Four UTT National Ranking TT titles decided in Kanpur

Young Indian table tennis players produced four competitive finals at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships in Kanpur. Kritika Saibo, Debanshu Chakraborty, Ariv Dutta and Ishani Gogoi emerged champions in their respective Under-11 and Under-13 categories

Hyderabad: The next generation of Indian table tennis produced four contrasting finals at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Sportz Hub in Kanpur on Wednesday.

The Under-11 Girls final was the closest contest of the day, and all four age-group champions displayed the competitive edge that could shape the future of Indian table tennis.

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In the Youth Girls Under-11 final, Kritika Saibo of West Bengal overcame a stirring challenge from Haryana’s Phalgun Gupta, winning 3-2 in a seesaw battle. Gupta twice took the lead, but Kritika held her nerve in the deciding stages, winning the fourth and fifth games to claim a hard-earned title and lift the glittering trophy.

The Under-11 Boys final was another test of recovery and composure. West Bengal’s Debanshu Chakraborty lost the opening game 7-11 to Maharashtra’s Rajvardhan Tiwari and was pushed to 10-10 in the second before turning the match around. Debanshu then won the next three games to complete a 3-1 victory.

In the Youth Boys Under-13 final, West Bengal’s Ariv Dutta defeated compatriot Gem Mahalanabish 3-1. Gem fought back to level the match, but Ariv regained control in the third game and closed out the final in four games.

The Girls’ final saw Assam’s Ishani Gogoi maintain control against Delhi’s Khyati Pande, winning 13-11, 11-7, 12-10—she was down 2-8 before closing out the third game. Although the final was decided in straight games, the opening and closing games were closely fought, with Ishani showing composure to edge both at critical moments.

The semifinals of both events featured several closely fought matches, with the U-11 Boys and U-13 Girls categories delivering the most drama.

In the U-11 Boys, Debanshu survived a thrilling five-game battle against Haryana’s Granth Duklan, winning 3-2. The Haryana boy appeared to have the match under control after taking a 2-1 lead, but Debanshu mounted a strong comeback to level the match and edge the tense deciding game 12-10.

Results:

Youth Boys Under-11: Final: Debanshu Chakraborty (WB) bt Rajvardhan Tiwari (Mah) 7-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-4.

Semifinals: Rajvardhan bt Arjun Sen (WB) 11-2, 11-8, 11-2; Debanshu bt Granth Duklan (Har) 8-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-2, 12-10.

Youth Girls Under-11: Final: Kritika Saibo (WB) bt Phalgun Gupta (Har) 9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9.

Semifinals: Kritika bt Varenya Sarkar (WB) 11-8, 11-6, 11-4; Phalgun bt Inaaya (Pun) 11-3, 12-10, 11-8.

Youth Boys Under-13: Final: Ariv Dutta (WB) bt Gem Mahalanabish (WB) 11-6, 7-11, 11-4, 11-9.

Semifinals: Ariv bt Rajdeep Biswas (WB) 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10; Gem bt Arunim Agarwal (Del) 11-9, 11-7, 11-9.

Youth Girls Under-13: Final: Ishani Gogoi (Asm) bt Khyati Pande (Del) 13-11, 11-7, 12-10.

Semifinals: Ishani bt Divija Paul (Asm) 13-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8; Khyati bt Mahika Susvirkar (Mah) 12-14, 11-3, 4-11, 13-11, 11-8.