Dehradun, Assam’s Priyanuj Bhattacharya staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Tamil Nadu’s P. B. Abhinand in the Under-19 Boys’ Singles final, denying his opponent a third gold at the Junior and Youth National Table Tennis Championships here on Thursday.
In a gripping summit clash that lived up to expectations, Abhinand surged to a commanding 2-0 lead, appearing firmly on course for the title.
However, Bhattacharya responded with grit and composure, turning the match around with four consecutive games. The Assam paddler shut the door on any comeback, sealing a 4-2 victory to finally claim a long-awaited national crown – a fitting reward for his persistence.
The semifinals delivered a mix of grit and control, with Priyanuj surviving a dramatic seven-game battle against M.R. Balamurugan of Tamil Nadu, edging through 11-8, 11-5 before being pulled back to 2-3, then holding his nerve to close it out 14-12, 11-6 in the decider.
In contrast, Abhinand produced a more composed performance, shaking off a tight second-game loss to Punit Biswas of West Bengal and asserting dominance thereafter, sealing a 11-9, 10-12, 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 victory to book his place in the final.
In the quarterfinals, top seeds Priyanuj, Blamurugan, and Abhinand cruised into the semifinals with convincing wins over Neil Mulye, Umesh Kumar, and Sarthak Arya, respectively.
Another top seed, Punit, however, was pushed to the brink by Maharashtra’s Kushal Chopda, who stretched the contest to the limit. The Bengal paddler showed remarkable resilience, recovering from a 0-2 deficit to seal a thrilling comeback victory at 3-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 13-11.
Abhinand, meanwhile, dropped a game to Odisha’s Sarthak Arya but remained in control, securing a comfortable win despite his opponent taking one game to deuce.
Gold for Abhinand-Balamurugan
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The Tamil Nadu pair of P.B. Abhinand and M.R. Balamurugan capped off a dominant run by clinching the title with a commanding 3-1 victory over compatriots S.K. Mehan and Umesh Kumar in the final.
After taking the opening game 11-6, they briefly lost momentum in the second but quickly regrouped to dictate terms, sealing the contest 11-4, 11-5 in the next two games with controlled aggression and sharp coordination.
In the semifinals, Abhinand and Balamurugan displayed their authority with a straight-games win over West Bengal’s Punit Biswas and Oishik Ghosh, edging a tight third game 13-11.
On the other side, Mehan and Umesh overcame Maharashtra’s Kushal Chopda and Neil Mulye in four games, maintaining composure in key moments to book their place in the all–Tamil Nadu final.
In a gripping Under-17 Boys Singles final that swung back and forth with momentum shifts, Ritvik Gupta of J&K edged past Odisha’s Sarthak Arya in a hard-fought seven-game battle, winning 4-3.
The contest was a showcase of resilience and tactical adaptability, with both players trading control through the middle stages – Arya clawing back after dropping the first game to take a 2-1 lead, only for Gupta to respond each time his back was against the wall.
The decider encapsulated the intensity of the match, as Gupta held his nerve in the closing points, tightening his defence and capitalising on crucial errors to seal the title. It was a final defined by stamina, composure, and the ability to reset under pressure, with Gupta ultimately proving more clinical in the decisive moments.
In the semifinals, Sarthak bounced back after losing a tight opening game to defeat PSPBA’s Dhananjay Singh 3-1. Ritvik also showed composure, overcoming a narrow 14-16 loss in the second game before dispatching another PSPBA player, Sahil Rawat, to enter the final. Incidentally, this was Ritvik’s consecutive national title.
Earlier in the quarterfinals, Sarthak, Sahil and Ritvik advanced with relative ease. Dhananjay, however, was tested in a gripping encounter against fellow PSPBA paddler Ronald Sarkar, rallying from a 1-2 deficit to win the final two games and secure his semifinal spot.
Sahil-Rawat emerge champs
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Sahil Rawat and Dhairya Rawat of PSPBA emerged champions after a hard-fought five-game victory over fellow PSPBA duo Trishal Raj Kumar and Rushikesh Jagtap. The final ebbed and flowed, with both pairs trading momentum, but Sahil and Dhairya held their nerve in the decider to close out the match 11-7 and lift the title.
The semifinal stage had already hinted at a closely contested finale. Trishal and Rushikesh survived a dramatic five-game battle against Haryana’s Duklan Vatsal and Eshaan Nayak, clinching the match 12-10 in the deciding game.
Meanwhile, Sahil and Dhairya bounced back strongly after dropping the opening game against West Bengal’s Aditya Das and Debraj Bhattacharjee, taking control thereafter to win in four games and secure their place in the final.
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