Traditional powerhouses West Bengal and Maharashtra put up dominant displays in the quarterfinals to reinforce their status as strong title contenders at the 87th UTT Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships, being held at the MP Mittra Indoor Stadium within the Haresh Sangtani Sports Complex in Gandhidham.
The tournament now moves into a crucial phase with the Under-15 girls’ team semifinals and final all set for Monday.
West Bengal registered a convincing 3-0 win over NCOE, highlighting both depth and composure. Ankolika Chakraborty and Sreejani Chakraborty showed great fighting spirit by recovering from difficult situations in their respective matches before combining effectively in the doubles to close out the tie. Their performance reflected a team capable of handling pressure and executing with clarity in decisive moments.
Telangana lose to NCEO
NCOE had accounted for Telangana 3-1 in the pre-quarterfinals
Maharashtra, too, produced an equally authoritative 3-0 triumph against Assam. Naisha Rewaskar’s dominant straight-games victory provided early momentum, while Myraa Sangelkar’s hard-earned comeback underlined the squad’s resilience. The doubles pair then held their nerve in close phases to complete a well-controlled outing, showcasing their methodical style.
Momentum with Gujarat, but focus on Bengal and Maharashtra in Under-15 girls’ team event
Karnataka’s 3-1 victory over Rajasthan was a hard-fought contest that highlighted the team’s resilience and ability to respond under pressure. After Raashi Rao narrowly lost the opening singles in a closely contested five-game battle, Karnataka regrouped through Tanishka Kalbhairav, who edged past Samridhi Vyas in another tight encounter. The doubles pairing of Raashi and Tanishka then delivered a crucial turnaround win in five games, shifting momentum firmly in Karnataka’s favour. Riding on that advantage, Tanishka produced a composed straight games win against Radhika Soni to seal the tie, underlining Karnataka’s fighting spirit and strong match temperament.
PSPBA, on the other hand, registered a clinical 3-0 win over Tamil Nadu, though the scoreline masked a fiercely competitive opening match. Pragnya set the tone with a hard-earned victory in a five-game thriller against B. Varnica, displaying nerves of steel in deuce situations. Aarya Redkar then provided stability with a commanding straight-games win, putting PSPBA firmly in control. The doubles pair of Pragnya and Shaanvi Sri capped off the tie with a composed performance, maintaining their edge in key moments to ensure a clean sweep.
The pre-quarterfinal stage of the Under-15 Girls team event unfolded with a series of commanding performances, as several traditional powerhouses asserted their dominance to book places in the last eight. West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, PSPBA, Karnataka, and Rajasthan all cruised to 3-0 wins, while NCOE, Assam, and Maharashtra advanced with 3-1 victories, the latter overcoming hosts Gujarat in one of the round’s more competitive ties.
Karnataka, Assam girls pull off thrillers, Gujarat and Telangana stay in the hunt
Gujarat, despite the loss, showed commendable fight. Charmy Trivedi pushed Naisa Rewaskar in the opener, while Daniya Godil tested Myraa Sangelkar in a closely fought second match. The hosts’ standout moment came in doubles, where Charmy and Dania combined effectively to claim a morale-boosting win, though Maharashtra sealed the tie with authority in the final singles.
Attention now shifts to the singles events, with the Under-11 and Under-13 girls’ main draws underway, signalling the start of the knockout phase.
Meanwhile, the Under-15 girls’ competition continues to gather momentum, thanks to promising, intense, and competitive action as the group-stage matches get underway.
Results (Team championship):
U-15 Youth Girls (quarterfinals): West Bengal beat NCOE 3-0 (Ankolika Chakraborty beat Subhomita Basak 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, Sreejani Chakraborty beat Moupia Das 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-4, Ankolika/Ahona Ray beat Preetika P. Aradhya Saha 11-5, 11-8, 11-7); PSPBA beat Tamil Nadu 3-0 (Pragnya beat B. Varnica 12-10, 4-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6, Aarya Redkar beat K. Ananya 11-8, 11-3, 11-3, Pragnya/Shaanvi Sri M beat Varnica/A. Bhavitha 13-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6); Karnataka beat Rajasthan 3-1 (Raashi Rao lost to Radhika Soni 8-11, 12-14, 11-9, 11-7, 6-11, Tanishka Kalbhairav beat Samridhi Vyas 11-6, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, Raashi/Tanishka beat Radhika/Samriddhi 8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, Tanishka beat Radhika 12-10, 11-4, 11-4); Maharashtra beat Assam 3-0 (Naisha Rewaskar beat Ishani Gogoi 11-8, 11-3, 11-2, Myraa Sangelkar beat Divija Paul 9-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-9, 11-7, Naisha/Sanvi Puranik beat Ishani/Divija 11-7, 11-6, 12-14, 9-11, 11-3).
Pre-quarterfinals: West Bengal beat Haryana 3-0; NCOE beat Telangana 3-1; Tamil Nadu beat Uttarakhand 3-0; PSPBA beat Punjab 3-0; Karnataka beat Madhya Pradesh 3-0; Rajasthan beat Delhi 3-0; Assam beat Uttar Pradesh 3-1; Maharashtra beat Gujarat 3-1.
