Panchkula: The Youth Boys and Girls U-15 quarterfinals today at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships brought a thrilling day of action at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Multipurpose Hall.
In the Boys’ U-15, Vishruth Ramakrishnan (Tamil Nadu) delivered a dominant 3-0 win over his statemate K. Akshay Bhushan. Akash Rajavelu (Tamil Nadu) followed suit with a quick 3-0 victory (11-1, 11-8, 11-3) over Vatsal Duklan (TTFI), showing off his attacking prowess. Atharva Nawarange (Karnataka) was in control throughout his match against Ritvik Gupta (Jammu & Kashmir), winning 3-0. The day’s highlight was the epic showdown between Aditya Das of West Bengal and Trishal Raj Kumar of PSPBA. After a five-game thriller, Aditya triumphed 3-2 (11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 12-14, 14-12), keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats until the final point.
In the Girls’ U-15, Divyanshi Bhowmick of Maharashtra powered past Vani Sharma from Chandigarh with a 3-0 win. Ankolika Chakraborty of West Bengal also advanced to the semifinals, defeating Swara Jangade 3-1 from Maharashtra. Ananya Muralidharan of Tamil Nadu claimed a comfortable 3-0 win over Mouboni Chatterjee of Gujarat, while Riana Bhoota of Maharashtra survived a tense 3-2 battle against fellow Mumbaikar Naisha Rewaskar. The match saw the left-handed Riana bounce back after dropping the fourth game, displaying remarkable mental resilience.
In what turned out to be a thrilling pre-quarterfinal encounter in the Boys’ section, Vishruth emerged victorious with a 3-2 win over Sahil Rawat. The match was a rollercoaster, with both players giving it their all. Vishruth’s consistency in the decisive moments gave him the edge, securing him a spot in the quarterfinals.
Trishal edged Aarav Negi 3-2, and they exhibited great skill. However, Trishal’s resilience under pressure in the final games helped him gain a hard-fought victory. Likewise, Aditya battled through a tense 3-2 win over Shrestho Chakraborty. The match was tight, with both players trading wins in a highly competitive affair. However, Aditya’s focus in the final game helped him secure his place in the quarters.
But for these encounters, K. Akshay continued his strong form with a 3-1 win over Siddhant Dhariwal, Vatsal triumphed 3-1 over Shouren Soman, demonstrating strong court coverage and a well-rounded game, Akash displayed his dominance with a 3-0 win over Nilay Pattekar, Ritvik won 3-1 against Ishan Kumar Rai in a competitive battle, and Atharva showed his clinical precision in a 3-0 victory over Prateek Tulsani, who won the Under-13 title yesterday.
The Girls’ match between Divyanshi and Ahona Ray was a thrilling back-and-forth, but Divyanshi pulled through with a hard-earned 3-2 triumph. What separated the two was Divyanshi’s ability to seize the important moments, helping her to advance to the quarterfinals. Swara triumphed 3-2 in a tense contest against Prateeti Paul. The match was a nail-biter, with both players showing excellent skills. However, Swara’s mental fortitude allowed her to overcome the tense moments. Riana’s 3-2 thriller against Delhi’s Tushti Sood was equally fought hard. However, the former’s determination provided the keen edge to drama with many eyes now on her as a potential title contender.
Results:
Youth Boys U-15: Quarterfinals: Vishruth Ramakrishnan (TN) bt K. Akshay Bhushan (TN) 11-6, 11-5, 11-9; Akash Rajavelu (TN) bt Vatsal Duklan (TTFI) 11-1, 11-8, 11-3; Atharva Nawarange (Kar) bt Ritvik Gupta (J-K) 11-6, 11-8, 13-11; Aditya Das (WB) bt Trishal Raj Kumar (PSPBA) 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 12-14, 14-12.
Pre-quarterfinals: Vishruth bt Sahil Rawat (PSPBA) 3-2; K. Akshay bt Siddhant Dhariwal (Kar) 3-1; Vatsal bt Shouren Soman (Mah) 3-1; Akash bt Nilay Pattekar (Mah) 3-0; Ritvik bt Ishan Kumar Rai (WB) 3-1; Atharva bt Prateek Tulsani (Mah) 3-0; Trishal bt Aarav Negi (Ukd) 3-2; Aditya bt Shrestho Chakraborty (WB) 3-2.
Youth Girls U-15: Quarterfinals: Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) bt Vani Sharma (Chd) 11-6, 11-6, 11-8; Aankolika Chakraborty (WB) bt Swara Jangade (Mah) 11-4, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10; Ananya Muralidharan (TN) bt Mouboni Chatterjee (Guj) 11-9, 11-6, 11-7; Riana Bhoota (Mah) bt Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) 12-14, 11-6, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9.
Pre-quarterfinals: Divyanshi bt Ahona Ray (WB) 3-2; Vani bt Tanishka Kalbhairav (Kar) 3-0; Swara bt Prateeti Paul (WB) 3-2; Ankolika bt Shreya Dhar (WB) 3-1; Ananya bt Saturya Banerjee (WB) 3-0; Moubani bt Anvi Thorat (Mah) 3-0; Naisha bt Swaram Karmakar (Mah) 3-0; Riana bt Tushti Sood (Del) 3-2.
