Vivaan Dave and Divyanshi Bhowmick won the Under-17 boys’ and girls’ singles title even as the Under-17 finals of the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Sportz Hub in Kanpur on Friday lived up to the occasion, producing the kind of sharp, compact rallies and fluctuating fortunes that make a final worth watching.
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Both title clashes had plenty of intensity, with the players relying on quick exchanges, smart placement and timely changes of pace rather than allowing the rallies to become prolonged physical battles.
In the Youth Boys final, Gujarat’s Vivaan Dave overcame Karnataka’s Atharva Nawarange 3-2 in a closely fought five-game contest. Nawarange made the better start, taking the opening game, but Dave quickly found his rhythm and edged two tight games to move ahead. The Karnataka paddler refused to surrender the initiative, levelling the match at 2-2 by taking the fourth game 11-9 and setting up a tense decider.
The final game, however, belonged to Dave. He kept the rallies short and purposeful, looked to take the ball early and gradually pulled away from Nawarange. The Gujarat player maintained his composure when the pressure was highest and closed out the deciding game 11-4 to claim the title after an absorbing battle.
Divyanshi defeats Ananya
The Youth Girls Under-17 final was shorter but no less competitive, with Maharashtra’s Divyanshi Bhowmick defeating Tamil Nadu’s Ananya Muralidharan 3-1.
Divyanshi established an early advantage with her brisk strokeplay and took the opening game, but Ananya responded intelligently, tightening the exchanges and taking the second to restore parity. The third game proved decisive, with both players trading quick points and refusing to give ground. The Maharashtra girl held her nerve in the closing stages to win it 12-10.
That narrow escape gave Divyanshi the momentum she needed. She dictated the pace more confidently in the fourth game, while Ananya struggled to match that consistency, allowing Divyanshi to wrap up the title 11-3.
The two finals provided an appropriate finale to the U-17 competition, combining smart shot-making, quick rallies and the pressure of deciding points, with both champions showing the composure needed to convert close matches into titles.
In the Boys semifinals, Vivaan overcame Tamil Nadu’s Vishruth Ramakrishnan 3-1 to reach the final. At the same time, Atharva fought back strongly after losing the opening game to Maharashtra’s Prateek Tulsani, winning by a similar margin. In both matches, Vivaan showed greater control in the crucial stages against Vishruth, and Atharva delivered a composed comeback against the Maharashtra player.
The Girls produced the most gripping semifinal of the section, as Ananya survived a marathon five-game battle against Maharashtra’s Naisha Rewaskar, 5-11, 16-14, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8. Naisha made the better start, taking the opening game, but Ananya levelled the contest in a tense second game that went beyond deuce. With neither player willing to concede ground, the match stayed finely balanced through the third and fourth games before Ananya held her nerve in the decider. In the other semifinal, Divyanshi defeated West Bengal’s Ankolika Chakraborty 3-0 after edging the opening game, then gradually taking control and closing out the match in straight games.
Vivaan, Vishruth, Atharva, and Prateek advanced to the semifinals after close quarterfinals. Vivaan had to work hard to get past Tamil Nadu’s M. Ashvajith, edging the opening game 14-12 and the second 11-9 before closing out the match 3-0. Vishruth also survived a tight start against West Bengal’s Koustab Chakraborty, taking the first two games 11-9, 11-9 before pulling away with an identical straight-games verdict. Atharva recovered after conceding the third game to Tamil Nadu’s Jishnu Balaji Venkatgiri, winning 3-1, while Prateek overcame Maharashtra’s Nilay Pattekar 3-1 after leading 2-0.
In the Youth Girls quarterfinals, Divyanshi, Ankolika, Naisha, and Ananya secured their spots in the semifinals. Before the Under-17 Girls semifinals, Divyanshi, Ankolika, Naisha, and Ananya booked their semifinal places. Divyanshi and Ankolika advanced in straight games against Aarya Redkar of PSPBA and Haryana’s Meher Garg, respectively, while West Bengal’s Shreya Dhar stretched Naisha before prevailing 3-1. The closest contest came between Ananya and Maharashtra’s Riana Bhoota, with Ananya surviving a four-game battle, 11-6, 13-11, 11-13, 11-9, after both players traded momentum throughout.
Meanwhile, the Men’s and Women’s singles main draw gets underway following the completion of their group matches, along with the U-19 Boys and Girls from Saturday.
Results: Youth Boys Under-17 (final): Vivaan Dave (Guj) beat Atharva Nawarange (Kar) 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-4. Semifinals: Vivaan beat Vishruth Ramakrishnan (TN) 11-7, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7; Atharva beat Prateek Tulsani (Mah) 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8. Quarterfinals: Vivaan beat M. Ashvajith (TN) 14-12, 11-9, 11-2; Vishruth beat Koustab Chakraborty (WB) 11-9, 11-9, 11-5; Atharva beat Jishnu Balaji Venkatgiri (TN) 11-3, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4; Prateek beat Nilay Pattekar (Mah) 11-9, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6.
Youth Girls Under-17 (final): Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) beat Ananya Muralidharan (TN) 11-6, 9-11, 12-10, 11-3. Semifinals: Divyanshi beat Ankolika Chakraborty (WB) 14-12, 11-8, 11-4; Ananya beat Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) 5-11, 16-14, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8. Quarterfinals: Divyanshi beat Aarya Redkar (PSPBA) 11-8, 11-4, 11-6; Ankolika beat Meher Garg (Har) 11-7, 11-5, 11-7; Naisha beat Shreya Dhar (WB) 11-7, 13-15, 11-2, 11-4; Ananya beat Riana Bhoota (Mah) 11-6, 13-11, 11-13, 11-9.
