Chennai: Finally, Uttar Pradesh can be proud of what Sarth Mishra achieved in the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) Boys’ singles playoff at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University facilities today.
He lost a few opportunities during the singles and the doubles, but Sarth made up for all that by claiming the bronze medal during the playoff in the all-UP encounter. In the bargain, he beat state mate Divyansh Srivastava 3-1. Divyansh did try his bit, but Sarth proved a notch better than him this evening.
Jash Modi and Neil Mulye of Maharashtra defeated K.J. Aakash and P. Yeshwant in straight games to earn the bronze medal in doubles. The Maharashtra pair began briskly and consistently to outsmart their opponent from the southern state. A jaded Aakash and Yeshwant were no match to their rivals.
Priyanuj was down 0-2, and Sarah seemed to have got everything right in their singles semifinal. But the Assam boy changed the script in the third game. The momentum shifted, and the UP boy had no clue to counter him. Every time he stroked well to come close to Priyanuj, Sarth went into the depth as the Assam lad mounted pressure to subdue him, winning four games on the trot.
At the adjacent table, Ankur pulled off an extended game against Divyansh Srivastava, another UP paddler. But what reassured his success was the second game, which Ankur won 16-14 on his fifth game point. With a 2-0 cushion, the Bengal paddler went from strength to strength, pushing Divyansh to the brink of collapse.
The KIYG quarterfinals for boys went along the expected lines. If there was any resistance, it came from K.J. Aakash of Karnataka.
After Priyanuj cleaned up P. Yeshwant, also from Karnataka, with a 3-0 win, Ankur followed suit with a similar verdict against Jash Modi of Maharashtra. In between, Sarth downed P.B. Abhinand of Tamil Nadu 3-1 in what turned out as another one-sided affair.
After the exits of all TN boys and girls, the hosts depended on Abhinand to turn up with a medal. But it did not fructify. But perhaps it was the worst game he must have played recently. He led 10-5 in the first game but let Sarth score five consecutive points and deuce. Yet, he won the first game. However, his poor body language indicated the impending defeat when he made several unforced errors with a casual approach. Sarth built his success on those mistakes and entered the semifinals.
However, Aakash was different. He fought back from a 0-1 deficit to lead 2-1 against Divyansh of UP. Once the Karnataka boy let Divyansh restore parity, the UP boy punished him and wrapped it up in the next game.
The Karnataka combination of Aakash and Yeshwant goofed it up from a 2-1 lead to let Ankur and Bodhisatwa of Bengal win 3-2 in the semifinals of the doubles event.
Divyansh and Sarth, riding on their singles success, beat Jash Modi and Neil Mulye of Maharashtra 3-2 in a come-from-behind win. The UP pair trailed 1-2 before upping the ante in the last two games.
Results:
Boys’ Singles: Semifinals: Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (Asm) bt Sarth Mishra (UP) 7-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7, 11-6; Ankur Bhattacharjee (WB) bt Divyansh Srivastava (UP) 12-10, 16-14, 11-5, 11-6.
Quarterfinals: Priyanuj bt P. Yeshwant (Kar) 11-6, 11-6, 11-7, Sarth bt P.B. Abhinand (TN) 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 12-10, Ankur bt Jash Modi (Mah) 11-7, 11-8, 11-7, Divyansh bt K.J. Aakash (Kar) 7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7.
Bronze Playoff: Sarth Mishra (UP) bt Divyansh Srivastava (UP) 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7.
Doubles: Semifinals: Ankur Bhattacharjee/Bodhisatwa Chaudhary (WB) bt K.J. Aakash/P. Yeshwant (Kar) 11-7, 8-11, 12-14, 11-7, 13-11; Divyansh Srivastava/Sarth Mishra (UP) bt Jash Modi/Neil Mulye (Mah) 1-11, 11-5, 9-11, 13-11, 11-8.
Bronze Playoff: Jash Modi/Neil Mulye (Mah) bt K.J. Aakash/P. Yeshwant (Kar) 11-7, 11-5, 11-9.
