Payas retains U-19 title, Bodhistawa bags U-17 crown

Alappuzha, June 23: Delhi’s Payas Jain defeated statemate Yashansh Malik 4-3 to successfully defend his Youth Boys Under 19 singles title in the 83rd Junior and Youth National Table Tennis Championships at the YMCA facilities here today. The win was worth Rs. 72,000 in prize money.

But the win came after toil and sweat in what was one of the best finals in recent times. Even before what both Payas and Yashansh did, Bodhistawa Chaudhury and Preyesh Raj Suresh played out another thrilling final in the Under-17 Boys that the former won to lift his maiden trophy.

In the match between Payas and Yashansh, playing for Delhi together knew each other for 10 years, and it was not surprising that they took the match to the seventh game. But what surprised everyone was the way Yashansh got his shots so well to put Payas in all sorts of trouble.

The big rallies and service winners dominated the final. Payas should have sealed the match when he led 5-1 in the sixth game, but Yashansh staged a remarkable comeback to take it to the decider. In the last game, he led 3-1 before Yashansh changed sides at 5-4. But Payas allowed him just a point before finishing in style when he got going with his backhand flips that fetched him a good number of points.

In the left versus left final in Under-17, Bodhistawa Chaudhury from West Bengal got it all right, particularly with his excellent service and a crucial net-cord point to wrap the match 4-2. The maiden national championships title apart, the Bengal boy carried home Rs. 60,000 in prize money.

The final did not disappoint the spectators one bit as they could see a range of shots, from close to the table to away from the table, long rallies and excellent service variations. Preyesh’s undoing was his backhand which failed to come off as gently as it used to be. But Budhistawa was superb in the afternoon with his executions.

In the last game, he was down 4-7, 8-6. But three good service points brought him back to the stage from where he could dictate terms. At 10-9, he held a match point and when Preyesh deuced, it gave the latter a semblance of a chance.  But it was not to be and the West Bengal lad earned a lucky to lift the trophy.After playing two back-to-back tough matches, including the quarterfinals last night, a much-relaxed Payas went about his task clinically. The top seed did get extended by the talented Ankur Bhattacharjee of West Bengal in the second and third games, but it did not alter the result of the match, as the World No. won 4-0.

Yashansh Malik struggled before overcoming Deepit Rajesh Patil 4-3 in the second semifinal. The Delhi boy was in some trouble after Deepit levelled the match 2-2. Despite the pressure on him, Yashansh kept attacking to unsettle the Maharashtra boy.

Preyesh Raj Suresh struck form in the quarterfinals and semifinals to enter the final in the Under-17 Youth Boys section. The left-hander defeated Khelendrajit Yengkhom of Manipur 4-1 after surging into a 2-0 lead. Though dropped the next game, the Tamil Nadu boy wrapped it up before any further hiccup to post a 4-1 triumph. But the Manipuri lad did exceedingly well to come back in the quarterfinals.

Bodhisatwa Chaudhury from West Bengal, too, dropped one game in the middle, but Shlok Bajaj of Gujarat could not make any headway. Bodhisatwa showed patience and variety on the table, which won him many admirers. However, last night most of the seeded players in both sections exited earlier than expected jeopardising their selection chances and leaving the national selectors in a fix.

Results:

Youth Boys U-17: Final: Bodhistawa Chaudhury (Ben) Preyesh Raj Suresh (TNTTA) 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5, 13-11; Semifinals: Preyesh Raj bt K. Yengkhom (Man) 11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 12-10, 11-6; Bodhistawa Chaudhury (Ben) 11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6, 11-4; Quarterfinals: Khelendrajit Yengkhom (Man) bt Sarth Mishrra (UP) 9-11, 11-9, 14-12, 11-8, 9-11, 10-12, 11-8; Preyesh Raj bt Jash Modi (Mah) 7-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9; Bodhisatwa Chaudhury bt Aadarsh Om Chhetri (Del) 8-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10; Shlok Bajaj bt Punit Biswas (Ben) 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-7.

Youth Boys U-19: Final: Payas Jain (Del) bt Yashansh Malik (Del) 2-11, 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6; Semifinals: Payas Jain bt Ankur Bhattacharjee (Ben) 11-9, 13-11, 12-10, 1-4; Yashansh Malik bt Deepit R Patil (Mah) 11-5, 6-11, 11-13, 11-8, 11-7, 12-10; Quarterfinals: Payas Jain bt Varun Shankar (Telg) 12-10, 11-3, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6; Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Sarth Mishra (UP) 7-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-4, 11-7; Yashansh Malik bt Divyansh Srivastava (UP) 11-6, 11-7, 11-2, 11-2; Deepit Patil bt Aadarsh Om Chhetri (Del) 11-4, 11-8, 11-4, 10-12, 11-6.

