Panchkula: The UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships reached a new level of intensity on Day 6, as the Youth Boys Under-19 singles knockout rounds approached their conclusion at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Multipurpose Hall.
In a 64-player draw with no byes, the competition was fierce. While the top eight seeds advanced smoothly, several qualifiers struggled under the pressure and were eliminated.
Ayan Ghosh from West Bengal faced a tough challenge against Samarth Singh of Delhi, falling behind 1-2 before finding his composure to fight back and win, earning a spot in the Round of 32. On the other hand, Bhaskar Singh from Delhi, who had a 2-0 lead over Dhruv Shah of Maharashtra, couldn’t hold on, losing the match in a surprising turnaround.
Priyanshu Karmakar of West Bengal had to work hard to overcome Arya Katria of Gujarat. After a tightly contested match, Karmakar won the decisive fifth game, securing his place in the next round.
The Youth Girls Under-19 draw had 19 byes, making only 13 first-round matches possible, but these were just as exciting. Ankolika Chakraborty from Bengal was down 1-2 to fellow Bengal player Sanchari Chakrabarty, but she mounted a comeback to win the last two games, advancing to the Round of 32.
In another close match, Sandika Bhattacharjee of Kolkata took a 2-1 lead over Shravani Loke from Maharashtra, only to lose the fourth game. But Bhattacharjee rallied to win the deciding game and move forward.
Mukta Dalvi of Maharashtra faced a tense battle with Sayani Panda of West Bengal. After losing a 2-1 lead, Dalvi managed to recover by winning the decider 12-10 in a nail-biting finish to progress.
Meanwhile, Tanmayee Saha of Haryana fought hard but was edged out by Mouboni Chatterjee from Bengal, losing in the final game despite saving four game points in the second.
With the Round of 32 now set, the tournament deepens as players push for a spot in the later rounds. The race for the title is heating up, and all eyes are on the young players aiming for glory.
The men’s singles knockout matches will be played later today, while the women’s singles resume tomorrow.
Important Results:
Youth Boys U-19: Round 64: Ayan Ghosh (WB) bt Samarth Singh (Del) 10-12, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 13-11; Dhruv Shah (Mah) bt Bhaskar Singh (Del) 7-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-9; Priyanshu Karmakar (WB) bt Arya Kataria (Guj) 7-11, 11-8, 13-11, 5-11, 14-12; Shouren Soman (Mah) bt Naman Bhatnagar (HP) 7-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-1, 11-8; Oishik Ghosh (WB) Akash Rajavelu (TN) 11-7, 8-11, 7-11, 11-3, 11-3; Umesh Kumar (TN) bt M. Nikkhil Menon (TN) 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 4-11, 11-8; Sounav Barman (NCOE) bt H. Lalruatsanga (Del) 11-7, 5-11, 12-14, 11-5, 11-5; Harshvarshan Patel (Guj) Abhinav K. Murthy (Kar) 11-7, 4-11, 11-7, 12-14, 11-6.
Youth Girls U-19: Round 64: Ankolika Chakraborty (WB) bt Sanchari Chakrabarty (WB) 11-2, 9-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-2; Sandika Bhattacharjee (NCOE) bt Shravani Loke (Mah) 7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 13-11; Mukta Dalvi (Mah) bt Sayani Panda (WB) 7-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 12-10; Mouboni Chatterjee (Guj) bt Tanmayee Saha (Har) 7-11, 16-14, 12-10, 5-11, 11-9.
