Surprise results set tone for boys’ team events

Indore (Team Newsbuddy): The opening day of the UTT 86th Cadet and Sub-Junior National Championships at the Abhay Prashal Indoor Hall saw unexpected twists in the Youth Boys Under-15 team events, causing trouble for several teams in the group stage. However, the pre-tournament favourites—West Bengal, PSPBA, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Haryana—maintained their dominance, staying in control as group leaders based on their top players’ rankings. The only exception was Group G, where Assam faced a setback, losing 2-3 to TTFI 1 (Rajasthan), leaving them to battle in the third round later in the evening for the remaining qualifying spot.

A delay in Bihar’s arrival due to train issues disrupted Group B’s schedule, forcing the competition department to adjust matches. Meanwhile, PSPBA, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana had to wait for Bihar’s arrival expected later in the evening.

In Group C, Tamil Nadu secured two crucial wins, crushing Delhi 3-0 before surviving a tense 3-2 encounter against Goa, ensuring their place in the pre-quarterfinals. They joined other teams with similar records, including West Bengal, PSPBA, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, TTFI 1, and Haryana.

Tamil Nadu’s match against Goa saw Akash Rajavelu losing the opening tie to Chandan Caro despite a strong start. However, Aakshay Bhushan levelled the contest by overcoming Rishan Shaikh, followed by the doubles win from Vishruth Ramakrishnan and Mohammed Murtuza. Although Aakshay faltered in his reverse singles against Chandan, Akash redeemed himself with a crucial win over Rishan to seal the tie.

Group D witnessed a tight clash where Uttar Pradesh narrowly defeated Jammu & Kashmir 3-2, largely thanks to Ritvik Gupta’s brilliance. Ritvik first dominated Garv Singla and later outclassed Aryan Kumar in straight sets. However, his doubles pairing with Saiyam Nischal fell short against the UP duo, which proved costly for J&K, allowing Uttar Pradesh to advance.

Maharashtra faced a stern challenge from Gujarat in Group E, edging past them 3-2 in a second-round thriller to inch closer to the pre-quarterfinals. Shouren Soman led the charge, winning his opening singles against Ved Panchal and later rescuing his team by levelling the tie after Maharashtra trailed 1-2. Although Shouren and Johan Cheliparambil lost a fiercely contested doubles match, Shouren steadied the ship with another singles win. Eventually, Mayuresh Sawant held his nerve in a decider against Ved, prevailing in a nail-biting five-game duel.

In Group G, TTFI 1 (Rajasthan) stunned Assam with a dramatic 3-2 victory. Harshvardhan Singh, despite losing his opening match to Abheek Kashyap, made a strong comeback to steer his team to victory. Aarav Acharya put Rajasthan ahead by beating Arnesh Barua, but the doubles setback saw Abheek and Arnesh take down Bhavit Singh and Aarav in five games. With the pressure mounting, Aarav defeated Abheek in four games before Harshvardhan sealed the win by outlasting Arnesh in a gripping five-game decider, putting Rajasthan in a commanding position for qualification.

Team Event Results:

Youth Boys U-15 (Rounds 1&2):

Group A: W. Bengal bt Kerala 3-0, Uttarakhand bt Sikkim 3-0; W. Bengal bt Uttarakhand 3-0, Kerala bt Sikkim 3-0.

Group B: PSPBA bt MP 3-0; PSPBA bt Telangana 3-0.

Group C: Tamil Nadu bt Delhi 3-0, Goa bt AP 3-0; Tamil Nadu bt Goa 3-0, Delhi bt AP 3-0.

Group D: UP bt J&K 3-2, Pondicherry bt Jharkhand 3-0; J&K bt Pondicherry 3-1, UP bt Jharkhand 3-0.

Group E: Maharashtra bt D&D 3-0, Gujarat bt Meghalaya 3-0; Maharashtra bt Gujarat 3-2, D&D bt Meghalaya 3-0.

Group F: Karnataka bt Punjab 3-0, TTFI 2bt NCOE 3-0; Karnataka bt NCOE 3-0, Punjab bt TTFI 2 3-0

Group G: Assam bt Chhattisgarh 3-0, TTFI 1 bt Odisha 3-0; TTFI 1 bt Assam 3-2, Odisha bt Chhattisgarh 3-1.

Group H: Haryana bt Arunachal 3-0, Chandigarh bt Manipur 3-0; Haryana bt HP 3-0, Chandigarh bt Arunachal 3-0.