A ‘Syndrela’ finish for Das, who bags two titles; Payas rallies past Manav to win men’s title

Delhi’s Payas Jain and West Bengal’s Syndrela Das emerging as champions after two absorbing finals as the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Sportz Hub in Kanpur on Sunday concluded its singles competition in style. Payas rallied to defeat PSPB’s Manav Thakkar 4-1, while Syndrela overcame Maharashtra’s Divyanshi Bhowmick 4-2 in a closely fought contest.

The men’s singles final was arguably the championship’s best match, with third-seeded Payas and second-seeded Manav trading momentum in a contest marked by powerful rallies and dramatic swings. Payas took the opening game 11-3, but Manav responded to level the match and then edged ahead after a tense third game. Payas raised his level in the fourth to force a decider and held his nerve to close out the fifth and win the title.

Payas had earlier survived a five-game semifinal against RSPB’s Jeet Chandra, winning 4-1. Manav was similarly tested by Haryana’s Ankur Bhattacharjee before prevailing by a similar margin.

Payas Jain rallied to defeat PSPB’s Manav Thakkar 4-1 in the men’s singles final of the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Sportz Hub in Kanpur on Sunday. Pics: UTT Butterfly

The women’s singles final was equally competitive. Divyanshi won the opening game 11-9, but Syndrela responded with two straight games to take the lead. Divyanshi leveled at 2-2 with an 11-5 win in the fourth game, only for Syndrela to regain control and take the fifth 11-7. She then held her nerve in a tight sixth game, winning 11-9 to clinch the title 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9.

Syndrela’s semifinal was another highlight, as she edged PSPB’s Swastika Ghosh 4-3 in a seven-game thriller. Trailing 4-7 in the decider, Syndrela delivered a composed finish to win 11-9.

The championships also underscored the growing challenge from the younger generation, as several established names fell before the finals. Top seeds Manush Shah and Yashaswini Ghorpade were among those eliminated in the singles semifinals, while qualifier Sreeja Akula advanced only to the pre-quarterfinals.

Priyanuj and Syndrela win U-19 titles

The Under-19 boys’ singles final delivered another gripping seven-game battle, with RSPB’s Priyanuj Bhattacharrya edging Tamil Nadu’s P.B. Abhinand 4-3. Abhinand started strongly, but Priyanuj won the next two games before Abhinand fought back to level. Abhinand then took a marathon fifth game 23-21, but Priyanuj showed greater composure in the closing stages, winning the sixth and sealing the decider 11-7.

Priyanuj had earlier beaten West Bengal’s Punit Biswas 3-0 in the semifinals, while Abhinand defeated West Bengal’s Soham Mukherjee by the same margin.

RSPB’s Priyanuj Bhattacharrya edged Tamil Nadu’s PB Abhinand 4-3 to win the Youth boys’ title

The Under-19 girls’ singles final was more straightforward, with Syndrela defeating Tamil Nadu’s Ananya Muralidharan 4-1. After Ananya leveled the contest by taking the second game, Syndrela tightened her grip and finished strongly to claim the gold.

Syndrela overcame Maharashtra’s Naisha Rewaskar 3-1 in the semifinals after dropping the opening game. Ananya also advanced with a 3-1 win over Maharashtra’s Divyanshi Bhowmick.

Results: Men’s singles (final): Payas Jain (Del) beat Manav Thakkar (PSPB) 11-3, 9-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-8. Semifinals: Payas beat Jeet Chandra (RSPB) 11-8, 11-5, 11-8, 1-11, 11-7; Manav beat Ankur Bhattacharjee (Har) 12-10, 13-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8.

Women’s singles (final): Syndrela Das (WB) beat Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9. Semifinals: Divyanshi beat Yashaswini Ghorpade (PSPB) 11-4, 11-6, 11-4, 9-11, 11-2; Syndrela beat Swastika Ghosh (PSPB) 11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9.

Youth boys U-19 singles (final): Priyanuj Bhattacharrya (RSPB) beat P.B. Abhinand (TN) 9-11, 11-5, 11-3, 8-11, 21-23, 11-4, 11-7. Semifinals: Priyanuj beat Punit Biswas (WB) 11-7, 11-5, 11-3; Abhinand beat Soham Mukherjee (WB) 12-10, 12-10, 11-9.

Youth girls U-19 singles (final): Syndrela Das (WB) beat Ananya Muralidharan (TN) 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 11-4. Semifinals: Syndrela beat Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7; Ananya beat Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) 11-5, 2-11, 11-7, 11-7.