Runner up in the Chinese city of Taiyuan in 2009, India’s 17 year old Harmeet Desai went one step better on Thursday 21st April 2011 in the city of Linz, by winning the Junior Boys’ Singles title at the Joola Austrian Junior and Cadet Open in an all Indian final.

Seeded no.3, he overcame top seed, Soumyajit Ghosh to clinch the title, succeeding in four games.

Painful Once Again

It was the first time either player had reached a Junior Boys’ Singles final on the ITTF Junior Circuit and for Soumyajit Ghosh it was another case of being so near yet so far. He has lost at the semi-final stage on six occasions and last year at the World Junior Circuit Finals in Hyderabad he also departed in the penultimate round.

Route to Final

En route to the final Harmeet Desai beat Poland’s Lukasz Nadoski (11-7, 12-10, 11-5, 12-10), Austria’s Stefan Letgeb (12-10, 10-12, 11-7, 11-4, 7-11, 11-13, 11-5) and Enio Angles of France (3-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9) to book his place in the semi-finals where he overcame the surprise player of the event.

He defeated Hungary’s Do Phung Nam, the no.15 seed (8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-7, 11-6); the Hungarian having round earlier upset the seeding by overcoming the in form Alexandre Robinot of France (9-11, 16-14, 11-9, 11-9, 12-14, 11-8).

Soumyajit Ghosh Reaches Final

Meanwhile, Soumyajit Ghosh defeated England’s Sean Cullen (11-6, 11-3, 6-11, 11-6, 11-6), Hungary’s Tamas Lakatos (11-8, 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 9-11, 11-8) and Croatia’s Filip Cipin (8-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7) to book his place in the final.

Surprise Cadet Boys’ Singles Winner

Success for the no.2 seed in the Junior Boys’ Singles event whilst in the Cadet Boys’ Singles competition it was gold for Croatia’s Filip Cipin, the no.7 seed.

The Croatian upset matters in the quarter-finals by beating Hungary’s Nandor Ecseki, the no.4 seed (13-11, 15-13, 11-9), before defeating the Slovak Republic’s Peter Turcek, the no.6 seed, in the semi-finals (11-9, 11-5, 4-11, 11-6).

Second Seed Falls

One round earlier, Peter Turcek had ousted the Czech Republic’s David Reitspies, the no.2 seed (5-11, 11-7, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9).

A place in the final booked, Filip Zeljko continued his giant killing acts; he beat Hungary’s Adam Szudi, the no.1 seed, to secure gold (11-3, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9).

Top Seed Beaten

At the quarter-final stage Adam Szudi had beaten Croatia’s Tomislav Pulcar (11-7, 8-11, 11-3, 11-8) before overcoming Slovakia’s Parik Vlacuska in the penultimate round (11-3, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9).

Disappointments for France and Hungary in the singles event but in the doubles competitions there was joy.

Doubles Success for France and Hungary

Alexandre Robinot and Enzo Angles of France won the Junior Boys’ Doubles title beating the Czech Republic’s Ondrej Bajger and Michal Benes in the final (11-5, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9) whilst the Hungarian partnership of Gergely Sabjan and Adam Szudi clinched Cadet Boys’ Doubles gold.

At the final hurdle they beat Croatia’s Tomislav Pulcar and Filip Zeljko in a contest where the no.1 seeds overcame the no.2 seeds.

The Hungarians won 8-11, 11-5, 11-1, 11-1; more confident, more dominant as the match progressed.