- Ankur and Suhana emerge U-19 singles champions
Itanagar: As expected, it was a perfect 10 for the Indian paddlers in individual events. Taking complete control of the proceedings in the South Asian Youth Table Tennis, the hosts won all the gold medals on offer on the last day at the Dorjee Khandu Indoor Stadium today.
Besides, the Indians also bagged four silver medals in the singles. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives were also among the medals, while Bhutan, who participated only in the singles events, drew a blank.
On the second day of the championships, the Indians won three gold medals in the U-15 Boys, U-19 Girls and U15 Girls, while Nepal claimed the U-19 Boys gold.
In the Under-19 Boys singles, Ankur Bhattacharjee defeated Payas Jain 4-2 to claim the gold. Payas had to contend with the silver.
The match had all the thrills of a final, befitting the occasion. Both boys played aggressively and indulged in long rallies. But Ankur proved a better player on the day as Payas had to catch up with his rival after Ankur led 3-1. The Delhi paddler did manage to take the fifth game, but in the sixth game, Ankur closed it out with minimal points to wrap up the final, especially after Payas’ backhand flicks not coming off at crucial junctures.
In the race for the gold in the Under-19 girls’ singles, Suhana Saini defeated Yashaswini Ghorpade 4-1 in what turned out to be a one-sided final. Yashaswini was off-colour and could never pick Suhana’s deceptive service as the former netted more often, offering negative points to Suhana.
In the race for the gold in the Under-19 girls’ singles, Suhana Saini defeated Yashaswini Ghorpade 4-1 in what turned out to be a one-sided final. Yashaswini was off-colour and could never pick Suhana’s deceptive service as the former netted more often, offering negative points to Suhana.
In the U-19 Girls’ doubles, Yashaswini and Suhana combined to beat the Maldivian pair of Mishka Ibrahim and Fathimath Dheema Ali 3-0 to bag the gold. Similarly, the Indian duo of Divyansh Srivastava and Jash Modi blanked out Ridoy Mohutassin Ahmed and Bawn Rahim Lian to win the Boys’ doubles 3-0.
In the Under-15 Boys singles, Priyanuj Bhattacharya defeated P.B. Abhinand 3-1, while in the Under-15 Girls singles, Jennifer Varghese was a run-way hit, beating Avisha Karmakar 3-1 in their final. As for the girls, in the section, Jennifer Varghese and Avisha Karmakar defeated Nepal’s Sushmita Khadka and Subhashree Shrestha to take the top-podium position.
In the mixed doubles, Payas Jain and Yashaswini took gold, beating their Maldivian rivals, Akhyar Ahmed Khalid and Fathimath Dheema Ali, and the pair of P.B. Abhinand and Jennifer Varghese outsmarted Mohamed Akram Shafiullah and Kavindya Tamadi of Sri Lanka for the gold.
Results (All Finals):
U-19 Boys Singles: Ankur Bhattacharjee (Ind) bt Payas Jain (Ind) 11-7, 2-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9.
U-19 Boys Doubles: Divyansh Srivastava/Jash Modi (Ind) bt Ridoy Mohutasin Ahmed/Bawm Ramhim Lian (Ban) 11-9, 11-7, 6-11, 11-5.
U-19 Girls Singles: Suhana Saini (Ind) bt Yashashwini Ghorpade (Ind) 11-8, 11-9, 13-11, 6-11, 11-8.
U-19 Girls Doubles: Yashaswini Ghorpade/Suhana Saini (Ind) Mishka Mohamed Ibrahim/Fathimath Dheema Ali (Mdv) 11-8, 11-5, 11-4.
U-19 Mixed Doubles: Payas Jain/Yashaswini Ghorpade (Ind) bt Akhyar Ahmed Khalid/Fathimath Dheema Ali (Mdv) 11-4, 11-2, 6-11, 11-8.
U-15 Boys Singles: Priyanuj Bhattacharya (Ind) bt P.B. Abhinand (Ind) 6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-9.
U-15 Boys Doubles: PB Abhinand/Priyanuj Bhattacharya (Ind) bt Hasib Abul Hashem/Rahman Mohd. Mahtabur (Ban) 11-8, 11-5, 13-11.
U-15 Girls Singles: Jennifer Varghese (Ind) bt Avisha Karmakar (Ind) 14-16, 12-10, 11-8, 11-4.
U-15 Girls Doubles: Jennifer Varghese/Avisha Karmarkar (Ind) bt Sushmita Khadka/Subhashree Shrestha (Nep) 11-7, 11-6, 11-5.
U-15 Mixed Doubles: P.B. Abhinand/Jennifer Varghese (Ind) bt Mohammed Akram Md. Shafiullah/Kavindya Tamadi Alagiyawadu 11-9, 12-10, 12-10
–TTFI
