TT: Repeat performance by Sathiyan and Suthirtha

Durgapur, November 2: PSPB’s G. Sathiyan and Suthirtha Mukherjee emerged as the singles champions in the men women’s categories in the National Ranking (East Zone) Table Tennis Championships at the Sidhu Kanu Indoor Stadium, City Centre, for back to back titles here today.

Sathiyan defeated Soumyajit Ghosh and Suthirtha downed Krittwika Sinha Roy of Airpors Authority of India by the same 4-1 margin in the finals. Both had claimed the championships at the West Zone event a couple of weeks ago and the winners’ purse of Rs. Rs. 66,000 and Rs. 55,000, respectively for their wonderful efforts.

Left-hander Abhishek Yadav deservingly won the Youth Boys crown and it was Manika Batra who cornered the Youth Girls title. Yadav had finished runner-up to Sudhanshu Grover, the top-seed here, at Gandhidham while Senhora D’Souza was the winner in the section at the West Zone. Manika failed to progress beyond quarters there.

Neither Sathiyan, nor Suthirtha needed any further invitation from their rivals in the finals as both matches had a pattern to them—both paddlers had won first three games before conceding one when they slackened a bit. But that was all their opponents, Soumyajit Ghosh—playing his first zonals this seson—and AAI’s Krittwika Sinha Roy could do against the in-form PSPB paddlers. However, it was surprising that the AAI girl, who had a fine semifinal outing, was out of depths of sorts and looked lost against the guile of Suthritha. Similarly, Sathiyan just continued from where he left off in the previous final against indifferent Ghosh, still struggling to find his feet.

An elated Sathiyan admitted it was an easy final. “I didn’t expect it to go the way it did, though I was confident,” he said. Sutirtha, on the other hand, said she was confident against Krittwika. “I know her game and I never relented in my attack,” she added.

After losing the title at Gandhidham, Yadav was confidence personified particularly after a wonderful outing in the men’s singles here. With top-seeded Sudhanshu Grover having been ousted by Lalrin Puia in the semifinals, things became easy for Abhishek who knew in and out of Puia, having been a part and parcel of the PSPB Academy at Ajmer. Puia’s trick against the southpaw did not work, though the former managed to take two games of him.

Manika, who missed her women’s title at the West Zone, made up for the loss here with the crown in the Youth Girls section. Her rival, Reeth, was patch on the day and Manika made most of her chances.

The caravan now moves to Agra for the North Zone championships, beginning from November 5.


The Results:

Men’s singles: Final: G. Sathiyan (PSPB) bt Soumyajit Ghosh (PSPB) 4-1 (11-4, 11-8, 11-8, 7-11, 11-2); Semifinals: G. Sathiyan bt Lalrin Puia (PSPBA) 4-1 (11-4, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 11-8), Soumyajit Ghosh bt Abhishek Yadav (PSPB) 4-1 (16-14, 11-4, 11-8, 10-12, 12-10).

Women’s singles: Final: Suthirtha Mukherjee (PSPB) bt Krittwika Sinha Roy (AAI) 4-1 (11-6, 11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7); Semifinals: Krittwika Sinha Roy bt Manika Batra (PSPB) 4-2 (11-7, 3-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-3, 11-7), Suthirtha Mukherjee bt Pooja Sahasrabudhe (PSPB) 4-3 (7-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3, 8-11, 16-14).

Youth Boys singles: Final: Abhishek Yadav (PSPB) bt Lalrinpuia (PSPBA) 4-2 (11-5, 5-11, 11-8, 12-14, 6-11, 5-11); Semifinals: Lalrin Puia bt Sudhanshu Grover (PSPBA) 4-2 (11-3, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6, 10-12, 12-10), Abhishek Yadav bt Anirban Ghosh (WB) 4-1 (11-8, 9-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-6).

Youth Girls singles: Final: Manika Batra (PSPB) bt Reeth Rishya (PSPB) 4-3 (8-11, 11-9, 4-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8); Semifinals: Manika Batra bt Mallika Bhandarkar (AI) 4-2 (11-6, 12-10, 13-11, 8-11, 9-11, 11-4), Reeth Rishya bt Senhora D’Souza (MHR) 4-2 (7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-5, 5-11, 11-4).