Panchkula, December 14: Harmeet Desai defeated Manush Shah 4-0 and Archana beat Ayhika Mukherjee 4-1 to lift the singles trophies in the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium today.

It was a happy ending to the Season 2023 for the two PSPB paddlers. The two won their first title at Vadodara and finished with the second together. It augurs well for both, who can begin afresh in the Senior Nationals with the team championships, starting at the same venue on Saturday.

Harmeet was in a roaring form. His left-handed RBI rival had no clue of what hit him. Though Harmeet led through in the first game, Manush came close and deuced. But he saved a game point at 10-11 before the senior pro finished the game. After that, the match went only one way, as Harmeet tightened his grip over the trophy with every game.

Archana was confident personified, and it reflected in her approach to the game today. Understandably, the PSPB paddler’s consistency in the last three final outings and ending up with two titles speak volumes about her character and resilience. For sure, the former national champion has left her troubled days far behind.

The transformation to her game plan was visible in the final today again, especially reading Ayhika, who plays with the odd rubber. Archana had answered all the questions posed by her opponent and comfortably led 3-0 before letting the RBI paddler, who won her first title in the Hyderabad tournament in June, claw her way back in the fourth game. But that's all the second seed managed as Archana ran away with a solid lead (9-4) before pulling the shutters down on Ayhika.

In a one-sided men’s singles semifinals, fourth-seeded Manush beat Payas Jain of Delhi 3-1, and second-seeded Harmeet thrashed P.B. Abhinand to enter the final. Archana defeated Yashini Sivashankar, and Ayhika downed Sayali Wani in the women’s singles. Yashini had a good run until the semis but failed to keep up the performance when it mattered the most.

Payas started well in the first semifinal, but fourth seed Manush levelled the score soon. After that, he never looked back despite Payas pushing him to the corner in the third, fourth and fifth games. Payas had his chances in all three games, but the left-hander had seized the moments that came his way.

Abhinand, after his loss in the U-19 quarterfinal, lacked the sting in his game to beat the second seed. Harmeet, a wily customer, never allowed the liberty to the Tamil Nadu teenager who wilted.  

Two other seeds, including the third and eighth, bit the dust in the quarterfinals. But what surprised one was the exit of third seed Snehit, who went down to the giant killer, Abhinand, from Tamil Nadu. An in-form Payas sending eighth seed Jeet out in the quarterfinals was expected. Yet, one hoped Jeet would fight back after Payas levelled the score in the second game, but the former only allowed Payas to gain ascendancy with every stroke he played.

As for Abhinand, he was on a roll in the singles. After felling top seed Manav yesterday evening, he accounted for Snehit today. Snehit, who won the extended first game, became a victim to the guiles of the Tamil Nadu paddler whose clever placings and good service returns hastened the downfall of Snehit.

Archana, Yashini, Sayali and Ayhika moved into the semifinals. Top-seed Archana won 3-0 against his RSPB rival, Poymantee, but Yashini, the fifth seed, and Ayhika, the second seed, dropped a game each before wrapping it up. But the unseeded Sayali from Maharashtra went the distance to beat Anjali Rohilla 3-2. The defensive Haryana paddler was in the match when she led 2-1, but Sayali outsmarted to earn her semifinal berth.

Ankur Bhattacharjee and Jash Modi made it to the U-19 Boys final while Suhana Saini and Pritha Vartikar scored identical 3-0 triumphs over Suhani Mahajan of UP and Sayali Wani of Maharashtra, respectively.

In the Youth Boys U-19, sixth seed Jash Modi claimed the title after top seed Ankur Bhattacharjee conceded the match. Jash, after early hiccups, consolidated his position as he took a 3-2 lead. In the sixth game, the Maharashtra boy led 5-0 when Ankur conceded the match.

In the Girls’ final, Pritha Vartika outplayed top-seed Suhana Saini 4-2 to wear the crown. The second seed from Maharashtra was in trouble when Suhana levelled the score. But Pritha brought sanity to her game and countered the top seed well, forcing her into errors. It helped her cause as Pritha inched her way to winning the fifth and sixth games and eventually the title.

Abhinand could not match Ankur's skills in the quarterfinals, while Sarth, Bodhisatwa and Jash Modi joined the top seed in the semifinals. Top seed Suhana, Suhani Mahaja, Sayali and Pritha entered the last four stages.

Results:

Men’s Singles: Final: Harmeet Desai (PSPB) bt Manush Shah (RBI) 13-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6.

Semifinals: Manush Shah bt Payas Jain (Del) 7-11, 11-6, 13-11, 14-12, 12-10; Harmeet Desai bt P.B. Abhinand (TN) 11-5, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7.

Quarterfinals: Payas Jain bt Jeet Chandra (AAI) 10-12, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6; Manush Shah bt Ronit Bhanja (RSPB) 11-8, 11-8, 11-5; PB Abhinand bt SFR Snehit (AAI) 10-12, 14-12, 11-3, 11-8; Harmeet Desai bt Sudhanshu Grover (Del) 9-11, 11-3, 1-11, 11-6, 11-9.

Women’s Singles: Final: Archana Kamath (PSPB) bt Ayhika Mukherjee (RBI) 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8.

Semifinals: Archana Kamath bt Yashini Sivashankar (TN) 11-9, 11-4, 11-6, 11-6; Ayhika Mukherjee bt Sayali Wani (Mah) 11-4, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9.

Quarterfinals: Archana Kamath bt Poymantee Baisya (RSPB) 11-3, 11-7, 11-8; Yashini Sivashankar bt Pritha Vartikar (Mah) 11-3, 12-10, 11-13, 11-8; Sayali Wani bt Anjali Rohilla (Har) 8-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4; Ayhika Mukherjee bt Yashaswini Ghorpade (Kar) 13-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8.

U-19 Boys Singles: Final: Jash Modi (Mah) bt Ankur Bhattacharjee (WB) 7-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8, 5-0 (conceded).

Semifinals: Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Sarth Mishra (UP 11-9, 14-12, 11-4; Jash Modi bt Bodhisatwa Chaudhury (WB) 11-6, 11-5, 6-11, 11-4.

Quarterfinals: Ankur Bhattacharjee bt PB Abhinand (TN) 11-9, 6-11, 11-5, 11-3; Sarth Mishra bt Shankhadip Das (WB) 12-10, 12-10, 11-7; Bodhisatwa Chaudhury bt KJ Akash (Kar) 12-10, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7; Jash Modi bt Divyansh Srivastava (UP 11-8, 11-9, 11-3.

U-19 Girls Singles: Final: Pritha Vartikar (Mah) bt Suhana Saini (Har) 11-8, 11-13, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, 11-5.

Semifinals: Suhana Saini bt Suhani Mahajan (UP) 11-7, 11-6, 11-9; Pritha Vartikar bt Sayali Wani (Mah) 11-4, 11-5, 11-9.

Quarterfinals: Suhana Saini bt K. Disha (UP) 11-8, 11-8, 12-10, 11-4; Suhani Mahajan bt Nandini Saha (WB) 11-6, 3-11, 11-4, 2-11, 11-8; Sayali Wani bt Ananya Chande (Mah) 11-8, 5-11, 11-4, 11-7; Pritha Vartikar bt Syndrela Das (WB) 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9.