Top contenders show early dominance, close to PQF

Surat (Team Newsbuddy): The UTT 86th Senior National Inter-State Table Tennis Championships commenced today at the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium in Surat, showcasing early dominance by top-seeded teams. In the women’s team event, the leading contenders solidified their positions with convincing performances, edging closer to pre-quarterfinal berths after two group matches.

In the women’s event, the Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) and the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB), the top two seeds, demonstrated their superiority, scoring 3-0 victories. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Haryana, West Bengal, Delhi, and Gujarat joined them in their dominant starts, all of whom cruised through their initial matches. While the group leaders have asserted control, the battle for the second qualifying spots in Groups A to H remains intense, with teams vying for the knockout stages.

The PSPB, led by the formidable A. Sharath Kamal, made an effortless march toward the pre-quarterfinals in the men’s team event, notching back-to-back 3-0 wins. Railways, Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana, and Assam also maintained perfect records in their groups, setting the stage for a competitive third round that will determine the remaining qualifiers for the next phase.

The day’s standout encounter in the women’s category, however, came in a thrilling clash between Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Suhana’s heroics with two crucial wins, helped Haryana as UP narrowly fell short, losing 2-3 in a nail-biting finish. Haryana’s Sneha Bhowmick endured a shaky start, succumbing to Avani Tripathi 9-11, 10-12, 6-11, but Suhana restored parity with a confident 11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 11-2 victory over Suhani Mahajan. Although Prithoki Chakraborty faltered against Aarti Chaudhary in a five-game battle, Suhana’s brilliant 11-6, 4-11, 14-12, 11-9 triumph over Avani kept Haryana in contention. Ultimately, Sneha redeemed herself in the decisive rubber, defeating Suhani 11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 11-5 to seal the tie.

Another gripping match unfolded in the men’s category, as Pondicherry faced off against Himachal Pradesh in a closely contested second-round encounter. With Naman Bhatnagar anchoring Himachal’s hopes, Pondicherry’s resilience shone through. Karthikeyan Kamaraj delivered a stunning 11-8, 11-4, 11-4 upset over Naman, tilting the momentum in Pondicherry’s favour. Though Abhishek Jaggi temporarily revived Himachal’s chances, Varshan Charen held his nerve in the deciding rubber, clinching a hard-fought 11-6, 6-11, 12-14, 11-8, 11-8 victory to secure the win for Pondicherry.

As the group stages progress, the competition intensifies, with each match pivotal in shaping the championship’s trajectory. Tomorrow’s matches promise more drama as teams battle for a place in the knockout rounds.

Team Event Results:

Women (Round 1&2):

Group A: RSPB bt Goa 3-0, Chandigarh bt J&K 3-0; RSPB bt Chandigarh 3-0, Goa bt J&K 3-0.

Group B: PSPB bt MP 3-0, Assam bt Ladakh 3-0; PSPB bt Assam 3-0, Madhya Pradesh bt Ladakh 3-0.

Group C: Tamil Nadu bt Meghalaya 3-0, Andhra Pradesh bt Manipur 3-0; Tamil Nadu bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0, Meghalaya bt Manipur 3-1.

Group D: Maharashtra bt Jharkhand 3-0, Odisha bt Andaman & Nicobar 3-0; Maharashtra bt Odisha 3-1, Jharkhand bt Andaman & Nicobar 3-0.

Group E: Haryana bt Uttarakhand 3-0, Uttar Pradesh bt Daman & Diu 3-0; Haryana bt Uttar Pradesh 3-2, Uttarakhand bt Daman & Diu 3-1.

Group F: West Bengal bt Pondicherry 3-0, Karnataka bt Bihar 3-0; West Bengal bt Karnataka 3-1, Pondicherry bt Bihar 3-0. Group G: Delhi bt Nagaland 3-0, Kerala bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0; Delhi bt TTFI-2 3-0, Kerala bt Nagaland 3-0. Group H: Gujarat bt Punjab 3-0, Telangana bt Chhatt…