Sahana keeps local interest alive as Sutirtha pulls out

Bengaluru (Team Newsbuddy): Defending champion and top seed Sutirtha Mukherjee suffered a stunning exit in the first round of the women’s singles main draw at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships in Bengaluru. Sutirtha, a title favourite, trailed 0-1 against Maharashtra’s rising star Divyanshi Bowmick before conceding the match due to illness. Divyanshi, who had impressively taken the first game 11-7, advanced to the Round of 32 without exerting further, leaving the field wide open for the remaining contenders.

Second seed Poymantee Baisya faced an unexpectedly tough challenge from West Bengal qualifier Nandini Saha. Despite trailing 1-2, Nandini displayed resilience and confidently attacked to level the match. However, in the fifth game, Poymantee held her nerve and eked out a hard-fought victory with scores of 11-6, 4-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9.

Third seed Swastika Ghosh and fourth seed Yashaswini Ghorpade progressed comfortably, but sixth seed Sayali Wani faced heartbreak in a thrilling contest against Haryana’s Prithoki Chakraborty. Sayali started strong, taking the first two games with ease. But Prithoki found her rhythm, launching a remarkable comeback to win 8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-4.

Local favorite Sahana Murthy of Karnataka delighted the home crowd with a gutsy performance, defeating Pranati P. Nair of Canara Bank in a closely contested match. Sahana had a shaky start but quickly regained her footing to level the score and then take a 2-1 lead. The fourth game, however, turned into a nail-biter as Sahana faced intense pressure, saving three game points before capitalizing on her own match point to seal the victory and advance to the next round.

The qualifiers also produced some standout performances. RBI’s Harshavaradhini edged Tamil Nadu’s Shriya Anand in a marathon five-game match (10-12, 13-11, 13-11, 8-11, 11-6), relying on her composure in extended games to secure the win. Andhra Pradesh’s Ramjali Kajol showed grit to defeat Maharashtra’s Shreya Deshpande 3-2 (11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8). Moumita Dutta of Railways had to dig deep to overcome Senhora D’Souza of Bank of Baroda in another close encounter, eventually prevailing 13-11, 9-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-8. Meanwhile, Krittwika Sinha Roy displayed her experience, recovering from a 1-2 deficit to defeat her opponent 5-11, 6-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-8.

In the men’s singles, while the top 16 seeds enjoyed first-round byes, the Round of 128 provided its share of drama. Devansh Mudgal (FCI) had a grueling battle against Jayabrata Bhattacharjee (RSPB), emerging victorious with a narrow 11-6, 8-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-9 scoreline. Assam’s Divyaj Rajkhowa Roy showcased determination to defeat UP’s Shridhar Joushi 7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8. Bihar’s Harshit Kumar proved too strong for Gujarat’s Jaynil Mehta, claiming 11-7, 4-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6 victory. In another tense match, Sushmit Sriram (IA&AD) overcame Telangana’s Varun Shankar Balusuri after losing two consecutive games, eventually closing the match 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 9-11, 11-7.

As the men prepare for their Round of 64 later today, the Under-19 Boys and Girls wrapped up their qualification matches, setting the stage for more intense competition in the coming days.

Results:

Women’s Singles: Round 64: Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) bt Sutirtha Mukherjee (RSPB) conceded 3-0; Nithyashree Mani (TN) bt Fatema Filzah Kadri (Guj) 3-0; Syndrela aDas (WB) bt Ankita Das (PSPB) 3-0; Lakshita Narang (AAI) bt Aaarti Chaudhury (FCI) 3-0; Kaushani Nath (RSPB) bt Maria Rony (CB) 3-0; Reeth Rishya (PSPB) bt Avani Tripathi (UP) 3-1; Sahana Murthy (Kar) bt Pranati P. Nair (CB) 3-1; Anjali Rohilla (Har) 3-1; Pritha Vartikar (Mah) bt Neha Kumari (Odi) 3-1; M.Hansini (T…