Thiruvananthapuram: Top seeds G. Sathiyan and Poymantee Baishya were shocked in the pre-quarterfinals of the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Jimmy George Indoor Stadium today, paving the way for new challengers to stake their claim for the titles in the men’s and women’s singles. The defeats were unexpected, as both players were outclassed by younger, less experienced opponents displaying impressive resilience.
Sathiyan, fresh off a title win at the Institutional Championships in Chandigarh, faced off against 10th seed Akash Pal of Railways. Despite a strong start, Sathiyan couldn’t match Akash’s consistency, close and away from the table. After a narrow loss in the first game (11-13), Sathiyan fought back in the second, but Akash regained control and closed the match 13-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8.
In the women’s singles, Poymantee struggled against Jennifer, who brought in a strong performance. After losing the first game, the Railways woman dug deep and pulled off a 16-14 win in the second. Poymantee couldn’t adjust any further, and Jennifer won the match 11-4, 14-16, 11-8, 11-7, progressing to the quarterfinals with a rare victory over the higher-ranked player.
The day also saw several other seeds fall early. A thrilling match between 14th seed Sudhanshu Grover and qualifier Ankur Bhattacharjee captivated spectators. Grover led 2-1 and had an 8-7 advantage in the fourth game, but Ankur fought back to win the match 8-11, 10-12, 11-9, 13-11, 11-5. Meanwhile, qualifier Syndrela Das upset third seed Yashaswini Ghorpade, who faltered after leading 2-1. Das’s persistence and sharp play earned her 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 7-11 win.
In the Under-19 Boys’ quarterfinals, Ankur Bhattacharjee, Punit Biswas, Priyanuj Bhattacharyya, and Kushal Chopda reached the semifinals. Punit overcame a 1-2 deficit against Tamil Nadu’s Umesh Kumar, winning the final two games with grit and skill. Kushal Chopda beat P.B. Abhinand in a hard-fought match, with Abhinand faltering in the decisive fifth game.
The Under-19 Girls’ quarterfinals saw straightforward victories, with Pritha Vartikar, Syndrela Das, Ananya Muralidharan, and Ananya Chande progressing smoothly into the semifinals, all winning 3-0.
The semifinals for both the men’s and women’s events, including the U-19 finals, will take place later this evening. The last day of the championships is set to bring thrilling encounters.
Results:
Men’s Singles: Pre-quarterfinals: Akash Pal (RSPB) bt G. Sathiyan (PSPB) 3-1; P.B. Abhinand (TN) bt Sarthak Gandhi (Har) 3-0; Divyansh Srivastava (UP) bt Punish Biswas (WB) 3-0; Ankur Bhattacharjee (PSPB) bt Sudhanshu Grover (Del) 3-2; Manush Shah (RBI) bt Jash Modi (Mah) 3-0; Yashansh Malik (AAI) bt Deepit R. Patil (AAI) 3-1; SFR Snehit (IA&AD) bt Payas Jain (Del) 3-1; Manav Thakkar (PSPB) bt Anthony Amalraj (PSPB) 3-0.
Women’s Singles: Pre-quarterfinals: Jennifer Varghese (Mah) bt Poymantee Baishya (RSPB) 3-1; Taneesha Kotecha (Mah) bt Reeth Rishya (PSPB) 3-1; Pritha Vartikar (Mah) bt Moumita Dutta (RSPB) 3-0; Swastika Ghosh (AAI) bt Suhana Saini (Har) 3-1; Syndrela Das (WB) bt Yashaswini Ghorpade (PSPB) 3-2; Diya Chitale (RBI) bt Avisha Krmakar (WB) 3-0; Sutirtha Mukherjee (RSPB) bt Yashini Sivashankar (IA&AD) 3-1; Sayali Wani (Mah) bt Nikhat Banu (RBI) 3-2.
Youth Boys U-19 Singles: Quarterfinal: Ankur Bhattacharjee (PSPB) bt 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 14-12; 11-7, 8-11, 14-12; Punit Biswas (WB) bt Umesh Kumar (TN) 11-8, 5-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8; Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (Asm) bt Preyesh Raj (TN) 13-15, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4; Kushal Chopda (Mah) bt P.B. Abhinand (TN) 11-8, 5-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7.
