Pondicherry: The return of a national event in the garb of UTT National Ranking Championships (South Zone) to this tourist destination and the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium is as significant for the host association as it is for the players participating in it.
The Union Territory last hosted the Senior Nationals in team and singles events at the same venue in 2015. If the nationals have their aura, the ranking events have their characteristics, laying the foundation for a player as the pathbreaker to build in many ways.
In that sense, the South Zone Championships, getting underway from tomorrow here, is a test of a challenge for the participants and the inexperienced but enthusiastic hosts, with a new set-up at the helm of affairs. But the latter is leaving no stone unturned to make it as big as it can get. Now the onus is on the players to prove their mettle in the absence of the three big guns in Achanta Sharath Kamal—he recently went through a knee procedure and recuperating—and G. Sathiyan and Manika Batra.
If the second of the national ranking event held at Dehra Dun last week attracted a good number of entries, the Zonal here has surpassed the figure touching a new mark of 1,850 that, in some way, show the popularity of the UT city. The championships have also provided the opportunity for the visitors to spend a memorable Christmas, if not the New Year.
But for Sanil Shetty, who claimed the men’s singles title, and Sutirtha Mukherjee, who wore the women’s singles crown, the events present another chance to lift the trophies. Joint top-seed Manav Thakkar, who was rendered a mute spectator in the final at Dehra Dun, gets his chance to avenge the loss, as it does to Reeth Rishya. For the others, who made it to the semifinals the hard way but faltered before the final hurdle, it is another moment to cash in on to move forward on the ranking tables.
The 216 men and 151 women in the fray for the senior events also mean that competitions to qualify for the main draw will witness intense battles among the 64 and 40 groups, respectively. However, the top eight seeds in either section will relax a bit until the qualifiers’ lists are known. But once the main daw begins a day later, it will be business as usual for everyone.
Equally intriguing will be the Youth Under-19 encounters in both sections, particularly for those Team India players who made a mark in recent international tournaments, including the Portugal World Championships. Delhi’s Payas Jain, ranked No. 3 in the world, will be itching to go against Tamil Nadu’s Vishwa Deenadayalan. There are 168 entries in the Boys section alone.
In the Under-19 Girls, Maharashtra’s Diya Chitale would want to settle a score with here state rival Swastika Ghosh. Then Tamil Nadu’s Nithyashree Mani and Taneesha Kotecha, the semifinalists, will be breathing their necks down to grab at the opportunities with a total of 133 in the fray.
Haryana’s Suhana Saini’s forte is her consistency. Returning from the Portugal Worlds with three bronze medals, she entered the arena without rest at Dehra Dun, demolishing the opponents to claim the gold in the U-17 Girls. She will be the one to be beaten. Ankur Bhattacharjee from Bengal will go hard at his second title with Tamil Nadu’s Preyesh Raj Suresh lurking around the corner right from the word go.
According to Competition Manager, N. Ganeshan, 19 Stag Americas tables and balls will be in use during the seven-day championships. Referee Mangesh Mopker will be in charge of the proceedings with guidance from veteran A.S. Kler and 45 Blue Badge, international and national umpires in tow.
