Vadodara, January 6: Delhi Youth Girls suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Kerala when the latter blanked them out 3-0 on the opening day of the 11Even Sports 78th Junior and Youth National Championships at the SAMA Indoor Complex here today.

In contrast, in Youth Boys group matches all fancied teams went through the first-round motions and passed the tests. Similarly, the Junior Boys teams also completed the first-round formalities without hiccups, the only exception being Mizoram who struggled past Goa 3-2 in group C.

Delhi later made amends when they beat hosts Gujarat 3-0 in their first round Junior Girls match. But it will be a difficult proposition for the Youth Girls to qualify for the main draw as Kerala and Maharashtra A squad, strong title-contenders, are more or less sure of making the cut from group F. Goa is the other team in their group which will solely depend on Tanisi Kirtani to make things topsy-turvy.

Despite having the best combination possible in Aanchal Malhotra, Vanshika Bhargava, Kritika Malik and Ishita Gupta, the experienced Kerala duo of Mariya Rony and Seraha Jacob with Gia Anna Geroge for support, made an impressive start.

Seraha provided the perfect lead, after being down 0-2, when she defeated Ishita 3-11, 5-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-7. As if on cue, Maria lost the first game but pulled it off nicely against Kritika to win the second rubber 10-12, 11-2, 11-9, 11-7. With the Delhi team already reeling under pressure, Gia Anna pressed home the advantage to beat Aanchal 13-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-6 for what turned out to be a remarkable win.

No doubt, except for Kritika the other Delhi players are essentially juniors but one must give it to the girls from Kerala who were more efficient.

As for Gujarat, the hosts easily beat Bihar in their first round as Sanskruti Malpani defeated Riyanshi Gupta 11-7, 11-3, 11-5, Hely Shah accounted for Pragati Goswami 11-4, 11-7, 11-7 and Aarushi Nandwani outplayed Falguni Mukherjee 11-1, 11-8, 11-0 in group H. Their Youth Boys too began on a winning note defeating Jharkhand 3-0 in group G.

The Junior Boys’ first-round matches are underway.

But for the lone upset beginning, other favourites logged easy points from their first-round outings. Only top two teams from each group will move into the second stages, which will be played on a knockout basis.

MEET INAUGURATED

Earlier, the championships were declared open by Sports Minister of Gujarat, Rajender Trivedi, following match past by teams. Speaking on the occasion, the sports minister egged on the players to concentrate on the game without losing focus on the tasks they have at hand. The minister also touched on the state’s sports promotional activities and funding provided to sportspersons of the state. “You have to have the urge to get to the top and it is possible if you stay focused,” warned the minister.

Before him, TTFI secretary general Dhanraj Choudhary addressed the players insisting on them the significance of the championships and how they can aspire to get a look-in by the selectors who will be picking the national squads for international tournaments. “Put in your heart and soul and the results will come automatically. Try hard and make efforts with a clear intent. Every time you do that you will be at least one step closer to success,” said the secretary general.

Hosts of other speakers, which included GSTTA president Vipul Mittra also pointed out how important the championships were for the young paddlers who are looking to graduate to the next level. “These nationals are your launch pads as you look ahead to a successful career in table tennis,” said Mittra encouraging the players while welcoming to Gujarat and in particular to Vadodara.

Results:

Youth Boys (Round 1): Group A: Rajasthan bt Haryana 3-0, Bihar bt J&K 3-0; Group B: Maharashtra A bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0, Punjab bt Tripura; Group C: UP bt Chandigarh 3-0, North Bengal bt Meghalaya 3-0; Group D: Tamil Nadu bt Odisha 3-0, Mizoram bt Pondicherry 3-1; Group E: West Bengal bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0, Karnataka bt Manipur 3-0; Group F: PSPB bt Chhattisgarh 3-0, Telangana bt Uttarakhand 3-0; Group G: Maharashtra B bt Goa 3-0, Gujarat bt Jharkhand 3-0; Group H: Delhi bt Assam 3-0, Kerala bt Madhya Pradesh 3-1.

Youth Girls (Round 1): Group A: North Bengal bt Punjab 3-0, Group B: West Bengal bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0; Group C: Telangana bt Chhattisgarh 3-0; Group D: Tamil Nadu bt Meghalaya 3-0, Rajasthan bt Chandigarh 3-0; Group E: AAI bt Madhya Pradesh 3-0, Haryana bt J&K 3-0, Group F: Kerala bt Delhi 3-0, Maharashtra A bt Goa 3-0; Group G: UP bt Odisha 3-1, Himachal Pradesh bt Jharkhand 3-2; Group H: Karanakta bt Uttarakhand 3-0, Gujarat bt Bihar 3-0.

Junior Girls (Round 1): Group A: Telangana bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0; Group B: Maharashtra A bt Chandigarh 3-0;Group C: Maharashtra B bt J&K 3-0; Group D: West Bengal bt Uttrakhand 3-0, Madhya Pradesh bt Bihar 3-0; Group E: Andhra Pradesh bt Pondicherry 3-0, Odisha bt Tripura 3-0; Group F: Punjab bt Jharkhand 3-0, elhi bt Gujarat 3-0;Group G: Kerala bt Assam 3-0, Rajasthan bt Chhattisgarh 3-0’ Group H: Tamil Nadu bt Goa 3-0, UP bt Meghalaya 3-0.  

Junior Boys (Round 1): Group A: West Bengal bt Madhya Pradesh 3-0, Maharashtra B bt Tripura 3-0; Group B: PSPBA bt J&K 3-0, Chandigarh bt Manipur 3-1 Group C: Tamil Nadu bt Assam 3-1, Mizoram bt Goa 3-2; Group D: Delhi bt Odisha 3-0, Rajasthan bt Chhattisgarh 3-1; Group E: Karnataka bt Pondicherry 3-0, UP bt Uttarakhand 3-0; Group F: Telangana bt Bihar 3-0, Haryana bt Meghalaya 3-0; Group G: North Bengal bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0, Kerala bt Jharkhand 3-0; Group H: Gujarat bt Punjab 3-0, Maharashtra A bt Andhra Pradesh 3-1.