National ranking table tennis tournament: Harmeet, Archana clinch singles titles

Two days ahead of the National championship, Harmeet defeated Manush Shah to get his hands on the crown while Archana bettered second-seeded Ayhika Mukherjee.

Archana Kamath (L) and Harmeet Desai (R) pose with their trophies and medals after winning the singles titles in the season’s last National ranking table tennis tournament in Panchkula on Thursday. | Photo Credit: Rakesh Rao

Less than three weeks after winning the titles at Vadodara and two days before the commencement of the National championship, Harmeet Desai and Archana Kamath added a second one for the season in the National ranking table tennis tournament here on Thursday.

Desai overcame a spell of complacency that saw Manush Shah save six set-points in the opener after trailing 5-10 in the first set before regaining control for a 13-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 victory.

Desai, who dropped just one set – to his quarterfinal rival Sudhanshu Grover – during the day, was not required to play his best to maintain his unbeaten run against Manush, his teammate from Gujarat. The left-handed Manush, brilliant in flashes, committed far too many mistakes to pose any threat to Desai.

Top-seed Archana was always in control against second-seeded Ayhika Mukherjee, one among those recommended for the Arjuna Award on Wednesday. Archana raced away with the first three sets, rushed a bit to drop the fourth but stayed clear of danger in the fifth to win 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8.

Earlier, in the under-19 section saw the top seeds finish second-best.

Seventh-seeded Jash Modi bounced back brilliantly from losing the first two sets to nail top seed Ankur Bhattacharya. The resurgent Modi looked firmly on course to victory, leading 7-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 and 5-0 in the sixth set, when Ankur conceded the tie.

Pritha Vartikar, seeded second, broke the heart of local favourite Suhana Saini by completing a 11-8, 11-13, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, 11-5 triumph.

RESULTS

Men: (final): Harmeet Desai (Pet) bt Manush Shah (RBI) 13-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6; (semifinals): Shah bt Payas Jain (Del) 7-11, 11-6, 13-11, 14-12, 12-10; Desai bt P.B. Abhinand (TN) 11-5, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7; (quarterfinals): Jain bt Jeet Chandra (AAI) 10-12, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6; Shah bt Ronit Bhanja (RSPB) 11-8, 11-8, 11-5; P. B. Abhinand bt S. F. R. Snehit (AAI) 10-12, 14-12, 11-3, 11-8; Desai bt Sudhanshu Grover (Del) 9-11, 11-3, 1-11, 11-6, 11-9.

Women (final): Archana Kamath (Pet) bt Ayhika Mukherjee (RBI) 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8; (semifinals): Archana bt Yashini Sivashankar (TN) 11-9, 11-4, 11-6, 11-6; Ayhika bt Sayali Wani (Mah) 11-4, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9; (quarterfinals): Archana bt Poymantee Baisya (Rlys) 11-3, 11-7, 11-8; Yashini bt Pritha Vartikar (Mah) 11-3, 12-10, 11-13, 11-8; Sayali bt Anjali Rohilla (Har) 8-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4; Ayhika bt Yashaswini Ghorpade (Kar) 13-11, 11-8, 8-11,11-8.

Boys under-19 (final): Jash Modi (Mah) bt Ankur Bhattacharjee 7-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 5-0 (conceded); (semifinals): Ankur bt Sarth Mishra (UP 11-9, 14-12, 11-4; Jash bt Bodhisatwa Chaudhury (Ben) 11-6, 11-5, 6-11, 11-4; (quarterfinals): Ankur bt P. B. Abhinand (TN) 11-9, 6-11, 11-5, 11-3; Mishra bt Shankhadeep Das (Ben) 12-10, 12-10, 11-7; Chaudhury bt K. J. Akash (Kar) 12-10, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7; Jash bt Divyansh Srivastava (UP 11-8, 11-9, 11-3.

Girls under-19 (final): Pritha Vartikar (Mah) bt Suhana Saini (Har) 11-8, 11-13, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, 11-5; (semifinals): Suhana bt Suhani Mahajan (UP) 11-7, 11-6, 11-9; Pritha bt Sayali Wani (Mah) 11-4, 11-5, 11-9; (quarterfinals): Suhana bt K. Disha (UP) 11-8, 11-8, 12-10, 11-4; Suhani bt Nandini Saha (WB) 11-6, 3-11, 11-4, 2-11, 11-8; Sayali bt Ananya Chande (Mah) 11-8, 5-11, 11-4, 11-7; Pritha bt Syndrela Das (WB) 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9.