Aditya Das and Ankolika win U-15 titles at national table tennis meet

Aditya Das and Ankolika Chakraborty of West Bengal claimed the Under-15 titles at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships. Aditya beat Maharashtra’s Nilay Pattekar 3-2, while Ankolika defeated Naisha Rewaskar 3-0 in the girls’ final at SAMA Indoor Stadium

Hyderabad: Top seed Aditya Das of West Bengal survived a late scare before edging past unseeded Nilay Pattekar of Maharashtra 3-2 in a tense Under-15 Boys’ final, while second seed Ankolika Chakraborty, also from West Bengal, produced a commanding 3-0 win over top seed Naisha Rewaskar of Maharashtra in the girls’ title clash at the first UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the SAMA Indoor Stadium.

The finals in both sections lacked the fiery intensity seen in earlier age-group clashes, but Naisha’s defeat will linger, forcing her to regroup before the next outing.

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Aditya, consistent and businesslike through the main draw, seemed on course for a routine win after racing to a 2-0 lead. But Nilay, playing without the pressure of expectations, fought back brilliantly, snatching the next two games to take the match into a decider. The final game was a nail-biter — Nilay even held match point at deuce — but Aditya held his nerve, saving it and converting his second opportunity to seal the title.

Ankolika’s victory, by contrast, was a model of control and efficiency. Scheduled to fly from Ahmedabad to Jordan for a WTT event, she had her matches rescheduled with the cooperation of officials and opponents. Choosing to play rather than concede proved the right call.

With the Under-15 battles concluded, the tournament moves towards its finale tomorrow, with four title clashes in the U-13 and U-11 Boys’ and Girls’ categories set to bring the curtains down.

Results:

U-15 Youth Boys singles:
Final: Aditya Das (WB) bt Nilay Pattekar (Mah) 11-5, 11-9, 9-11, 7-11, 13-11.
Semifinals: Aditya bt Vivaan Dave (Guj) 11-8, 11-9, 11-7; Nilay bt Himon Mondal (WB) 8-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-6, 11-9.

U-15 Youth Girls singles:
Final: Ankolika Chakraborty (WB) bt Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) 11-6, 11-9, 11-5.
Semifinals: Naisha bt Sreejani Chakraborti (WB) 12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-3; Ankolika bt Aadya Baheti (Mah) 11-2, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7.