When Maria Rony last played in the Kerala table tennis circuit five years ago, there was a vibrant bunch of girls who gave a good fight to each other.
Maria, the Karnataka State women’s singles champion, is back in Kerala now but the many familiar faces are missing.
“So much has changed. Seraha is the only name standing... almost all from my batch have stopped now. Now many kids, like Pranati (Nair), are there,” said Maria, in a chat with Sportstar, from Alappuzha, on Thursday.
The Kerala TT season opens on Friday with the John Philipose ranking tournament in Alappuzha and all eyes will be on Maria.
The 26-year-old, who ruled Kerala for nearly a decade and who was in the Asian team that won the Global Cadet Challenge in Puerto Rico in 2012, will begin as an unseeded player on her return.
Maria has won the Karnataka title thrice in the last five years, so will Kerala be an easier world?
“I’m not thinking of anything like that. I’m also playing here after five years, may be after two or three tournaments I’ll figure that out,” said Maria, an officer with the Canara Bank in Bengaluru.
“Seraha is my greatest opponent. And then, Pranati is doing quite well at the national under-17 and 19 level too.”
Despite her impressive singles record in Kerala and Karnataka, Maria has not hit it big in the National circuit in the individual event.
“My women’s singles record at the Nationals has been bad for the last few years, round of 32 was my best,” she said.
Her move back to Kerala could be to try and get back in the thick of things in women’s doubles, where she and Seraha Jacob won the National Games bronze in 2015 and also picked two other bronze at the Nationals.
“We only have mixed doubles at the zonals, not women’s doubles. So Seraha and I are hoping to do something again at the Nationals. That’s also one aim of mine,” she said.
She will also be pairing up with Palakkad’s K.S. Sreehari, the men’s singles second seed at the season-opener, in mixed doubles at the Alappuzha YMCA. And she will be closely studying her new partner and event.
“This is the first time I’ll be playing with Sreehari. And Michael sir (Table Tennis Association of Kerala secretary) told me the association will have special camps for doubles, so let’s see how it goes.”
With the national body now allowing players from different States to pair up in doubles, that option seems to be an interesting one for Maria.
“But I’ll be playing with Sreehari for at least a year,” she said.
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