Manush and Diya make it a RBI double

Thiruvananthapuram: Manush Shah and Diya Chitale, both representing RBI, emerged victorious in the men’s and women’s singles finals at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championship held at the Jimmy George Indoor Stadium.

While Manush overcame the strong challenge of Ankur Bhattacharjee with a 4-2 victory, Diya made it a memorable day for both the players with a dominant 4-1 win over Swastika Ghosh.

In the exciting men’s final, Manush showed remarkable composure, especially at crucial moments when the match ended in a 2-2 draw. That’s when he launched an aggressive attack that disrupted Ankur’s rhythm. Creating a wave of confidence after taking a 3-2 lead, Manush finished the match decisively and clinched his first national championship.

Diya, meanwhile, showed consistency and resilience throughout the tournament. Following an impressive performance at the Corporate Championships earlier this season, he maintained his high standards despite facing tough competition. After a tough semi-final, he reached the final with concentration and determination. Although Swastika, the singles champion of the Chandigarh Corporate event, won her opening match, Diya quickly recovered. Her precise forehands and solid backhand blocks left little room for Swastika to mount a comeback. From the second game onwards, Diya dominated and showed skill and confidence to earn a well-deserved victory.

Ankur Bhattacharjee defeated Akash Pal in the first men’s singles semi-final with a convincing 4-1 win. Despite conceding the third game, Akash had little to celebrate as Ankur was in complete control and his victory was never in doubt.

The second semi-final between Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar lasted for over an hour. The match witnessed long rallies and intense exchanges; Manush found himself in a difficult situation in the fifth game when Manav took a 3-2 lead. However, Manush made a remarkable comeback, showcasing his adaptability and strategic play to win the last two matches and secure a 4-3 victory. His ability to take advantage of angles and maintain composure was decisive in this tough encounter.

In the women’s singles semi-final, Sutirtha Mukherjee faced a tough challenge from Maharashtra’s young talent Sayali Wani. Sayali’s aggressive and fluid style made her intentions clear and pushed the experienced RSPB rower to her limits. Despite tough competition, Sutirtha managed to get past Sayali with a 3-2 win.

However, Diya Chitale showed resilience and determination in her semi-final clash against Sutirtha. Trailing at 1-2 and then 2-3, Diya regrouped and turned the match around with her powerful forehands and strategic play. He claimed two successive extended games, including a thrilling 12-10 win in the decider, to earn the 4-3 victory he deserved.

Another promising young player, Taneesha Kotecha from Maharashtra, has shown remarkable improvement this season with her strategic playing style and consistency. Despite her admirable efforts, she fell short against Swastika Ghosh in the women’s singles semi-final and lost 2-4 in the hard-fought contest.

In the U-19 men’s final, Ankur Bhattacharjee continued his superb form by dismantling Maharashtra’s Kushal Chopda in straight matches to earn a commanding 4-0 victory. Ankur’s agility and aggressive approach left little room for him, although Kushal showed significant improvement in the knockout stages.

In the U-19 girls final, Syndrela Das defeated Ananya Chande in a thrilling 4-2 match. Syndrela initially took a 3-0 lead but Ananya staged an impressive comeback, taking the next two games. However, Syndrela quickly gained momentum and closed out the match, adding another title to his collection following the U-17 victory earlier in the tournament.

Results:

Men’s Singles: Final: Manush Shah (RBI) and Ankur Bhattacharjee (PSPB) 11-2, 4-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 13-11.

Semi-finals: Ankur bt Akash Pal (RSPB) 11-5, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8; Manush (RBI) and Manav Thakkar (PSPB) 10-12, 11-7, 13-10, 8-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7.

Quarter finals: Akash and PB Abhinand (TN) 3-1; Ankur bt Divyansh Srivastava (PSPB) 3-0; Manush and Yashansh Malik (AAI) 3-0; Manav bt SFR Snehit (IA&AD) 3-2.

Women’s Singles: Final: Diya Chitale (RBI) and Swastika Ghosh (AAI) 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7.

Semi-finals: Swastika and Taneesha Kotecha (Mah) 11-5, 4-11, 11-4, 11-5, 6-11, 11-4; Diya bt Sutirtha Mukherjee (RSPB) 12-10, 3-11, 6-11, 11-4, 8-11, 14-12, 12-10.

Quarter-finals: Taneesha and Jennifer Varghese (Mah) 3-1; Swastika and Pritha Vartikar (Mah) 3-0; Diya bt Syndrela Das (WB) 3-1; Sutirtha bt Sayali Wani (Mah) 3-2.

Junior Men’s U-19 Singles: Final: Ankur Bhattacharjee (PSPB) and Kushal Chopda (Mah) 11-6, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9.

Semi-finals: Ankur bt Punit Biswas (WB)11-6, 13-11, 8-11, 11-7; Kushal bt Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (Asm) 5-11, 6-11, 12-10, 12-10, 11-6.

Junior Girls U-19 Singles: Final: Syndrela Das (WB) bt Ananya Chande (Mah) 11-8, 13-11, 11-5, 8-11, 9-11, 11-4.

Semi-finals: Syndrela bt Pritha Vartikar (Mah) 10-12, 11-1, 11-7, 12-10; Ananya bt Ananya Muralidharan (TN) 14-12, 11-5, 14-12.