Telangana’s Adhira Chetan went down fighting even as Maharashtra’s Rajvardhan Tiwari and West Bengal’s Debanshu Chakraborty remained on course for the Under-11 Boys’ singles title, while the Girls’ section delivered a series of absorbing battles as the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships entered the semi-final stage at the Sportz Hub in Kanpur on Monday.
Rajvardhan, the second-ranked player in the current national Under-11 rankings and the top seed, had little trouble after a tight opening game against Tamil Nadu’s Muhammad Rehan, winning 14-12, 11-2, 11-3. Debanshu, another highly ranked player, was equally clinical, beating Gujarat’s Rehansh Singhvi 11-7, 11-8, 11-7.
The most exciting contest in the boys’ quarterfinals saw West Bengal’s Arjun Sen edge Maharashtra’s Naksh Mahajan 11-4, 8-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6. After exchanging games and being repeatedly pushed to the limit, Arjun held his nerve in the decider to book his place in the last four.
Haryana’s Granth Duklan also survived a tense five-game encounter, defeating West Bengal’s Mayukh Sarkar 11-8, 8-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9. Mayukh, who had shown considerable fighting spirit after falling behind, failed to convert the momentum into a final-game advantage as Granth held firm in the closing stages.
The girls’ singles quarterfinals were even more dramatic. West Bengal’s Varenya Sarkar recovered from losing the opening game to Maharashtra’s Dhadkkan Tanna, then prevailed 5-11, 11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8. Varenya had to withstand another late challenge after Tanna levelled the contest at 2-2, but the Bengal player produced the steadier finish.
Adhira loses to Kritika
Kritika Saibo of West Bengal also came from behind to defeat Telangana’s Chetan Adhira 10-12, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8. After losing the first two games, Kritika changed the complexion of the contest with a strong attacking response, preventing her opponent from regaining the initiative.
Shubham, Shiva Advik, Adhira, and Yashasree emerge champs in Under-11 & 13 categories
The biggest fightback of the day, however, came from Punjab’s Inaaya. The unseeded youngster looked close to elimination after losing the first two games to Delhi’s Aradhya Kashyap, both 10-12. But Inaaya completely turned the match around, taking the next three games 11-2, 11-4, 11-7 to complete a remarkable 3-2 comeback. Her resilience after being two games down made her one of the standout performers of the round.
Haryana’s Phalgun Gupta had the most straightforward run in the girls’ section, defeating compatriot Mahi Kumari 11-7, 11-9, 11-5.
With the top-seeded Under-11 Girls already eliminated before the semifinals, the title race has opened up considerably. The remaining field now comprises Varenya Sarkar, Kritika Saibo, Inaaya and Phalgun Gupta, while Rajvardhan Tiwari, Arjun Sen, Granth Duklan and Debanshu Chakraborty will contest the boys’ semifinals.
Meanwhile, the Under-13 Boys and Girls qualification phase has also concluded, with the successful qualifiers advancing to the main draw. The Under-13 competition will add another layer of action to the championship as the younger age groups continue to share the spotlight.
Results: Youth Boys Under-11 (quarterfinals): Rajvardhan Tiwari (Mah) beat Muhammad Rehan (TN) 14-12, 11-2,11-3; Arjun Sen (WB) beat Naksh Mahajan (Mah) 11-4, 8-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6; Granth Duklan (Har) beat Mayukh Sarkar (WB) 11-8, 8-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9; Debanshu Chakraborty (WB0 beat Rehansh Singhvi (Guj) 11-7, 11-8, 11-7.
Youth Girls Under-11 (quarterfinals): Varenya Sarkar (WB) beat Dhadkkan Tanna (Mah) 5-11, 11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8; Kritika Saibo (WB) beat Chetan Adhira (Telg) 10-12, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8; Inaaya (Pun) beat Aradhya Kashyap (Del) 10-12, 10-12, 11-2, 11-4, 11-7; Phalgun Gupta (Har) beat Mahi Kumari (Har) 11-7, 11-9, 11-5.
