West Zone Table Tennis: Preyesh Raj, Priyanuj and Suhana win titles

Preyesh and Priyanuj won in straight games to lift sub-junior and cadet boys’ crown, while Suhana wiped off a 2-0 deficit to win sub-junior girls’ final.

Preyesh Raj (in picture) won the sub-junior boys' title with a straight-games victory.

Jennifer Varghese made the first final of a national ranking tournament count by converting it into her maiden cadet girls’ title on the concluding day of the UTT West Zone National Ranking Table Tennis tournament on Sunday.

On a hectic Sunday at the Smt. Sulochanadevi Singhani School where cadet (under-12) and sub-junior (under-15) boys and girls played six rounds each, Maharashtra’s Jennifer held her nerves to edge past Sharvani Nagan of Tamil Nadu in the match of the day.

The 11-year-old paddler who trains under Ujwal Wani at the Titan Club in Nagpur showed her mettle and composure in the decider. Thanks to her rally game, she registered a narrow 10-12, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 3-11, 11-9 win before bursting into celebratory tears.

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While S. Preyesh Raj of Tamil Nadu and Priyanuj Bhattacharya of PSPBA rolled over their respective opponents in straight games to win the sub-junior and cadet boys’ crown, respectively, Haryana’s Suhana Saina wiped off a 2-0 deficit to overcome familiar foe Lakshita Narang of Delhi 4-2 in the sub-junior girls’ final.

Suhana, having barely recovered from a viral infection, used the depth of the table well to force Lakshita into errors and win her second zonal title of the season.

While the Maharashtra paddlers will start vying for honours in the State Championship in Pune from Sunday evening, the national caravan will move to Bhavnagar for the Central Zone national ranking tournament, starting November 7.