Published: October 13, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Ankur Bhattacharjee capped an impressive campaign with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Maharashtra’s Raegan Albuquerque to clinch the men’s singles title at the second National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Hall in Panchkula on Tuesday.
The Haryana paddler prevailed, despite Raegan leading 2-1 initially, in a see-saw seven-game final to secure his first title of the season, having missed out at the Kanpur leg after losing to Manav Thakkar in the semifinals. The final witnessed strong rallies and precise placements from both players.
Diya holds her nerve against Syndrela
Diya Chitale of RBI held her nerve in one of the finest women’s singles finals, thwarting a spirited challenge from 17-year-old West Bengal paddler Syndrela Das, who displayed remarkable courage and perseverance to draw level at 3-3 before eventually going down 4-3.
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With her back to the wall, Syndrela recalibrated her tactics and raised her game, and turn the contest on its head. She was particularly impressive with her backhand and showed no hesitation in taking the initiative whenever opportunities arose, capitalising on Diya’s dip in form to stage a memorable comeback. However, Diya held on to her slender advantage in the decider to clinch the title in style.
Diya Chitale of RBI held her nerve in one of the finest women’s singles finals, thwarting a spirited challenge from 17-year-old West Bengal paddler Syndrela Das
In the semifinals, Ankur overcame Jeet Chandra of the Railway Sports Promotion Board 4-1. The opening game was closely fought, with Ankur edging it 13-11 before Jeet levelled the contest. Ankur then took control, winning the next two games to seal his place in the final.
Raegan produced a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Manav Thakkar, seeded second. After the players traded games, Raegan clinched the crucial fifth game 12-10 and carried the momentum into the sixth to complete the win.
In the women’s singles semifinals, Syndrela battled past Sutirtha Mukherjee of RSPB 4-3 in a seven-game thriller. After falling two games behind, Syndrela fought back to take the next three and move ahead. Sutirtha forced a decider by winning the sixth game, but Syndrela held her nerve in the final game to seal the contest.
Diya Chitale secured her place in the final with a 4-1 win over Swastika Ghosh of PSPB. The RBI woman made a strong start and, despite dropping the second game, maintained her advantage to close out the match in five games.
Priyanuj, Divyanshi win U-19 crowns
Priyanuj Bhattacharyya of the Railways Sports Promotion Board clinched the U-19 boys’ singles title with a straight-games victory over Tamil Nadu’s P.B. Abhinand in the final. Priyanuj showcased his composure and consistency to prevail 4-1, overcoming a determined challenge from Abhinand in a closely contested third game. Having established an early advantage with two successive game wins, Priyanuj held his nerve in the crucial moments to edge the third game before closing out the contest and securing the crown.
Maharashtra’s Divyanshi Bhowmick captured the U-19 girls’ singles title after defeating West Bengal’s Syndrela Das in straight games. Divyanshi produced a composed performance to register a 4-1 win, maintaining her advantage throughout the final despite Syndrela’s efforts to fight back. The Maharashtra paddler’s consistency proved decisive as she secured the first two games by identical margins before edging the next two to seal the title in four games. Both finalists displayed determination and competitive spirit, but Divyanshi’s ability to deliver at key points ensured she finished on top.
In the semifinals, Priyanuj defeated Punit Biswas of West Bengal 3-1, recovering from an opening-game loss. Abhinand also advanced with a 3-1 victory over Sarthak Arya of Odisha, after he built an early lead before holding off Sarthak’s comeback attempt in the fourth game.
Syndrela continued her impressive run in the girls’ event, defeating Ananya Muralidharan of Tamil Nadu 3-1. Divyanshi edged M. Hansini of Tamil Nadu 3-2 in the other semifinal in a tense five-game encounter. After surrendering a two-game advantage, Divyanshi recovered in the decider to clinch victory 13-11.
Earlier, in the men’s singles quarterfinals, Ankur beat top-seed Manush Shah 3-0, Jeet Chandra overcame Sanil Shetty 3-2, Raegan beat Payas Jain 3-2, and Manav Thakkar defeated Sourav Saha 3-1. In the women’s singles quarterfinals, Syndrela defeated Ananya Chande 3-1, Sutirtha beat Yashini Sivashankar 3-0, Diya overcame Divyanshi Bhowmick 3-0, and Swastika Ghosh edged Ananya Muralidharan 3-2.
Results: Men’s singles (final): Ankur Bhattacharjee (Har) beat Raegan Albuquerque (Mah) 11-8, 3-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-5. Semifinals: Ankur beat Jeet Chandra (RSPB) 13-11, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-6; Raegan beat Manav Thakkar (PSPB) 5-11, 11-5, 11-9, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8. Quarterfinals: Ankur beat Manush Shah (RBI) 3-0; Jeet beat Sanil Shetty (PSPB) 3-2; Raegan beat Payas Jain (del) 3-2; Manav beat Sourav Saha (PSPB) 3-1.
Women’s singles (final): Diya Chitale (RBI) beat Syndrela Das (WB) 11-6, 11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9. Semifinals: Syndrela beat Sutirtha Mukherjee (RSPB) 9-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4, 12-10, 9-11, 11-6; Diya beat Swastika Ghosh (PSPB) 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9. Quarterfinals: Syndrela beat Ananya Chande (Mah) 3-1; Sutirtha beat Yashini Sivashankar (TN) 3-0; Diya beat Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) 3-0; Swastika beat Ananya Muralidharan (TN) 3-2.
U-19 boys (final): Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (RSPB) beat P.B. Abhinand (TN) 11-6, 11-8, 13-11, 11-9. Semifinals: Priyanuj beat Punit Biswas (WB) 8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-7; Abhinand beat Sarthak Arya (Ods) 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10.
U-19 girls (final): Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) beat Syndrela Das (WB) 11-8, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9. Semifinals: Syndrela beat Ananya Muralidharan (TN) 11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7; Divyanshi beat M. Hansini (TN) 11-5, 13-11, 10-12, 6-11, 13-11.
