Kolkata: Ankur Bhattacharjee emerged as the Youth Boys Under-19 champion when he defeated state mate Bodhisatwa Chaudhury 4-0 in the final to hoist the winner's trophy in the 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium today.
Ankur was close to claiming the title in the previous edition at Chennai. But he lost in the semifinals. However, the 18-year-old had the privilege, and deservingly, too.
In comparison, Bodhisatwa reached the Round of 32 at Chennai. But he has shown solid improvement since and entered what turned out as an all-Bengal final. The comparison ended there.
Ankur proved far superior on the day. If his attack was the best weapon he deployed against his friend, he has also learned to defend, making him a clever player. Bodhisatwa, on the other hand, lacked the nuances of a final and often tripped when he had to be extra cautious. Of course, the match saw excellent rallies.
Ankur's efforts fetched him Rs. 72,000 in prize money. And runner-up Bodhisatwa received half of that amount.
Ankur needed about 35 minutes to shut Abhinand out in the first semifinal. Abhinand never gives up. But today, he could not find his rhythm despite winning the second game. The Tamil Nadu played a rank-bad third game, which exemplified his state of mind. Ankur, however, was thoroughly focused and went from strength to strength after the 2-1 lead.
His game plan was simple. Attack ferociously and defend well. The strategy paid dividends, and he wrapped up the match quickly.
He will have a showdown with teammate Bodhisatwa, who struggled in his semifinal against K.J. Akash of Karnataka. The match swung from one extreme to another as the players kept winning alternate games. But Aakash failed to cash in on the chances in the decider and folded short of two points. The Bengal player quickly grabbed the opportunity and claimed the crucial points to earn a final berth.
PRIYANUJ WINS CROWN
Like the U-19 Boys, the two Assam boys ensured it would be an all-Assam final. Priyanuj Bhattacharyya, with a superior game plan and approach, made the title shot look easy against Rajkhowa Roy. But not before the struggle in the first game, which the eventual winner won on his fourth game point. Yet, he lost the second game badly before picking up momentum. His stroke-filled game was too hot for his state mate, and Rajkhowa failed to counter him. It made things easy for Priyanuj, who accomplished the job.
In the semifinals, Priyanuj beat R. Balamurugan from Tamil Nadu 3-2, and Rajkhowa accounted for Kushal Chopda of Maharashtra 3-1.
In the Under-17 doubles, Abhinand and Balamurugan made amends and beat their Maharashtra rivals, Sharveya Samant and Vineet Deepak, to win the title. The Tamil Nadu duo won 3-0, with little resistance from the Maharashtra pair.
In the Under-19 doubles, the Bengal pair of Ankur and Bodhisatwa beat their UP rivals, Sarth Mishra and Divyansh Srivastava 3-1 for yet another title, making the championships a profitable one.
Results:
U-19 Boys Singles: Final: Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Bodhisatwa Choudhury 11-6, 13-11, 11-8, 16-14.
Semifinals: Ankur bt P.B. Abhinand (TN) 11-5, 9-11, 11-1, 11-5, 11-2; Bodhisatwa bt K.J. Aakash (Kaar) 5-11, 11-2, 4-11, 12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9.
Doubles: Final: Ankur Bhattacharjee/Bodhisatwa Choudhury (WB) bt Sarth Mishra/Divyansh Srivastava (UP) 11-2, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8.
U-17 Boys Singles: Final: Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (ASM) bt Divyaj Rajkhowa Roy (ASM) 15-13, 2-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4.
Semifinals: Priyanuj bt Balamurugan Rajasekaran (TN) 11-3, 3-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8; Rajkhowa bt Kushal Chopda (Mah) 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6.
Doubles: Final: P.B. Abhinand/R. Balamurugan (TN) bt Sharveya Samant/Vineet Deepak (Mah) 11-8, 11-5, 11-5.
