Thiruvananthapuram: Aditya Das and Ananya Muralidharan dominated the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships, claiming the Under-15 Youth Boys’ and Girls’titles at the Jimmy George Indoor Stadium on Sunday.
Aditya, initially tense, lost the first game to Maharashtra’s Shouren Soman but quickly regained his composure. He levelled the score with a strong performance in the second game and then sealed a 3-1 victory, despite a close third game. Meanwhile, Ananya cruised to victory in the girls’ final, winning all her games in straight sets.
Ananya plays with not just confidence in her own game, but a keen understanding of her opponent’s weaknesses. In the final, her well-timed serves and unexpected attacks kept West Bengal’s Aarushi off balance, unable to mount a strong response. By the second game, Aarushi was in deep trouble. However, she fought back fiercely in the third, pushing Ananya to her limits. Ultimately, it was Ananya who sealed the victory, claiming yet another title this season.
The Boys' semifinals sparked interest, with Aditya initially struggling against Ritvik Gupta of Jammu and Kashmir. Despite Ritvik saving two game points, Aditya capitalized on his opponent’s return to clinch the first game on his third game point. This victory boosted Aditya’s confidence, and he dominated the second and third games, defeating the J-K paddler 3-0 to reach the final.
Shouren lost the first game narrowly but gained momentum as Akash made several unforced errors. Although Akash fought back in the third, Shouren seized control in the fourth game, easily securing the 3-1 win.
Ananya was far too strong for Divyanshi Bhowmick in their semifinal. The Tamil Nadu player took a comfortable 2-0 lead, and despite a brave fightback from Divyanshi in the third, Ananya was never truly challenged as she won 3-0.
Aarushi cruised through the first game, but some early mistakes allowed Naisha Rewaskar to gain ground in the second. Aarushi quickly regained control, and with a 2-0 lead, it seemed like an easy win. Naisha fought back in the third, but Aarushi triumphed on her third match point.
The quarterfinals in both the Boys’ and Girls’ sections lacked excitement, with most matches following predictable patterns. Aside from Aditya, who dominated Eshan Nayak 3-0, all other quarterfinalists dropped a game. Ritvik defeated Abheek Kashyap, Akash overcame Vishruth Ramakrishnan, and Souren bested Sahil Rawat, all with 3-1 scores.
In the Girls’ category, Ananya and Aarushi breezed past Saturya Banerjee and Shreya Dhar with 3-0 wins, while Divyanshi and Naisha each lost one game before overcoming Prateeti Paul and Tanmanyee Saha, respectively.
Results:
Youth Boys U-15: Final: Aditya Das (WB) bt Shouren Soman (Mah) 9-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6.
Semifinals: Aditya bt Ritvik Gupta (J&K) 14-12, 11-8, 11-8; Souren bt Akash Rajavelu (TN) 9-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5.
Quarterfinals: Aditya bt Eshan Nayak (Har) 3-0; Ritvik bt Abheek Kashyap (Asm) 3-1; Akash bt Vishruth Ramakrishnan (TN) 3-1; Shouren bt Sahil Rawat (PSPBA) 3-1.
Youth Girls U-15: Final: Ananya Muralidharan (TN) bt Aarushi Nandi (WB) 11-8, 11-6, 14-12.
Semifinals: Ananya bt Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) 11-4, 11-8, 11-9; Aarushi bt Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) 11-6, 11-9, 14-12.
Quarterfinals: Divyanshi bt Prateeti Paul (WB) 3-1; Ananya bt Saturya Banerjee (WB) 3-0; Naisha bt Tanmanyee Saha (Har) 3-1; Aarushi bt Shreya Dhar (WB) 3-0.
