In the Slovak Junior Open – India annexed Four GOLD & two SILVER Medals. This is a record performance of India in any international tournament abroad. It was a proud moment for Indian Athlete viz. SUTIRTHA MUKHERJEE standing on the top step of the medal podium listening the national anthem who was a surprised winner of Girls Singles Title in the Slovak Junior Open on Sunday, 2^nd June, 2013. The National anthem had a special significance for her as she is from West Bengal and who writes ‘JAN GAN MAN’, Rabindra Nath Tagore was also from same province.

Sutirtha won 2 more GOLD earlier in the day partnered with Manika Batra won the Girls Doubles and two days earlier had secured GOLD in the Girls Team Event alongwith Manika Batra & Reeth Tennison. In the Girls Singles Finals Manika Batra lost to Sutirtha Mukherjee winning the SILVER Medal.

Indian Boys Team won SILVER Medal.

India’s Sudhanshu Grover & Abhishek Yadav won the Junior Boys Doubles TITLE beating Brazil’s pair.

Results

Girls Singles Finals – Sutirtha Mukherjee (India) beat Manika Batra (India) (3-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9)

Girls Doubles Finals – Sutirtha Mukherjee & Manika Batra (India) beat Pauline Chasselin & Audrey Zarif (France) (7-11, 11-6, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8)

There is no prouder moment for an athlete than standing on the top step of the medal podium listening to the strains of the national anthem; for Sutirtha Mukherjee, the surprise winner of the Girls’ Singles title at the Slovak Junior Open on Sunday 2nd June 2013, it had a special significance.

She is from West Bengal, the same province as Rabindranath Tagore.

He is the man, who amongst many works of poetry, wrote Jana Gana Mana. It was first sung at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on Wednesday 27th December 1911 and adopted officially as the Indian national anthem by the Constituent Assembly on Tuesday 24th January 1950; nine years after the death of Rabindranath Tagore.

Appropriate Ending
The anthem ends “Victory, victory, victory to thee”; three victories it was very appropriate for Sutirtha Mukherjee. 

She completed proceedings by winning the Girls’ Singles title. 

Earlier in the day, she had partnered Manika Batra to Girls’ Doubles success and two days earlier had secured gold in the Girls’ Team Event alongside Manika Batra and Reeth Tennison.

Girls’ Doubles Success
Occupying the top seeded place in the Girls’ Doubles competition, Manika Batra and Sutirtha Mukherjee overcame Turkey’s Gokce Nur Gungor and Ipek Karahan in the semi-finals (11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5), before accounting for Pauline Chasselin and Audrey Zarif in the final (7-11, 11-6, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8).

The French duo had beaten Serbia’s Anna Fenyvesi and Victoria Truzsinski in the counterpart semi-final (9-11, 11-2, 13-15, 11-9, 11-9).

Success Together, Success Against
Success for Sutirtha Mukherjee in partnership with Manika Batra, later in the day it was success in opposition to Manika Batra in the Girls’ Singles final.

Girls’ Singles Title Secured
Occupying the no.7 seeded position in the draw, she overcame her colleague, the no.2 seed, in five games (3-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9), having at the semi-final stage accounted for the Czech Republic’s Kristyna Stefcova, the no.11 seed (12-10, 5-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-7). 

In the adjacent penultimate round duel, Manika Batra had beaten Laura Pfeffer of France, the no.3 seed (11-6, 11-7, 11-4, 11-3).

Boys Doubles Finals – Sudhanshu Grover & Abhishek Yadav (India) beat Vitor Ishiy & Massao Kohatsu (Brazil) (11-9, 11-6, 11-13, 8-11, 11-7)

Girls Team won GOLD comprising of Sutirtha Mukherjee, Reeth Tennison & Manika Batra.

Boys Team won SILVER comprising of Abhishek Yadav, Sudhanshu Grover & Raja Kondru.

Surprise Boys’ Singles Winner
A surprise winner in the Girls’ Singles event it was the same in the Boys’ Singles competition.

Filip Zeljko, the no.4 seed, emerged successful in an all-Croatian final. He overcame Tomislav Pucar, the no.3 seed, in six games (11-4, 6-11, 11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8); both players having caused semi-final upsets. 

Semi-Final Upsets
Tomislav Pucar had accounted for the Czech Republic’s David Reitspies in four straight games (11-5, 11-3, 11-8, 11-7); whilst in a much closer duel, Filip Zeljko had overcome Brazil’s Vitor Ishiy by the very narrowest of margins in the crucial seventh game (9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 10-12, 11-8, 13-11).

More Indian Success
Success for Croatia but it was the only title that eluded India on the concluding day of action in Senec.

Sudhanshu Grover and Abhishek Yadav won the Boys’ Doubles overcoming the Czech Republic’s Tomas Malek and Tibor Pavlik in the penultimate round (11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7), before securing gold at the final expense of Brazil’s Vitor Ishiy and Massao Kohatsu (11-6, 11-8, 10-12, 8-11, 11-7).

In the corresponding semi-final, Vitor Ishiy and Massao Kohatsu had beaten Germany’s Qiu Liang and Mariu Zaus (11-9, 11-6, 11-13, 8-11, 11-7).

Three Titles, Three Victories 
Three titles for India on the final day, three titles in the tournament for Sutirtha Mukherjee: “Victory, victory, victory to thee”.