Fierce first-round U-17 battle sets stage in UTT National Table Tennis

Kangra ( Team Newsbuddy) : The UTT National Ranking Championships at Rainbow Khelo India Residential Academy saw a fierce first round in the Youth Under-17 Girls’ events, with top seeds Syndrela Das of West Bengal and Sayanika Maji of AAI enjoying a free pass into the round of 32. They will join the winners from today’s intense matches this evening.

No. 3 Diya Bramhachary, No. 4 Kavya Bhatta, No. 5 Nandini Saha, No. 6 Dista Roy, and No. 7 Jennifer Verghese showcased dominant performances. They breezed through their initial matches, dispatching their rivals with relative ease to secure their places in the round of 32.

Yet, Day 5 was marked by thrilling upsets and dramatic comebacks from the qualifiers. Karnataka’s Tanishka Kalbhairav delivered a gripping performance against Gujarat’s Riya Jaiswal. After falling behind 0-2, Tanishka showed remarkable resilience and clawed back to win 3-2. This victory was sweet for Tanishka, who had narrowly missed the Under-13 title just days earlier.

In another exciting match, Daniya Godil of Gujarat overcame a shaky fourth game to defeat Kolkata’s Adrota Das 3-2. Despite leading 2-1, Daniya faced an intense challenge in the fourth game but managed to regain her composure and secure her place in the next round.

UP’s Suhani Mahajan delivered a standout performance as well. Trailing 0-2 against Maharashtra’s Hrithika Madhur, Suhani turned the tables by winning the third game and carried that momentum into the fourth. The match reached a nail-biting decider, where Suhani clinched victory after a tense deuce.

In an all-Bengal clash, Avisya Karmakar faced Monolipi Singha in a match that saw both players exchanging momentum. Avisya dropped the first game but hit back strongly, winning the subsequent games with a blend of strategy and skill. Her decisive victory in the fifth game demonstrated her tactical acumen and competitive spirit.

On the boys’ side, the Youth Under-17 main draw of 128 saw all eight seeds advance to the round of 32 with commanding performances in their round of 64 matches. With 70 players advancing from the group stages, the qualifiers had their work cut out against the top seeds.

Among the qualifiers, Ronald Sarkar of PSPB Academy stood out. He had an early advantage against Ishan Khandekar of Maharashtra, leading 2-0, but Ishan fought back to level the score. Ronald, however, managed to refocus and finish strongly to secure his place in the next round.

As the tournament progresses, the women’s singles will continue with second-round matches today, with the final round set for tomorrow. The men’s singles, meanwhile, will see one round of matches today, setting the stage for an action-packed conclusion to the tournament.

Important Results (Round 64):

Youth Under-17 Girls: Tanishka Kalbhairav (Kar) bt Riya Jaiswal (Guj) 3-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-9; Daniya Godil (Guj) bt Adrota Das (NCOE) 5-11, 11-7, 11-6, 6-11, 11-7; Manal Antal (Har) bt Anwesha Das (WB) 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 13-11; Avisha Karmakar (WB) bt Monolipi Singha (WB) 6-11, 11-5, 5-11, 13-11, 11-5; Ananya Muralidharan (TN) bt Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) 10-12, 6-11, 9-11, 11-6, 15-13; Suhani Mahajan (UP) 9-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 12-10