Maharashtra women survive; favourites sail through

Surat (Team Newsbuddy): Maharashtra, last year’s women’s team bronze medalists, narrowly avoided a shock exit in the pre-quarterfinals of the UTT 86th Senior National Inter-State Table Tennis Championships, overcoming a spirited challenge from Assam to scrape through 3-2 at the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium.

The defending champions Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB), the top seed and another bronze medalist from last year, also faced unexpected resistance but managed a 3-1 win over Telangana to secure their quarterfinal spot. Meanwhile, the second-seeded Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB), who had faltered last year, displayed renewed determination with an authoritative 3-0 victory against Uttar Pradesh, sending a strong signal to their rivals.

West Bengal made light work of Kerala, cruising to a 3-0 win, while Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Delhi all secured identical 3-0 victories over Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Odisha, and Karnataka, respectively, to join the big names in the quarterfinals.

In the clash between Maharashtra and Assam, it all came down to the final rubber, where Senhora D’Souza, battling immense pressure, overcame Bhavna Kashyap in a nail-biting finish. Bhavna, who led 7-4 in the decider and later held two match points at 10-8, faltered as her inexperience surfaced at critical moments. Senhora clawed her way back to deuce and eventually sealed the match 12-10, delivering relief to her teammates on the Maharashtra bench.

Earlier in the tie, Taneesha Kotecha gave Maharashtra the lead, but Trisha Gogoi levelled the score with a gutsy 11-9, 4-11, 4-11, 11-5, 12-10 win over Senhora. Sampada Bhiwandkar restored Maharashtra’s lead with a clinical performance against Gargi Saikia, only for Trisha to reignite Assam’s hopes with a hard-fought victory over Taneesha. The decider, however, proved a step too far for the young Assam side.

For RSPB, Sutirtha Mukherjee proved instrumental, winning both her singles in commanding fashion. Her victories against Varuni Jaiswal and Nikhat Banu were crucial in securing a 3-1 result after Moumita Datta’s loss to Nikhat briefly put the top seeds under pressure. Anusha Kutumbale steadied the ship with a dominant performance against Naina, setting the stage for Sutirtha to close out the tie. Meanwhile, Gujarat had a smooth run into the quarterfinals, where they are set to face Tamil Nadu.

In the men’s category, TTFI-1 (Rajasthan) delivered a surprising performance, advancing to the pre-quarterfinals with a clean 3-0 sweep against West Bengal and a gritty 3-2 win over Mizoram. The defeat hit Bengal hard as they subsequently bowed out in the quarterfinals, losing 2-3 to Tamil Nadu, with P.B. Abhinand starring in the latter’s victory. The Bengal squad now faces an uphill battle in the 9-16 classification matches, needing two consecutive wins to keep their hopes alive for qualification in the next National Games.

TTFI-1 extended their winning streak by knocking out hosts Gujarat in the pre-quarterfinals. Their quarterfinal entry was a dramatic feat, with Anukram Jain leading the charge and Harsh Srivastava sealing the deal in a nail-biting five-game thriller, highlighted by an intense 18-16 win in the second game.

The remaining men’s pre-quarterfinal matches were more straightforward, with PSPB, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, TTFI-1, Assam, Maharashtra, and RSPB advancing without much trouble.

As the tournament heads into the quarterfinals and semifinals tomorrow, the intensity is expected to peak as teams edge closer to the championship’s decisive stages.

Team Event Results:

Women: RSPB bt Telangana 3-1; West Bengal bt Kerala 3-0; Haryana bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0; Maharashtra bt Assam 3-2; Tamil Nadu bt Chandigarh 3-0; Gujarat bt Odisha 3-0; Delhi bt Karnataka 3-0; PSPB bt Uttar Pradesh 3-0.

Men: PSPB bt Karnataka 3-0; Telangana bt Odisha 3-0; Tamil Nadu bt West Bengal 3-1; Delhi bt Uttar Pradesh 3-0; TTFI-1 bt Gujarat 3-2; Assam bt Haryana 3-2; Maharashtra bt Uttarakhand 3-0; RSPB bt Punjab 3-1.