Dharwad, August 26, 2013: Reigning national champion
Soumyajit Ghosh added yet another feather to his cap when he beat Anthony
Amalraj 4-1 to retain the men’s singles title, while it was a double delight
for K. Shamini, the women’s national champion, at the LIC-sponsored
Institutional Table Tennis Championships at the District Indoor Hall here
on the concluding day on Tuesday. The winners carried home Rs. 75,000 and Rs.
58,000, respectively.
Shamini won the women’s singles crown 4-0 in a one-sided
final against Poulomi Ghatak. Before that she had claimed the women’s doubles
title, combining with Madhurika Patkar.
Both men and women singles finals saw the PSPB team mates
competing with each other, but it was Bharat Petroleum’s Ghosh who won the
honours. After a brilliant start, Ghosh lagged behind in the second against
Amalraj and eventually lost the game. But Ghosh, who can never be counted out,
retained his flavor to win the third game, despite being 4-7 down. Amalraj,
showing occasional brilliance, was definitely struggling against an expressive
Ghosh who kept indulging his opponent. In the decider, Ghosh just allowed
Amalraj six points to wrap it up quickly.
“I had a nice rhythm going and I cashed in on it. After
winning the third game, I grew in confidence,” said the champion. Amalraj, on
the other hand, admitted to have committed several errors, forced and unforced,
at crucial junctures. “I was not in my groove today. I tried to control the
game, but Ghosh was too good,” he said.
As for the Shamini-Poulomi final, the national champion did
not have to sweat it out at all. On the day, Shamini went great guns
demolishing whatever little challenge that came from Poulomi, who was playing
from her memories. “I played really good. I kept attacking and it paid
dividends,” said Shamini.
But the real feeling of watching a grand final in the men’s
section came when Anthony Amalraj had to endure a tough Nitin Thiruvengadam of
Airports Authority of India in the second semifinals. The match was within
Nitin’s grasp as he had a comfortable lead of 3-1. In fact, he should have
clinched it in sixth game, but missed a match point at 10-9, then at 11-10,
when Amalraj saved one before levelling the set score 11-11.
The fighting Amalraj smelt his chance and took the next two
points to remain the match. And in the decider, he led 7-4 before conceding
three points to Nitin. But that was all the latter could manage as Amalraj, in
one of the finest comebacks, won the last three games to seal his place in the
final.
In the first semifinal, Soumyajit Ghosh had to put up some
resistance against Harmeet Desai. Though Ghosh won 4-1, the score line does not
suggest his struggle or the way Desai forced his opponent into playing false
strokes in the match. Except for the sixth game, which Ghosh won with relative
ease, every other game saw the top-seed straining every sinew to sail into the
final.
The Shamini-Pooja semifinal was a mismatch of sorts with
Shamini running over her opponent in double quick time. Shamini was not only
stroking well but also controlled the match in a manner that champions are made
of. Pooja, who showed great character against Ankita Das during the
quarterfinals, somehow failed to bring to the table the variety she possesses.
That, in a nut shell, was also her undoing on an important day.
In contrast, No. 2 seed Poulomi Ghatak was struggling a bit
against the attacking Madhurika. But with experience on her side and her
husband Soumyadeep Roy on the bench imparting advice, Poulomi prevailed over
the Mumbai girl. When she made it 1-1, things could have gone either way in the
third. However, some close misses at the net by Madhurika enabled Poulomi come
back in a game that went to 12 points. Yet the Mumbai girl managed to reduce
the margin by taking the fifth game for a 2-3 score. In the six, Poulomi never
allowed any liberty and shut her rival out very quickly.
PSPB sweep doubles crown
The men’s doubles title went Sourav Saha and G. Sathiyan
while K. Shamini and Madhurika Patkar combined to blank out their PSPB
counterparts Ankita Das and Reeth Rishya 3-0.
Results:
Men (Final): Soumyajit Ghosh bt Anthony Amalraj 4-1 (11-9,
5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6);Semifinals: Soumyajit Ghosh bt Harmeet Desai 4-1 (9-11,
11-6, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6), Anthony Amalraj bt Nitin Thiruvengadam (AAI) 4-3
(7-11, 11-9, 15-17, 10-12, 11-7, 13-11, 11-7).
Doubles (Final): Sourav Saha/G. Sathiyan bt Jubin Kumar/ A.
Amalraj 3-1 (8-11, 11-8, 12-10, 12-10).
Women (Final): K. Shamini bt Poulomi Ghatak 4-0 (11-7, 11-1,
11-8, 11-2); Semifinals: K. Shamini bt Pooja Sahasrabudhe 4-1 (11-6, 7-11,
11-9, 11-5, 11-7), Poulomi Ghatak bt Madhurika Patkar 4-2 (6-11, 11-3, 11-9,
12-10, 8-11, 11-4).
Doubles (Final): K. Shamini/Madhurika Patkar bt Ankita
Das/Reeth Rishya 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-5).
A TTFI Press release
