West Bengal upset Tamil Nadu to win U19 table tennis title

West Bengal defeated top-seeded Tamil Nadu 3-1 in the Under-19 girls’ team final at the UTT Inter-State National Table Tennis Championships, delivering a disciplined performance to secure the title after a closely contested match

Hyderabad: Second-seeded West Bengal produced a disciplined and well-rounded performance to upset top-seeded Tamil Nadu 3-1 in the Under-19 girls’ team final at the 87th UTT Inter-State Junior and Youth National Table Tennis Championships, underway at the Multipurpose Hall, Parade Ground.

Coming into the final with strong credentials, Tamil Nadu leaned heavily on former national champion M Hansini and the in-form Ananya Muralidharan, both of whom had been instrumental in their semi-final victory over Maharashtra. However, the duo could not recreate the same impact in the title clash. Ananya, however, managed a notable win over Syndrela Das, keeping Tamil Nadu in the contest. But the overall team effort lacked consistency at crucial moments.

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West Bengal, on the other hand, displayed composure and depth across the lineup. Avisha Karmakar set the tone by overcoming Hansini in a hard-fought opening rubber, before Ananya restored parity for Tamil Nadu. The momentum, however, swung decisively in West Bengal’s favour thereafter, as Ditsa Roy edged past Shriya Anand in a tense four-game battle to hand her side a 2-1 lead.

With the tie delicately poised, Tamil Nadu once again turned to Hansini to keep their hopes alive. But the experienced paddler struggled to find her rhythm under pressure. Syndrela, sensing the opportunity, raised her level at the right time and delivered a commanding straight-games victory to seal the tie and the championship for West Bengal.