Published: August 19, 2026 at 5:56 pm
Kritika Saibo of West Bengal overcame Haryana’s Phalgun Gupta as 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.
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 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.
Arunim survives a thriller as Under-13 quarterfinals produce intense battles
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 Under-11 Boys and Under-13 Girls categories delivering the most drama.
In the Under-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. The other semifinal was more straightforward, with Rajvardhan defeating West Bengal’s Arjun Sen 11-2, 11-8, 11-2.
The Under-11 Girls semifinals were relatively one-sided. Kritika defeated West Bengal’s Varenya Sarkar 3-0, and Phalgun overcame Punjab’s Inaaya 3-0. Inaaya, who had already impressed in earlier rounds, pushed Phalgun hard in the second game, which went to 12-10. Still, Phalgun held firm to complete the victory in straight games.
The Under-13 Boys also saw a competitive semifinal, as Ariv defeated West Bengal’s Rajdeep Biswas 3-1 in four games. Rajdeep fought back after dropping the first two games and forced a fourth game, but Ariv held his nerve in the decisive stages to close out the match 12-10. In the other semifinal, Gem beat Delhi’s Arunim Agarwal 3-0 in a closely contested match, with none of the games decided by a comfortable margin.
The Under-13 Girls produced the day’s other major five-game thriller. Ishani edged Assam’s Divija Paul 3-1 in a match featuring several tight games. Ishani took the opening game 13-11, but her state-mate immediately responded to level the contest. Ishani then regained the lead and eventually secured the fourth game with a lot of spare, booking her place in the final.
The second semifinal was even more dramatic, as Khyati overcame Maharashtra’s Mahika Susvirkar 3-2. Mahika took a tense opening game 14-12, but Khyati responded emphatically in the second. Mahika regained the advantage in the third, but Khyati mounted another fightback, saving momentum with a 13-11 fourth game and then controlling the deciding game 11-8.
Results: Youth Boys Under-11 (final): Debanshu Chakraborty (WB) beat Rajvardhan Tiwari (Mah) 7-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-4. Semifinals: Rajvardhan beat Arjun Sen (WB) 11-2, 11-8, 11-2; Debanshu beat Granth Duklan (Har) 8-11, 1-8, 11-13, 11-2, 12-10.
Youth Girls Under-11 (final): Kritika Saibo (WB) beat Phalgun Gupta (Har) 9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9. Semifinals: Kritika beat Varenya Sarkar (WB) 11-8, 11-6, 11-4; Phalgun beat Inaaya (Pun) 11-3, 12-10, 11-8.
Youth Boys Under-13 (final): Ariv Dutta (WB) beat Gem Mahalanabish (WB) 11-6, 7-11, 11-4, 11-9. Semifinals: Ariv beat Rajdeep Biswas (WB) 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10; Gem beat Arunim Agarwal (Del0 11-9, 11-7, 11-9.
Youth Girls Under-13 (final): Ishani Gogoi (Asm) beat Khyati Pande (Del) 13-11, 11-7, 12-10. Semifinals: Ishani beat Divija Paul (Asm) 13-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8; Khyati beat Mahika Susvirkar (Mah) 12-14, 11-3, 4-11, 13-11, 11-8.
