Tamil Nadu’s (TN) veterans stamped their authority on the team championships at the 32nd National Masters Table Tennis Championships at the Balewadi Indoor Stadium in Pune on Saturday, securing both the men’s 40+ and 45+ titles.
Tamil Nadu’s A team clinched a hard-fought 3-2 win over Gujarat in the 40+ final, with G Vinodh starring with two victories and Sujit K Muthukrishnan holding his nerve in the deciding rubber. The 45+ team was equally impressive, defeating RBI 3-1 behind R Rajesh’s two wins and a crucial contribution from J Jaikumar.
In the men’s 50+ final, Gujarat A edged Maharashtra A 3-2 in another tight contest, recovering from setbacks through Malay Kumar Thakkar’s brace and a decisive win from Mihir Vyas. Meanwhile, Delhi wrapped up the men’s 55+ title with a solid 3-1 victory over Maharashtra A.
The finals across categories showcased a blend of experience and resilience, with multiple ties going down to the wire, underlining the competitive depth in the veterans’ circuit.
Earlier, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu A moved into the men’s 40+ final with contrasting semifinal wins. Gujarat dominated Uttar Pradesh 3–0, all victories coming in straight games. Tamil Nadu A, however, edged Delhi B 3–2 in a tight contest, with Sujit Kumar clinching the decider after earlier setbacks in a see-saw tie.
RBI down Delhi A to reach 45+ final
In the men’s 45+ category, RBI and Tamil Nadu both registered 3–1 wins to reach the final. RBI defeated Delhi A with strong performances from Sudhir, Dheeraj, and Mohammad Ali, while Tamil Nadu overcame IA&AD. Despite an early loss, Rajesh and Praveen turned the tide around.
Gujarat A and Maharashtra A moved into the men’s 50+ final. Gujarat A secured a comfortable 3–0 win over Tamil Nadu A, highlighted by Mihir’s comeback victory. Malay Kumar and Hiral then wrapped up the tie for Gujarat with steady performances. Maharashtra A, in contrast, fought back from behind to defeat IA&AD 3–2, with Anant sealing the win in a tense decider.
In the men’s 55+ semifinals, Delhi and Maharashtra A advanced after closely contested ties. Delhi rallied to beat Madhya Pradesh 3–2, with Harsh and Anil playing key roles, while Maharashtra A defeated Karnataka A 3–1, led by crucial wins from Ravindra, Bhushan, and Prasad.
Results (Team):
Men 40+ (final): Tamil Nadu A beat Gujarat 3-2 (G. Vinodh beat Viral Patel 11-6, 11-8, 11-7, Sujit K. Muthukrishnan lost to Pathik Mehta 11-9, 11-7, 5-11, 9-11, 5-11, Sharath Sankar lost to Tushar Shah 6-11, 8-11, 9-11, Vinodh beat Pathik 11-7, 11-13, 11-5, 11-5, Sujit beat Viral 11-9, 5-11, 12-14, 11-8, 15-13). Semifinals: Gujarat beat Uttar Pradesh 3-0 (Viraj beat Anil Sen 11-7, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5, Pathik beat Saurabh Poddar 11-8, 11-9, 11-7, Tushar beat Rohit Saxena 11-7, 11-5, 11-5); Tamil Nadu A beat Delhi B 3-2 (Sujit Kumar lost to Evgeni Saposnikov 3-11, 5-11, 7-11, G. Vinodh beat Gaurav Kumar 11-3, 11-9, 11-4, Sharath beat Avinash Chauhan 11-7, 11-9, 11-8, Vinodh los to Evgeni 8-11, 11-5, 6-11, 9-11, Sujit beat Gaurav 8-11, 14-12, 11-8, 11-6).
Men 45+ (final): Tamil Nadu beat RBI 3-1 (R. Rajesh beat Sudhir Kesarwani 11-6, 11-4, 11-6, Praveen Raj lost to Mohammed Ali Baba 4-11, 6-11, 11-9, 8-11, J. Jaikumar beat Dheeraj K. Arora 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, Rajesh beat Ali 9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9). Semifinals: RBI beat Delhi A 3-1 (Sudhir beat Rupam Majumder 11-7, 11-6, 11-7, Mohammad Ali lost to Manuraj Jain 6-11, 8-11, 11-5, 5-11, Dheeraj beat Manohar Bisht 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 9-11, 11-7, Ali beat Rupam 10-12, 11-2, 14-12, 11-6); Tamil Nadu beat IA&AD 3-1 (Jaikumar lost to Abu Rizwan 9-11, 4-11, 4-11, Rajesh beat Kasturi Srivatsa Chakravarthy 11-4, 4-11, 11-9, 11-6, Praveen beat Amit Kumar Srivastava 11-8, 4-11, 12-10, 11-4, Rajesh beat Abu 12-10, 11-2, 8-11, 3-11, 12-10).
Men 50+ (final): Gujarat A beat Maharashtra A 3-2 (Mihir Vyas lost to Manish Rawat 4-11, 8-11, 11-3, 5-11, Malay Kumar Thakkar beat Anant Kulkarni 11-6, 10-12, 11-6, 11-6, Hiral Mehta lost to Sharad Grover 11-6, 14-12, 6-11, 6-11, 8-11, Malay beat Manish Rawaat 11-9, 11-9, 13-11, Mihir beat Anant 12-10, 11-5, 11-2). Semifinals: Gujarat A beat Tamil Nadu A 3-0 (Mihir beat J. Rajkumar 6-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8, Malay Kumar beat S. Suresh 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-6, Hiral beat V. Saravanan 11-3, 11-7, 9-11, 11-3); Maharashtra A beat IA&AD 3-2 (Manish beat Gaurav Doshi 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, Anant lost to Santanu Banerjee 4-11, 11-9, 11-13, 3-11, Nachiket lost to Joginder Singh Bisht 9-11, 11-1, 7-11, 11-8, 2-11, Manish beat Santanu 11-2, 11-7, 11-6, Anant beat Gaurav 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9).
Men 55+ (final): Delhi beat Maharashtra A 3-1 (Anil Joshi lost to Ravindra Joshi 11-7, 3-11, 6-11, 6-11, Harsh Chopra beat Prasad Naik 11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, Raj Khurana beat Bhushan Nevgi 15-13, 11-9, 11-8, Harsh beat Ravindra 11-7, 12-10, 11-6). Semifinals: Delhi beat Madhya Pradesh 3-2 (Harsh beat Prabhakar Rao 5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9, Anil lost to Kishore Motwani 4-11, 8-11, 11-8, 6-11, Raj lost to Jitender Taori 4-11, 5-11, 11-5, 2-11, Harsh beat Kishore 11-9, 11-5, 8-11, 11-5, Anil beat Prabhakar 11-9, 11-8, 11-6); Maharashtra A beat Karnataka A 3-1 (Ravindra beat Sundeep Shyam 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, Prasad lost to Arun Cyril 2-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, Bhushan beat Ravi Miskin 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-9, Prasad beat Sundeep 11-9, 14-16, 11-8, 11-7).
