It was smooth sailing for the top contenders in the team events on the opening day of the 86th Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships in Surat on Sunday (January 19).
Led by veteran Sharath Kamal, favourites Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) inched closer to the pre-quarterfinals in the men’s team event with two convincing victories in Group A. PSPB defeated Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand by 3-0 scorelines at the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium.
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Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB), Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana, and Assam also maintained perfect records in their groups.
Haryana-UP involved in a thriller
In the women’s team event, top seeds RSPB and the PSPB, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Haryana, West Bengal, Delhi, and Gujarat had it easy on the first day of the championships.
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The contest between Haryana and Uttar Pradesh was a thriller in the women’s section. Suhana’s heroics with two crucial wins, helped Haryana as they won 3-2 in a tense finish.
Haryana’s Sneha Bhowmick endured a shaky start, succumbing to Avani Tripathi 9-11, 10-12, 6-11, but Suhana restored parity with a confident 11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 11-2 victory over Suhani Mahajan. Although Prithoki Chakraborty faltered against Aarti Chaudhary in a five-game battle, Suhana’s brilliant 11-6, 4-11, 14-12, 11-9 triumph over Avani kept Haryana in contention. Ultimately, Sneha redeemed herself in the decisive rubber, defeating Suhani 11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 11-5 to seal the tie.
Another gripping match unfolded in the men’s category, as Pondicherry faced off against Himachal Pradesh in a closely contested second-round encounter. With Naman Bhatnagar anchoring Himachal’s hopes, Pondicherry’s resilience shone through. Karthikeyan Kamaraj delivered a stunning 11-8, 11-4, 11-4 upset over Naman, tilting the momentum in Pondicherry’s favour. Though Abhishek Jaggi temporarily revived Himachal’s chances, Varshan Charen held his nerve in the deciding rubber, clinching a hard-fought 11-6, 6-11, 12-14, 11-8, 11-8 victory to secure the win for Pondicherry.
Union Minister CR Patil inaugurates TT Nationals in Surat by lighting a lamp.
Union Minister Patil declares championships open
Meanwhile, the table tennis nationals were declared open by CR Patil, Union Minister of Jal Shakti.
Before declaring the championships open, Patil urged the paddlers in the stadium to continue to work hard and to target the Olympics.
“Under the leadership of our honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Khel Mahakumbh event has been a success and we will do what it takes to prepare for the bidding of the 2036 Olympics Games, including getting the services of the international coaches,” Patil said.
Also present in the ceremony was the president of the Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) and organising chairman Pramod Chaudhary, and organising secretary Kushal Sangtani, among others.
Team event results
Men (Round 1&2)
Group A: PSPB beat Chhattisgarh 3-0, Uttarakhand beat Daman & Diu 3-0; PSPB beat Uttarakhand 3-0, Chhattisgarh beat Daman & Diu 3-0.
Group B: RSPB beat Kerala 3-0, Odisha beat Goa 3-0; RSPB beat Odisha 3-0, Kerala beat Goa 3-0.
Group C: Delhi beat Himachal Pradesh 3-0, Gujarat beat Pondicherry 3-0; Delhi beat Gujarat 3-0; Pondicherry beat Himachal Pradesh 3-2.
Group D: West Bengal beat TTFI-1 3-0, Mizoram beat Meghalaya 3-0; TTFI-1 beat Meghalaya 3-0.
Group E: Maharashtra beat Bihar 3-0, Karnataka beat J&K 3-0; Maharashtra beat Karnataka 3-0, J&K beat Bihar 3-0.
Group F: Tamil Nadu beat Nagaland 3-0, Punjab beat TTFI-2 3-0; Tamil Nadu beat Madhya Pradesh 3-0, Punjab beat Nagaland 3-0.
Group G: Telangana beat Andaman & Nicobar 3-0, Haryana beat Chandigarh 3-0; Haryana beat Andaman & Nicobar 3-0, Telangana beat Andhra Pradesh 3-0.
Group H: Uttar Pradesh beat Ladakh 3-0, Assam beat Jharkhand 3-0; Assam beat Ladakh 3-0.
Women (Round 1&2)
Group A: RSPB beat Goa 3-0, Chandigarh beat J&K 3-0; RSPB beat Chandigarh 3-0, Goa beat J&K 3-0.
Group B: PSPB beat MP 3-0, Assam beat Ladakh 3-0; PSPB beat Assam 3-0, Madhya Pradesh beat Ladakh 3-0.
Group C: Tamil Nadu beat Meghalaya 3-0, Andhra Pradesh beat Manipur 3-0; Tamil Nadu beat Andhra Pradesh 3-0, Meghalaya beat Manipur 3-1.
Group D: Maharashtra beat Jharkhand 3-0, Odisha beat Andaman & Nicobar 3-0; Maharashtra beat Odisha 3-1, Jharkhand beat Andaman & Nicobar 3-0.
Group E: Haryana beat Uttarakhand 3-0, Uttar Pradesh beat Daman & Diu 3-0; Haryana beat Uttar Pradesh 3-2, Uttarakhand beat Daman & Diu 3-1.
Group F: West Bengal beat Pondicherry 3-0, Karnataka beat Bihar 3-0; West Bengal beat Karnataka 3-1, Pondicherry beat Bihar 3-0.
Group G: Delhi beat Nagaland 3-0, Kerala beat Himachal Pradesh 3-0; Delhi beat TTFI-2 3-0, Kerala beat Nagaland 3-0.
Group H: Gujarat beat Punjab 3-0, Telangana beat Chhattisgarh 3-0; Gujarat beat TTFI-1 3-0, Telangana beat Punjab 3-0.
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