debanna Ari from Bengal and managed a hard-fought first game. This narrow victory ignited her competitive fire and she stormed through the next two games with brilliant strategy, sharp placement and trademark finesse, securing a 3-0 triumph and lifting the Championship trophy in style.
In the boys’ draw, Rajdeep and Aarav rose to the top after taking opposite but equally impressive paths to the final. In the semi-final, Rajdeep fended off an early setback against Rajvardhan Tiwari of Maharashtra and recovered confidently to win 9-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-7. Once he found his rhythm and pace, Rajdeep dictated the tempo efficiently, combining consistency with controlled aggression.
However, the boys section tie undoubtedly belonged to Aarav and Yuvaan Walia Singh of Maharashtra. With a two-game deficit and the threat of elimination, Aarav made a stirring comeback and beat the competition 9:11, 8:11, 11:9, 11:9, 11:9. With every game becoming a test, Aarav’s composure stood out in the closing stages as he fought his way to the final.
Earlier in the quarterfinals, Rajdeep had registered a comfortable consecutive win over Vardaan Kolte of Maharashtra (11-7, 11-7, 11-7), while Rajvardhan represented Naksh Patel of Gujarat with another clinical performance of 11-9, 11-8, 11-8. Yuvaan defeated Vaibhav Jeenepalli of Andhra Pradesh 11-3, 5-11, 11-9, 11-8 and Aarav showed his resilience early on, recovering from two games down to defeat Satvik Sharma of Punjab 10-12, 2-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5.
The girls’ knockout round was equally dramatic, with Sakshya and Debanna securing their place in the final after achieving hard-fought victories. Sakshya continued her confident run by defeating UP’s Anshika Gupta 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, combining clear placement and early initiative to keep the momentum largely in her favour.
The match of the day – and probably the entire knockout round – took place between Debanna and Dayita Roy, also from West Bengal. In a nail-biting five-game thriller decided by the slimmest of margins, Debanna survived a barrage of pressure to prevail 11-9, 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 12-10. She secured several game points and delivered decisive winners in consecutive duels. She demonstrated outstanding nerve strength and fighting spirit.
The quarter-finals were similarly intense. Sakshya defeated Inaya of UP 11-8, 11-2, 11-4 while Anshika defeated Amani of Punjab 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-2. Dayita ousted local hero Moksha 11-3, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8 and Debanna set the tone for her dramatic afternoon by winning another five-game sweep, defeating Karnataka’s Tamanna Nerlaje 11-5, 11-13, 10-12, 11-7, 11-9.
Meanwhile, the U13 boys and girls competitions have completed their group stages. The main draw begins tonight and results will be announced as the promotion progresses.
Results:
Youth Boys U-11: Final: Rajdeep Biswas (WB) vs Aarav Huhny (TTFI-1) 11-4, 11-5, 11-6.
Semi-final: Rajdeep vs Rajvardhan Tiwari (Mah) 9-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-7; Aarav bt Yuvaan Singh Walia (Mah) 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9.
Quarterfinals: Rajdeep vs Vardaan Kolte (Mah) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7; Rajvardhan bt Naksh Patel (Guj) 11-9, 11-8, 11-8; Yuvaan bt Vaibhav Jeenepalli (AP) 11-3, 5-11, 11-9, 11-8; Aarav bt Satvik Sharma (pun) 10-12, 2-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5.
Youth Girls U-11: Final: Sakshya Santosh (Kar) bt Debanna Ari (WB) 12-10, 11-6, 11-5.
Semi-final: Sakshya vs Anshika Gupta (UP) 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7; Debanna vs. Dayita Roy (WB) 11-9, 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 12-10.
Quarterfinals: Sakshya vs. Inaya (UP) 11-8, 11-2, 11-4; Anshika bt Amani (pun) 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-2; Dayita bt Moksha (Har) 11-3, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8; Debanna bt Tamanna Nerlaje (Kar) 11-5, 11-13, 10-12, 11-7, 11-9.
