Published: December 28, 2025 at 12:40 pm
Telangana’s Mohammed Ali showed composure at crunch moments to edge Raj Mondal, sealing the match with a narrow 14–12 fourth game. Ali won 11-6, 4-11, 11-6, 14-12 in the Round of 32 at the 52nd Institutional Table Tennis Championship at Aabhay Prashal in Indore on Sunday.
In the women’s singles, Nikhat Banu of Reserve Bank of India fell to Divyanshi Bhowmick. The Maharashtra paddler won 11-13, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9. Nikhat won the first game 13-11 but thereafter it was Divyanshi who dictated the terms.
The matches proved to be a demanding examination of depth and discipline, as Day 5 delivered a mix of authority and attrition across the tables.
PSPB’s strong bench was evident early, with Manav Thakkar setting the tone through a brisk straight-game win over P B Abhinand of Tamil Nadu, even as Sanil Shetty absorbed resistance from Yashansh Malik of AAI before closing out in four.
Seeds Payas Jain and Jash Modi were both pushed hard, each surviving tough encounters that swung sharply in momentum before decisive surges. Harmeet Desai, however, was clinical, navigating past K J Aakash in three tightly contested games.
The round also featured several gritty battles. Ronit Bhanja outlasted teammate Anirban Ghosh in a tense five-gamer. Kushal Chopda and Jeet Chandra similarly held their nerve in extended duels, underlining the fine margins at this stage.
Telangana paddler Mohammed Ali defeated Raj Mondal 11-6, 4-11, 11-6, 14-12 in the Round of 32 at the 52nd Institutional TT Championship at Aabhay Prashal in Indore on Sunday
Luckily, there was little room for complacency. Raegan Albuquerque, Sudhanshu Grover, SFR Snehit, and Divyansh Srivastava all progressed with controlled performances, keeping rallies short with constant pressure. Ankur Bhattacharjee and Manush Shah mixed aggression with patience to negotiate four-game wins, while H Jeho and Snehit ensured IA&AD maintained a solid presence in the last 16.
The women’s singles draw was jolted by a major early upset as top seed Diya Chitale of the RBI was sent packing by an unseeded Prithoki Chakraborty of FCI in a bruising four-game battle. Prithoki stood tall when it mattered most, grinding her way through two nerve-shredding deuce games, the second stretching endlessly, before closing out a memorable 13-11, 20-18, 2-11, 11-8 win. Diya, with muscle strain, put up a good fight, but it was of no avail, and the pain was showing on the RBI woman’s face.
Second seed Yashaswini Ghorpade of PSPB was forced to dig deep to avoid a similar fate. Kavyashree Baskar of Tamil Nadu dictated terms for long stretches and repeatedly put Yashaswini under the pump, leading in all of the opening four deuce games. But her inability to convert crucial game points swung the contest. The PSPB woman seized the reprieve, clawing her way back point by point to escape with a dramatic five-game victory, 10-12, 13-15, 15-13, 12-10, 11-9.
Several other encounters also went down to the wire, underlining the intensity of the round. Anjali Rohilla (IA&AD) outlasted ninth seed Reeth Rishya (PSPB) in a see-saw five-gamer, and Yashini Sivasankar, also IA&AD, rebounded strongly after trading blows with Nithyashree Mani of Tamil Nadu to power through in the decider.
Elsewhere, there were no further shocks at the top, though a handful of lower seeds bowed out after being stretched in hard-fought matches.
Overall, the Round of 32 reinforced the competitive density of the field. Straight-game victories were earned rather than gifted, and those advancing into the Round of 16 did so after navigating sustained resistance—setting up a sharper, more unforgiving phase of the championship.
Results (Round of 32): Men’s singles: Manav Thakakr (PSPB) bt P.B. Abhinand (TN) 11-1, 11-6, 11-8; Sanil Shetty (PSPB) bt Yashansh Malik (AAI) 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6; Raegan Albuquerque (CB) bt Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (asm) 11-7, 11-5, 11-9; Ronit Bhanja (RSPB) bt Anirban Ghosh (RSPB) 6-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8; Mohammed Ali (Telg) bt Raj Mondal (RBI) 11-6, 4-11, 11-6, 14-12; Sudhanshu Grover (Del) bt Wesley Do Rosario (FCI) 11-3, 11-7, 11-5; SFR Snehit (IA&AD) bt Abhishek Yadav (UP) 11-9, 11-6, 11-2; Ankur Bhattacharjee (WB) bt Sagar Kasture (Mah) 11-3, 13-11, 8-11, 11-8; Payas Jain (PSPB) bt Abhimanyu Mitra (IA&AD) 6-11, 15-13, 11-5, 11-5; Harmeet Desai (PSPB) bt K.J. Aakash (CB) 11-7, 12-10, 11-8; Jash Modi (PSPB) bt Sarth Mishra (UP) 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 5-11, 11-2; Kushal Chopda (Mah) bt Jayabrata Bhattacharjee (RSPB) 11-7, 11-9, 7-11, 14-12; Divyansh Srivastava (PSPB) bt Aniket Sen Choudhury (WB) 11-9, 11-5, 11-6; Jeet Chandra (RSPB) bt Mehan Senthil Kumar 9TN) 12-10, 13-15, 11-8, 11-5; H. Jeho (IA&AD) bt Vansh Singhala (FCI) 11-5, 11-6, 11-9; Manush Shah bt Mudit Dani (Mah) 11-3, 9-11, 11-5, 11-3.
Women’s singles: Prithoki Chakraborty (FCI) bt Diya Chitale (RBI) 13-11, 20-18, 2-11, 11-8; Avani Tripathi (UP) bt Sayanika Maji (Del) 11-8, 5-11, 11-8, 11-5; Anjali Rohilla (IA&AD) bt Reeth Rishya (PSPB) 11-3, 7-11, 11-9, 4-11, 12-10; Syndrela Das (WB) bt Sampada Bhiwandkar (RSPB) 11-7, 11-89, 11-6; Anusha Kutumbale (RSPB) bt Mouma Das (PSPB) 11-7, 11-6, 11-8; Yashini Sivasankar (IA&AD) bt Nithyashree Mani (TN) 7-11, 11-5, 11-8, 8-11, 11-2; Kavya Bhatt (Mah) bt Neha Kumari (Ods) 11-4, 12-10, 11-4; Swastika Ghosh (PSPB) bt Vanshika Mudgal (FCI) 12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 11-4; Sutirtha Mukherjee (RSPB) bt Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) 11-8, 12-10, 11-8; Suhana Saini (Har) bt Seelena Deepthi (TN) 11-9, 11-9, 11-3; Aananya Chande (Mah) bt Munmun Kundu (WB) 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6; Taneesha Kotecha (PSPB) bt Trisha Gogoi (Asm) 10-12, 11-9, 11-7, 11-4; Madhurika Patkar (PSPB) bt Poymantee Baisya (RSPB) 11-8, 14-12, 9-11, 11-5; Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) bt Nikhat Banu (RBI) 11-13, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9; Sayali Wani (PSPB) bt Prapti Sen (RSPB) 15-13, 11-5, 11-5; Yashaswini Ghorpade (PSPB) bt Kavyashree Baskar (TN) 10-12, 13-15, 15-13, 12-10, 11-9.
