Naihati: Paddler Sutirtha Mukherjee missed the Durga Puja badly. She was exhausted after over a month of overseas competition.
However, the rigours of the world circuit were well worth the troubles, as the joy of winning medals at the Asian Table Tennis Championships overshadowed her fatigue.
Now, basking in the glory of her achievements, she has overcome with a sense of joy, relief and pride.
‘My third historic medal’
Sutirtha, who won bronze medals in women’s doubles as well as women’s team events, is enjoying a two-day respite at home before heading to the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championship, starting on October 18.
Hailing from Naihati, about 45 km from Kolkata, Sutirtha has been a pivotal figure in Indian table tennis since the 2023 Asian Games.
Pairing up with her childhood training partner, Ayhika Mukherjee, Sutirtha sent the nation into a frenzy last October by defeating the Chinese world champions Meng Chen and Yidi Wang in Hangzhou, ending India’s medal drought in the discipline. She and Ayhika followed it up by winning a WTT Contender women’s doubles title in Tunis, becoming the first Indians to attain the feat.
Nearly a year later, the duo made headlines again by winning India’s first-ever women’s doubles medal at the Asian Championships, breaking a 52-year dry spell.
They defeated Korea’s Kim Nayeong and Lee Eunhye 3-1 (10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8) in the quarterfinals to secure India’s historic bronze.
“I am very happy. This is my third historic medal,” she told Readafter emerging from an afternoon nap at her Madral Banerjee Para residence.
“Being home makes me so comfortable. I need a lot of sleep now before I leave for the ranking tournament.”
Considering that the world’s top seven pairings in table tennis are from Asia, Sutirtha and Ayhika’s bronze-medal-winning performance will stand tall in the annals of Indian table tennis.
“Playing at the Asian level is extremely tough. Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese players are incredibly intelligent and quick. Europeans may understand the Asian players’ style, but they do not know how to handle the rubbers and are not as fast. Asian players, by contrast, have superior game awareness,” Sutirtha explained.
Motivation to work harder
The latest success has motivated the aggressive smasher to train even harder and aim for bigger laurels.
“It was a proud moment for me and my family. For the first time, we brought home three medals – (the men’s team medal, the women’s team medal, and the women’s doubles medal). Winning the women’s doubles, along with the team bronze, has given me so much confidence. It motivates me to do even better in future tournaments,” said Sutirtha, who trains under Soumyadeep Roy in Kolkata.
Sutirtha, meanwhile, credited India’s chief coach, Massimo Costantini, for their success in Astana, Kazakhstan.
“After the China Smash (Sept 26-October 6), we had a training camp under our foreign coach, Costantini. He was very strict and did not let us eat more than necessary. We could not even eat properly or sleep well for a month. We had a tough schedule, with no breaks or rest days. Every day, we had two practice sessions and fitness training. But all the hard work paid off,” said Sutirtha.
“Our head coach kept a close eye on us. He knew exactly what we needed and ensured we were well-prepared. That was why we won three medals at the Asian Championships,” she added.
Asked what makes her partnership with Ayhika so effective, Sutirtha said, “We are both Bengali, so our communication is easy and natural. We have known each other since childhood and trained at the same academy, so our bond is strong.”
“Our combination is also unique. Ayhika uses anti-spin rubber and forehand pimples, while I use regular rubber and forehand pimples. This makes it difficult for opponents to read our game. I play fast backhand shots, while Ayhika slows the game down with her anti-spin rubber. When the opponent sends a high ball, I can smash it,” she added.
Semifinal jinx continues
The quarterfinal victory gave Sutirtha and Ayhika a chance to chase the elusive gold medal.
Since they previously defeated Japan’s Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara, their semifinal opponents, at the WTT Contender Tunis last year, they dared to dream.
“When we won the quarterfinals, we truly believed that gold was not out of reach, since we had beaten Harimoto and Kihara before,” said Sutirtha.
However, their dreams were dashed.
Miwa Harimoto, who had earlier beaten Ayhika and Manika Batra in the women’s team semifinals, was in exceptional form.
Last year, Sutirtha and Ayhika lost to North Korea’s Suyong Cha and Sugyong Pak in the semifinals of the Asian Games, and this year, their jinx continued.
“At the Asian Championships, Harimoto was just too good. She was intelligent, sharp, and played an excellent game. She had already beaten both Ayhika and Manika in the team event. Along with Miyuu’s support, they were simply too strong for us,” Sutirtha admitted.
Improvement the key
Still, the 29-year-old remains undeterred. She sees the bronze medal as motivation to do better in future events.
“Whenever we lose, we feel we could have done better. But you cannot always perform as per your expectations. There will be ups and downs in every career. Of course, we were upset after the loss, but this bronze motivates me to push harder. We will break the semifinal barrier and go for brighter medals. We just have to focus on giving our 100 per cent.”
Sutirtha, an assiduous reader of the game, knows exactly what she and Ayhika need to do to ramp up their game.
“We won the medal, but we need to improve our coordination and speed, especially against Koreans, Japanese, or Chinese players – they are so quick. In the semifinals, Harimoto and Kihara’s fast-paced game outfoxed us. We need to work on our fitness, movement, and techniques to change the color of the medal to gold,” said Sutirtha, who will next play an international tournament at the WTT Contender Muscat in Oman.
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