Thiruvananthapuram: Delhi’s Aadarsh Om Chetri kept his date with destiny and deservingly earned his second Sub-Junior Boys title of the season beating UP’s Divyansh Srivastava 4-3 in the UTT National Ranking (South Zone) Table Tennis Championships which concluded at the Jimmy George Indoor Stadium here today.
It was a nail-biting final in which the pendulum of fortunes swung from one end to another as the two players, knowing each other’s game so well, did everything possible—from slowing down to driving powerfully and even dropping close to the next.
The only thing that separated the two was who played the mind game better. And, undoubtedly, the Delhi boy came out triumphant, particularly in the decider as he not only ran up a good lead but also sustained to mount pressure on Divyansh.
This was in contrast to the match-levelling sixth game in which the UP lad led 9-1 before conceding four points and then at 10-5, he was guilty of conceding three more negatives to his opponent. But realising soon his mistake he won to take the issue to the decider where Aadarsh’s attacking posture undid the UP boy.
Aadarsh played with purpose in the knockout stages and attained his first aim in the semi-final when he beat UP’s Sarth Mishra 4-1. Except for the second game, which got extended and went the way of Sarth on his third game point, the Delhi boy was very much in control as he almost mowed down his UP rival.
In the other semis, Divyansh Srivastava, also from UP, was somewhat rusty against Anshuman Agarwal but steadied to win the first game after losing two game points. From there onwards, he never looked back, including in the fourth game which he won on the fourth match-point when an unexpected resistance came from the Goa boy.
Kavyashree first put an end to her struggling form and then overcame Taneesha Kotecha, who failed win the crown in her second successive final. The Maharashtra girl did play well to give some torrid moments to the lanky Tamil Nadu girl but the latter, fresh from her TIE final win, thwarted any possible threat to emerge the champion.
However, Taneesha can take heart from the fact that she was able to avenge her North Zone defeat in the final when she sent Suhana Saini, the winner at Sonepat, packing in straight games. Suhana failed to raise her game against the determined Maharashtra girl. Earlier, Kavyashree cleaned up Delhi’s Lakshita Narang, also with a 4-0 verdict, in quick time for her first final entry in a long time.
ABHINAND, DIYA WIN TITLE
In Cadet Boys final, TamIL Nadu’s P.B. Abhinand not only made it to the first final, but also made it a point to claim the title when he beat PSPB Academy’s Priyanuj Bhattacharya 4-0. Abhinand, who had managed to reach semi-finals three times last season, found his rhythm and vocal support from the gallery to beat the PSPBA boy, also a first-time finalist.
Indeed, he resisted really well in the second and even managed to stretch him from deuce before squandering the chance of winning the game. It gave the real advantage to Chennai Achievers’ paddler, who wrapped it up in style, winning in straight games.
In semis, Priyanuj defeated Umesh Kumar in a thriller. He was down 0-2 but played brilliantly to win against the Tamil Nadu boy and earn a final meeting with P.B. Abhinand who downed Delhi’s Sudhanshu Maini 3-0.
In Cadet Girls, Diya Bramhachary of West Bengal beat Tamil Nadu’s M. Hansini 4-1 to win her maiden cown. The little girl from Tamil Nadu was no match for a technically sound Diya who exploited her rival’s weaknesses to the hilt. Yet, Hansini, a first-time finalist, managed to win the fourth game and that too with utmost ease. But then her West Bengal opponent was not the one to give Hanisini another chance.
In the semis, Diya struggled to beat Tamil Nadu’s Sharvani Nagam 3-2 while M. Hansini inflicted a 3-2 win over Nandini Saha, the other West Bengal paddler.
Results:
Sub-Junior Boys: Final: Aadarsh Om Chetri (Del) bt Divyansh Srivastava (UP) 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4; Semi-finals: Aadarsh Chetri bt Sarth Mishra (UP) 11-2, 13-15, 11-6, 11-8, 11-3; Divyansh Srivastava bt Anshuman Agarwal (Goa) 11-13, 11-7, 11-5, 16-14.
Sub-Junior Girls: Final: Kavyashree Baskar (TN) 11-5, 12-10, 10-12, 11-2, 8-11, 11-6; Semi-finals: Taneesha Kotecha bt Suhana Saini (Har) 11-9, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7; Kavyashree Baskar bt Lakshita Narang (Del) 11-7, 11-8, 11-3, 11-2.
Cadet Boys: Final: P.B. Abhinand (TN) bt Priyanuj Bhattacharya (PSPBA) 11-9, 14-12, 11-9, 11-6 ;Semi-finals: Priyanuj Bhattacharya bt Umesh Kumar (TN) 7-11, 11-13, 11-6, 13-11, 11-7; P.B. Abhinand bt Sudhanshu Maini (Del) 11-2, 11-8, 11-6.
Cadet Girls: Diya Bramhaachary (WB) bt M. Hansini (TN) 11-9, 11-7, 11-8, 4-11, 11-4; Semi-finals:Diya Bramhaachary bt Sharvani Nagam (TN) 11-4, 14-16, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6; M. Hansini bt Nandini Saha (WB) 10-12, 14-12, 10-12, 11-6, 12-10.
