Team Goemkarponn
Navelim: Sixth seed Sudhanshu Maini of Delhi dominated his quarterfinal match against third seed Divyaj Rajkhowa Roy of Assam in the U17 Boys singles category at the UTT National Ranking Championships held at the Manohar Parrikar Indoor Stadium, Navelim, Goa. Despite resistance from the Assam boy, Sudhanshu quickly shook off a narrow loss in the third game and surged ahead, showcasing superior skills and game awareness.
In the other quarterfinals, the favourites performed as expected. Sarthak Arya from Delhi faced stiff opposition but secured a 3-0 victory over S. Sriram. Punit Biswas of West Bengal also triumphed, defeating Atherva Gupta from Delhi with a similar scoreline.
Finally, P.B. Abhinand from Tamil Nadu routed K. Segal Singh of Manipur, completing a clean sweep for the real contenders in the quarterfinals. Each match underscored the players’ skill and determination as they advanced in the tournament.
In the U17 Girls singles, Syndrela Das encountered minimal resistance from Diya Brahmachary in their quarterfinal match, except for a brief challenge in the second game. Overall, Syndrela maintained control, winning the first game easily. Her rhythm was upset when Diya slowed the pace but she steadied herself and played with authority to secure victory over the Delhi player.
Left-handed Kavya Bhatt initially struggled against Dista Roy of West Bengal, falling behind 0-2. However, she adapted well and delivered a brilliant performance in the next three games, turning the match around to defeat Dista.
Maharashtra’s Divyanshi Bhowmik was on form, easily dispatching her state mate Riana Bhoota. Nandini Saha from West Bengal effectively countered Avani Tripathi from UP, winning in straight games. Although Avani posed challenges in the first and third games, Nandini prevented her from advancing to the semifinals.
Results:
U-17 Boys Singles: Quarterfinals: Sarthak Arya (Del) bt S. Sriram (FCI) 11-6, 12-10, 13-11; Punit Biswas (WB) bt Atherva Gupta (Del) 11-7, 13-11,11-7; Sudhanshu Maini (AAI) bt Divyaj Rajkhowa Roy (Asm) 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5; P.B. Abhinand (TN) bt K. Segal Singh (Man) 11-8, 11-7, 12-10.
U-17 Girls Singles: Quarterfinals: Syndrela Das (WB) bt Diya Brahmachary (Del) 11-8, 10-12, 11-4, 11-6; Kavya Bhatt (Mah) bt Dista Roy (WB) 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-8; Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) bt Riana Bhoota (Mah) 11-4, 11-9, 11-2; Nandini Saha (WB) bt Avani Tripathi (UP) 11-9, 11-7, 13-11.