Telangana men, Gujarat women sweep gold in 40 ,50+ categories

Indore (Team Newsbuddy): At the UTT 31st Masters National Championships held at Abhay Prashal Indoor Hall, the action was marked by compelling displays across various categories on the concluding day. Left-handed Vanapalli Chandra Chud from Telangana demonstrated his attacking prowess in the 40+ Men’s Singles final by overturning a shaky start to defeat Santosh Araswilli of IA&AD 4-1.

Despite a dismal opening game, Chandra Chud adjusted his strategy and exploited the flanks effectively, levelling the match at 1-1 before taking control with a hard-fought third game and eventually shutting the contest with authority.

In the 40+ Women’s Singles, Shital Shah of Gujarat produced a masterclass in resilience and composure. Facing seasoned West Bengal campaigner Meenu Basak in a nerve-wracking 4-3 encounter, Shital initially trailed 1-2 but rallied by securing a critical deuce game at 13-11. She capitalised on a lapse by Basak to gain a 3-2 advantage, and although Basak clawed back by narrowly claiming the sixth game, a string of unforced errors in the decider allowed Shital to clinch the final point at 10-9 and capture the gold.

The tournament continued to deliver high-quality table tennis as Telangana’s Manohar B. Kumar dominated the 50+ Singles final, dispatching IA&AD’s Gaurav Doshi 4-0 with a relentless barrage of winners. Similarly, Gujarat’s Prasunna Parekh asserted her authority in the 50+ Women’s Singles by overcoming state rival Sonal Joshi 4-1, who managed a solitary game win before succumbing to Parekh’s experience.

Doubles action proved equally intense. In the Men’s 40+ Doubles, the Delhi duo of Sameer Sahni and Sumit Nagpal overwhelmed IA&AD’s Aabu Rizwan and Sujay Chaturvedi in straight sets, despite a brief resistance in the second game from the opposition. Maharashtra’s pair of Manish Rawat and Nitin Toshniwal edged a thrilling 3-2 victory in the Men’s 50+ Doubles against IA&AD’s Gaurav Doshi and Sikandar Jam, with both teams trading games before the Maharashtra duo clinched the top spot in a nail-biting decider.

The Women’s doubles events showcased remarkable grit as well. In the 40+ category, Gujarat’s Shital Shah teamed up with Shraddha Maheshwary to overcome a determined Karnataka pairing of Anjana P. Rao and Sowmya Shimoga 3-2. The Gujarat pair, which trailed initially, rallied after the Karnataka duo lost momentum in the critical stages, earning the gold while the opponents settled for silver.

In the 50+ Doubles, Gujarat’s Neha Patel and Prasunna Parekh secured a straight-sets victory over Karnataka’s Anmona Brua and Samina Rukadikar, their aggressive play leaving little room for a counterattack.

Mixed doubles provided its share of excitement. In the 40+ Mixed Doubles final, the IA&AD combination of Kasturi Srivatsa Chakravarthy and Gurvinder Kaur established a commanding 2-0 lead against Gujarat’s Shital Shah and Viral Patel, eventually wrapping up the match 3-1 after a brief fightback from the opposition. Finally, in the 50+ Mixed Doubles, Gujarat’s Mihir Vyas and Prasunna Parekh combined effectively, particularly in a tense final game, to overcome Maharashtra’s pair of Prasad Naik and Anagha Joshi, thereby securing the gold medal in a well-fought victory.

RESULTS (All Finals):

Men’s Singles 40+: V. Chandra Chud (Telg) bt Santosh Araswilli (IA&AD) 3-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7.

Men’s Doubles 40+: Sameer Sahni/Sumit Nagpal (Del) bt Abu Rizwan/Sujay Chaturvedi (IA&AD) 11-6, 11-8, 11-5.

Mixed Doubles 40+: Kasturi Srivatsa Chakravarthy/Gurvinder Kaur (IA&AD) bt Shital Shah/Viral Patel (Guj) 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8.

Men’s Singles 50+: Manohar B. Kumar (Telg) bt Gaurav Doshi (IA&AD) 11-6, 11-3, 11-8, 11-5.

Men’s Doubles 50+: Manish Rawat/Nitin Toshniwal (Mah) bt Gaurav Doshi/Sik…