Priyanuj wins a nail-biter, Syndrela makes it easy in U-17 final

Bengaluru, (Team Newsbuddy) : In a fitting finale, a well-deserving Priyanuj Bhattacharyya of Assam lifted the Youth Boys Under-17 title, beating P.B. Abhinand of Tamil Nadu 3-2 in a thrilling match at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium.

After losing the first game, the Assam lad bounced back strongly in the second but ceded the advantage to the Tamil Nadu player, who had earlier claimed gold at Thiruvananthapuram. In a crucial fourth game, Abhinand faltered at 11-11, pushing one shot out and netting the next to let Priyanuj level the score. The decider saw an intense see-saw battle, with Priyanuj clinching victory in an extended game to ascend to the top of the podium.

Syndrela’s straightforward yet effective gameplay propelled her to the Youth Girls Under-17 title. Known for her consistency and solid defence, the West Bengal paddler kept the ball in play and seized attacking opportunities when presented. Her opponent, Divyanshi of Maharashtra, struggled with unforced errors, especially in the second game, where she lost momentum entirely.

Despite a spirited fightback in the third game, Divyanshi lagged as Syndrela clinched the last two crucial points to seal the match, leaving Divyanshi with the silver medal.

Abhinand secured his place in the final by defeating Punit Biswas 3-1. He took an early lead but lost the second game by a narrow margin, offering his opponent a glimmer of hope. However, Punit couldn’t sustain the momentum as Abhinand surged ahead. In the fourth game, Punit showed resistance, but Abhinand closed out the match in style.

Priyanuj had a more straightforward second semifinal match, beating his statemate Divyaj Rajkhowa Roy 3-0. Although Divyaj challenged him in the third game, Priyanuj stayed focused and finished the job convincingly.

Syndrela, after a shaky start against Ananya Muralidharn, found her rhythm and attacked effectively on the flanks. She equalized the score and kept the pressure on, taking advantage of Ananya’s errors. Despite a close fourth game, Syndrela held her nerve to seal the match.

Divyanshi, coming off an earlier setback in the U-19 section, played brilliantly against Avani Tripathi. She comfortably led 2-0 before Avani pulled one game back, but the Maharashtra player quickly wrapped up the match in the fourth game.

Punit had a tough match against Sarthak Arya in the quarterfinals, who extended the game to a decider after a tense fourth game. However, Punit raised his game to win in the final game. The other boys’ quarterfinals were more one-sided, with Abhinand, Divyaj, and Priyanuj registering comfortable 3-0 victories.

On the girls’ side, Syndrela and Ananya breezed past their opponents, while Divyanshi and Avani faced slightly tougher resistance, dropping one game each before advancing. Their finesse and determination helped them secure places in the semifinals.

Results:

Youth Boys Singles U-17: Final: Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (Asm) bt P.B. Abhinand (TN) 10-12, 11-6, 10-12, 13-11, 12-10.

Semifinals: Abhinand bt Punit Biswas (WB) 11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9; Priyanuj bt Divyaj Rajkhowa Roy (Asm) 11-4, 11-8, 12-10.

Quarterfinals: Abhinand bt Siddhanth Dhariwal (Kar) 3-0; Punit bt Sarthak Arya (Del) 3-2; Divyaj bt Shouren Soman (Mah) 3-0; Priyanuj bt Atherva Gupta (Del) 3-0.

Youth Girls Singles U-17: Final: Syndrela Das (WB) Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) 11-8, 11-3, 11-9.

Semifinals: Syndrela bt Ananya Muralidharan (TN) 5-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9; Divyanshi bt Avani Tripathi (UP) 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6.

Quarterfinals: Syndrela bt Avisha Karmakar (WB) 3-0; Ananya bt Naisha Rewaskar
(Mah) 3-0; Divyanshi bt Nandini Saha (WB) 3-1; Avani bt Kavya Bhatt (Mah) 3-1.