Most first round matches in the 11Sports 79th Cadet and Sub-Junior Nationals’ Cadet Girls went along the expected lines with favourite teams winning either 3-0 or 3-1 in the morning session. However, there was one exception.

The Round 1 match between Kerala and Gujarat was not only stretched full, but saw as many as 24 games being played to decider the winner. Kerala, deservingly, won 3-2 with Smrithi Krishna doing the star turn for the southern coastal state. Her steely nerves won her the day when she, after being down 2-1 in the deciding rubber, had to pack all her punches to outsmart Jaanya Parikh by winning the last two games to put Kerala in a winning position.

After Pranati Nair beat Jaanya 13-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, Smrithi went down 7-11, 14-16, 11-6, 11-7, 11-13 to Rutva Kothari. But then the two Kerala girls beat Kushi Inder and Rutva 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-13, 11-5 to take the crucial doubles. Yet, there was no respite for them as Rutva, who played a vital role for Gujarat, won her reverse singles, too, beating Pranati 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 12-13, 12-10 to restore parity. This shifted the entire burden on Smrithi who beat Jaanya after some struggle for 9-11, 11-9, 11-13, 12-10, 11-7 win.