Ulhas, Manu , Rita claim singles gold

By Narendra Bhale

Hyderabad : Ulhas Shirke of Maharashtra defeated Suresh Kumar of Delhi 3-0 to win the Men’s Singles 70+ title in the UTT 30th Masters National Table Tennis Championships at the Saroornagar Indoor Stadium today.

In the all-Bengal Women’s Singles 60+ final, Mantu Murmu dropped a game before beating Maity Karabi 3-1. In the combined age categories of 65, 70, and 75+ Women’s Singles, Rita Jain of Madhya Pradesh blanked out Suhasini Bakre of Maharashtra 3-0 to wear the crowns.

In the one-sided men’s singles, Ulhas defeated Yogesh Desai, also of Maharashtra, 3-1 in the semifinals to earn a meeting with Suresh, who beat Balkrishna Katdare of Maharashtra 3-2 in the second semifinal.

Mantu Murmu led 2-0 in her final against Maity before the latter managed to pull one back in the third game. But Manut was up to the task and finished the gold medal match in style and with minimal points.

Earlier, Mantu downed Manisha Kataria of Madhya Pradesh 3-0 in the semifinal, while Maity defeated Rubi Kaur, also of Madhya Pradesh, 3-2 in the second semifinal that went the distance.

What her teammates from Madhya Pradesh could not do, Rita Jain did in the combined women’s singles final when she defeated Suhasini Bakre of Maharashtra in straight games. The MP veteran paddler accounted for Rajeshwari Mhetre of Maharashtra 3-1 in the first semifinal, while Suhasini beat Ranjana S. Patki 3-0.

Meanwhile, seven other finals underway include 70+ Women’s Doubles, 60+ Women’s Doubles, 70+ Men’s Doubles, and 75+ Men’s Doubles.
Today’s schedule includes mixed doubles events in +60 and 65+ categories and a few other singles. The penultimate day of the championships will witness the conclusion of the Men’s 40+ and 50+ team events.

Results (all finals):
Men’s Singles (70+): Ulhas Shirke (Mah) bt Suresh Kumar (Del) 11-4, 11-6, 11-2.
Women’s Singles (60+): Mantu Murmu (WB) bt Maity Karabi (WB) 11-4, 11-4, 9-11, 11-9.
Women’s Singles (65, 70, 75+): Rita Jain (MP) bt Suhasini Bakre (Mah) 11-4, 11-