Prateek and Tanishka strike Under-15 gold in contrasting styles at UTT Natl Ranking TT

Maharashtra’s Prateek Tulsani produced a commanding display of authority to clinch the Under-15 Boys title at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Sportz Hub in Kanpur on Thursday, needing less than 25 minutes to get past West Bengal’s Rajdeep Biswas in straight games in the final.

Tulsani never allowed the left-handed Biswas to settle into the contest, controlling the exchanges from the outset and keeping the Bengal paddler under constant pressure. The Maharashtra youngster’s crisp attacking play and consistency ensured the final never became the prolonged battle the stage might have suggested. He wrapped up the contest in emphatic fashion to take the gold medal and lift the glittering championship trophy.

In contrast, the Under-11 Girls final was a far more absorbing contest, with Karnataka’s Tanishka Kalbhairav showing the composure and determination to defeat West Bengal’s resilient Saturya Banerjee 3-2.

 Karnataka’s Tanishka Kalbhairav showed composure and determination to defeat West Bengal’s resilient Saturya Banerjee 3-2. Pic: Deccan Herald

The Bengal girl appeared to have seized control after taking a 2-1 lead, but her Karnataka rival refused to surrender the initiative. At a crucial juncture, Tanishka ramped up her play, fought back to level the contest, and forced a deciding fifth game.

With momentum still favouring Saturya, Kalbhairav produced her best table tennis when it mattered most. She maintained her composure in the decider, shut out the Bengal challenge, and secured a hard-earned victory to claim the Under-11 Girls crown.

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Prateek and Rajdeep reached the Boys final after contrasting semifinals. Prateek delivered a composed performance against West Bengal’s Rishaan Chattopadhyay, winning 3-0, including a deuce game in the first. The other semifinal was a gripping five-game battle, with Rajdeep edging Punjab’s Trijal Vohra 3-2. Vohra fought back strongly after dropping the opening two deuce games, but Rajdeep held his nerve in a tense decider to clinch the match 13-11.

Prateek Tulsani never allowed West Bengal’s Rajdeep Biswas to settle into the contest

In the Girls’ semifinals, Tanishka advanced to the final with a straight-game victory over West Bengal’s Shariqa Shahid. However, the third game saw a spirited challenge before Tanishka closed it out. Saturya also booked her place in the title clash after overcoming Tamil Nadu’s B. Varnica 3-1. Their semifinal, particularly the opening and third games, which the TN girl should have won, was contested well. However, Saturya showed greater composure at the crucial points to emerge victorious in four games.

The Boys’ quarterfinals produced two closely fought encounters that went down to the wire. Rishan survived a see-saw battle against Goa’s Chandan Sinai Caro, winning 3-2. After twice taking the lead, Rishan was forced into a decider when Chandan levelled the match at 2-2, but the former held his nerve to close out the fifth game. Trijal also had to fight back from a two-game deficit against Haryana’s Krishiv Garg. He took the first two games, but Trijal responded emphatically, winning the next three to complete a stirring 3-2 comeback win. The other two quarterfinals were more straightforward, with Prateek overcoming Bengal’s Souswarya Banerjee 3-1, while Rajdeep beat another Bengal challenger, Ansuhman Roy, 3-0.

The Girls’ quarterfinals, in contrast, were largely one-sided, with Tanishka leading the way with a convincing 3-0 victory over Bengal’s Titash Chatterjee. Shariqa was equally assured against Sreosree Chakraborty, completing a straight-games triumph. Saturya defeated Divija Paul of Assam 3-0 to advance after overcoming a spirited challenge, while B. Varnica edged past PSPBA’s Aarya Redkar 3-1.

RESULTS:

Youth Boys Under-15 (final): Prateek Tulsani (Mah) beat Rajdeep Biswas (WB) 11-6, 11-9, 11-9. Semifinals: Prateek beat Rishaan Chattopadhyay (WB) 13-11, 11-8, 11-6; Rajdeep beat Trijal Vohra (Pun) 14-12, 13-11, 7-11, 6-11, 13-11. Quarterfinals: Rishan beat Chandan Sinai Caro (Goa) 11-3, 9-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-4; Prateek beat Souswarya Banerjee (WB) 5-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5; Trijal beat Krishiv Garg (Har) 7-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-5; Rajdeep beat Ansuhman Froy (WB) 11-7, 11-6, 11-3.

Youth Girls Under-15 (final): Tanishka Kalbhairav beat Saturya Banerjee (WB) 9-11, 13-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6. Semifinals: Tanishka beat Shariqa Shahid (WB) 11-5, 11-9, 13-11; Saturya beat B. Varnica (TN) 13-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8. Quarterfinals: Tanishka beat Titash Chatterjee (WB) 11-1, 11-7, 11-6; Shariqa beat Sreosree Chakraborty (WB) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7; Saturya beat Divija Paul (Asm) 11-3, 11-9, 8-11, 6-1, 11-4; B. Varnica beat Aarya Redkar (PSPBA) 13-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-2.