Published: March 26, 2026 at 7:56 pm
Vivaan Dave capped a memorable campaign by completing a fine double, adding the Under-15 boys’ singles crown to the team title he had helped Gujarat secure earlier in the championships at UTT 87th Inter-State Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships at the M P Mittra Indoor Stadium in the Haresh Sangtani Sports Complex in Gandhidham on Thursday.
In a gripping final, Vivaan staged a strong comeback to overcome Haryana’s Vatsal Duklan 3-2. After falling two games behind, the Gujarat paddler showed remarkable composure under pressure, edging a tense third game before carrying the momentum through two closely fought deciders, which also went to deuce.
Gujarat win nerve-shredding finale against Maharashtra for maiden U-15 boys’ crown
The semifinals offered contrasting narratives. Vivaan was clinical against Tamil Nadu’s Akash Rajavelu, sealing a straight-games win 3-0 with controlled aggression and consistency. In the other semifinal, Vatsal battled through a five-game thriller against Maharashtra’s Nilay Pattekar, holding his nerve in the decider to win 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9.
Earlier in the quarterfinals, Akash had beaten Aditya Das of West Bengal 3-1, while Vivaan survived a tough five-game test against J N Sanjey Arwindh. Nilay and Vatsal also came through hard-fought encounters to complete the semifinal lineup.
Akshay and Akash win doubles title
In the doubles, Tamil Nadu’s K Akshay Bhushan and Akash Rajavelu claimed the title after a hard-earned 12-10, 6-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-5 victory over West Bengal’s Aditya Das and Rishaan Chattopadhyay, recovering strongly after trailing midway through the contest.
Ariv wins Under-13 boys’ singles title
Ariv Dutta of West Bengal lifted the Under-13 boys’ singles title with a straight-games (3-0) win over Tamil Nadu’s M. Ashvajith. Except for the third game in the final, where Ashvajith showed a semblance of resistance, the Tamil Nadu paddler was largely outplayed, particularly after dropping the first two games tamely.
In contrast, Ashvajith had been in complete control during the semifinals, dispatching Punjab’s Trijal Vohra in three games with aggressive, one-sided play. The other semifinal proved far more dramatic, as Ariv battled past Karnataka’s M. Siddhanth in a hard-fought five-game contest, displaying remarkable resilience after being pushed to the limit. Ariv won alternate games and had to fight hard to clinch two deuce games, which ultimately gave him the edge before he wrapped up the match.
Gem Mahalanabish and Ariv Dutta of West Bengal secured the doubles crown with a straight-games (3-0) victory over Punjab’s Trijal Vohra and Satvik Sharma. The West Bengal pair, however, maintained control throughout, although the third game witnessed a tighter contest before they closed it out.
Rajdeep Biswas of West Bengal dominated the final, defeating Maharashtra’s Rajvardhan Tiwari 12-10, 11-4, 11-6. The opening game saw Rajdeep stretched, but he came back strongly to overcome the Maharashtra paddler, as the match eventually turned into a one-sided affair.
In the semifinals, Rajdeep delivered a commanding straight-games win over Arjun Sen, and Rajvardhan matched that intensity with an equally convincing 3-0 victory against Debanshu Chakraborty, setting up the final clash.
Results: U-15 Youth Boys singles (final): Vivaan Dave (Guj) beat Vatsal Duklan (Har) 6-11, 7-11, 13-11, 11-8, 14-12. Semifinals: Vivaan beat Akash Rajavelu (TN) 11-7, 11-8, 12-10; Vatsal beat Nilay Pattekar (Mah) 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9. Quarterfinals: Akash beat Aditya Das (WB) 3-1; Vivaan beat J.N. Sanjey Arwindh (TN) 3-2; Nilay beat Aarav Acharya (Raj) 3-2; Vatsal beat Himon Mondal (WB) 3-1.
Doubles (final): K Akshay Bhushan/Akash Rajavelu (TN) beat Aaditya Das/Rishaan Chattopadhyay (WB) 12-10, 6-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-5.
U-13 Youth Boys singles (final): Ariv Dutta (WB) beat M Ashvjith (TN) 11-4, 11-4, 11-9. Semifinals: Aashvajith beat Trijal Vohra (Pun) 11-9, 11-4, 11-6; Ariv beat M. Siddhanth (Kar) 7-11, 15-13, 8-11, 13-11, 11-6. Quarterfinals: Trijal beat Raghav Mahajan (Mah) 3-2; Ashwajith beat Gem Mahalanabish (WB) 3-0; Ariv beat Dev Bhatt (Guj) 3-2; Siddhanth beat Rajdeep Biswas (WB) 3-2.
Doubles (final): Gem Mahalanabish/Ariv Dutta (WB) beat Trijal Vohra/Satvik Sharma (Pun) 11-8, 11-5, 15-13.
U-11 Youth Boys singles (final): Rajdeep Biswas (WB) beat Rajvardhan Tiwari (Mah) 12-10, 11-4, 11-6. Semifinals: Rajdeep beat Arjun Sen (WB) 3-0; Rajvardhan beat Debanshu Chakraborty (WB) 3-0. Quarterfinals: Rajdeep beat Vaibhav Jeenepalli (AP) 3-0; Arjun beat Yuvaan Walia Singh (Mah_ 3-1; Rajvardhan beat Hridan Biswas (WB) 3-0; Debanshu beat Satvik Sharma (Pun) 3-1.
