India: The mixed doubles competition at the AAI 52nd Institutional Table Tennis Championships delivered an exciting day of action at the Abhay Prashal, with the pre-quarterfinals bringing a mix of authority, stamina and end-of-play nerves as the quarterfinal line-up took shape.
Most of the top combinations lived up to their standards and negotiated demanding schedules with many players doubling in singles and doubles. Payas Jain and Syndrela Das, the top seeded PSPB pair, set the tone with a clear win in a row. At the same time, their teammates and third-placed Divyansh Srivastava and Swastika Ghosh were equally confident and overtook their opponents from West Bengal without losing a game. However, second seeds Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade had to dig deep after conceding a goal in the opening game before regaining control in four hard-fought games.
Several encounters became severe physical and mental tests. The RBI pair of Asif Haque and Harsha Vardini delivered one of the standout performances of the day: orsting the fifth-seeded IA&AD duo H. Jeho and Anjali Rohilla in a five-game thriller characterized by quick dynamic changes and sustained rallies. Tamil Nadu’s Senthil Kumar and Ananya Muralidharan also went the distance and eventually prevailed in the decider 3-2 and 11-5 after trading shots back and forth in five see-saw games.
The Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) had a productive outing with Anirban Ghosh and Anusha Kutumbale enduring a pressure-packed four-match battle with two deuces, while Preyesh Raj and Sampada Bhiwandkar showed composure in the closing stages of a five-match contest to turn the game in their favour. Meanwhile, Akash Pal and Poymantee Baisya cemented their authority with a comfortable back-to-back win over an experienced RBI combination.
Elsewhere there was little room for error. IA&AD’s Karthik Solaiyan and Yashini Sivasankar held their nerve after being dragged into a decider while West Bengal’s Ankur Bhattacharjee and Sataporni De finished their match efficiently despite sustained resistance. Victories by pairs from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal once again underlined the depth of competition shown.
With the exception of the fifth-seeded pair, all seeded pairs advanced, setting the stage for a high-quality quarter-final. With players balancing a heavy workload in singles and the upcoming knockout rounds in doubles later in the day, the mixed doubles quarter-finals promise another challenging chapter when play resumes tomorrow.
Results:
Mixed doubles:Before the quarterfinals:Payas Jain/Syndrela Das (PSPB) vs KJ Akash/Naisha Rewaskar (CB) 11-8, 11-6, 11-7; Wesley Do Rosario/Prithoki Chakraborty (FCI) vs. Nitin Thiruvengadam/Senhora D’Souza (BoB) 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7; Senthil Kumar/Ananya Muralidharan (TN) vs. Raj Mondal/Nikhat Banu (RBI) 11-6, 11-8, 5-11, 11-13, 11-5; Anirban Ghosh/Anusha Kutumbale (RSPB) vs Rupam Sardar/Avisha Karmakar (AAI) 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 15-13; Asif Hque/Harsha Vardini (RBI) vs H. Jeho/Anjali Rohilla (IA&AD) 11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-9; Preyesh Raj/Sampada Bhiwandkar (RSPB) vs Vansh Singh/Vanshika Bhargava (fCI) 7-11, 11-5, 9-11, 12-10, 11-7; PB Abhinand/Nithyashree Mani (TN) bt Sagar Kasture/Pritha Vartikar (Mah) 9-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-9; Ankur Bhattacharjee/Sataporni De (WB) bt Bodhisatwa Chaudhury/Tanishka Kalbhairav (CB) 11-6, 11-6, 11-9; Divyansh Srivastava/Swastika Ghosh (PSPB) vs Aniket Bose/Sampriti Roy (WB) 11-8, 11-6, 11-9; Karthik Solaiyan/Yashini Sivasankar (IA&AD) 11-9, 11-5, 12-14, 10-12, 11-6; Sarth Mishra/Avani Tripathi (UP) Vignesh Reddy/Priyadarsini Das (RBI) 11-5, 11-9, 11-6; Kushala Chopda/Ananya Chande (Mah) bt Monorup Ghosh/Sneha Bhowmick (FCI) 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6; Akash Pal/Poymantee Baisya (RSPB) vs. Bharat Balakrishnan/Ayhika Mukherjee (RBI) 11-8, 11-4, 11-2; Shivjit Singh Lamba/Chipia Frenaz (IA&AD) vs. Raegan Albuquerque/Maria Rony (CB) 12-10, 11-7, 11-7; Aniket Sen Choudhury/Munmun Kundu (WB) vs Siddhesh Pande/Selena Deepthi (TN) 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3; Harmeet Desai/Yashaswini Ghorpade (PSPB) bt Priyanuj Bhattacharyya/Trisha Gogoi (Asm) 9-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8.