TTFI press release

 

 

Qualifier Anshuman packs off 2nd-seed Divyansh

Alappuzha, June 22: As qualifier Anshuman Agarwal from Goa celebrates his 3-2 victory against Divyansh Srivastava, the second seed from Uttar Pradesh must be licking his wounds, mulling over the first-round loss in the 83rd Junior and Youth National Table Tennis Championships at the YMCA facilities, here today.

The UP boy, a potential challenger to top-seed Payas’ hegemony, has to blame it on his lackadaisical performance, and that too, after levelling the score 2-2. To begin with, the Goan lad pushed the envelope beyond his capacity to come out the winner was credible. On the other hand, Divyansh failed to finish his points. In the decider, both had their opportunities and experienced Divyansh should have clinched the game. But a few unforced errors and, in his anxiety to finish, forced himself when he could have kept his cool.

A few other matches in the section witnessed intense battles. Samrath Sharma of Chandigarh posed some problems to Priyanuj Bhattacharyya of Assam when he levelled the score 2-2. The Assam lad, however, won the decider on minimal points to move into the round of 32.  

Tharun Shanmugam of Tamil Nadu, leading 2-0, lost his grip over the round of 64 matches when Soumil Mukherjee of West Bengal seized the moment to win 8-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9. Shivam Chandra of UP made amends in the nick of time to win his first-round match 11-8, 11-8, 4-11, 9-11, 12-10 against P. Yeshwanth of Karnataka.

Fortunately, however, all the eight seeds sailed into the round of 32 in the Youth Boys Under-19 in their first-round matches. Seventh-seed Divyansh Srivastava, despite scratchy, defeated Priyansh Bhati of Rajasthan 3-1 to move up. All the other seeded players went through the motions, but the race could intensify as the rounds get closer to the last-four stages that get underway tomorrow.

Important Results:

Youth Boys U-17 (Round 64): Ankur Bhaattacharjee (Ben) bt Sujan Bharadwaj (Kar) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7; Sarth Mishra (UP) bt Chaitanya Karode (MP) 11-4, 11-5, 11-5; Preyesh Raj Suresh (TNTTA) 11-7, 12-10, 11-8; Jash Modi (Mah) bt Udit Sachdev (Mah) 11-5, 11-7, 11-5; K.J. Aakash (mar) bt Aditya Jain (TTFI) 11-6, 11-8, 11-6; Aadarsh Om Chhetri (Del) bt H. Lalruatsanga (TTFI) 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6; Shankhadip Das (Ben) bt Gaurav Panchangam (Mah) 11-9, 11-3, 11-2; Amshuman Agarwal (Goa) bt Divyansh Srivastava (UP) 11-6, 12-10, 4-11, 9-11, 11-9.

Youth Boys U-17 (Round 64): Payas Jain (Del) bt Manoj Arnav (mah) 11-9, 11-8, 11-7; Varun Balusuri (Telg) 11-4, 11-8, 8-11, 6-11, 11-8; H. Jeho (Miz) bt Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (Asm) 11-3, 11-5, 11-8; Ankur Bhattachaaryee (Ben) bt Kesavan Kannan (Telg) 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8; Deepit R. Patil (Mah) bt Anish Sontakke (Mah) 11-7, 11-6, 11-2; Aadarsh Om Chhetri (Del) bt Anokh G. Nair (Ker) 11-5, 11-6, 11-3; Divyansh Srivastava (UP) bt Priyansh Bhati (Raj) 11-7, 13-11, 10-12, 11-6; Yashansh Malik (Del) bt Samrath Sharma (Chd) 11-5, 11-2, 11-2.

A TTFI press release

First-round clashes fail to raise interests in Jr National TT

 Alappuzha, June 21: The Youth Boys in the Under-17 and Under-19 categories began their trophy campaign on a serious note in the 83rd Junior and Youth National Table Tennis Championships at the YMCA facilities here today.

With 439 matches scheduled for the first day, the business was not usual for all the competitors, especially for the Under-17 boys, who will complete three rounds of their league engagements by tonight. At least a majority of them will, however, get time to relax until the main draw begins tomorrow afternoon. But the Under-19 boys will continue their first-stage action tomorrow morning and finish their decisive third-round contests.

The first-round matches in both sections had fewer surprises as players from weaker states became the whipping boys. But the match between Vijay Malarvannan of TTTA and Vanad Kumar of Punjab raised a few eyebrows as the latter managed to stretch the Tamil Nadu boy. Vijay won 7-11, 11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4 in group 48 in the Under-17 section.

Shreyas Mane of Maharashtra regrouped himself to beat Adhiraja Hazarika of Assam 5-11, 11-9, 4-11, 12-10, 11-3, Haryana’s Naman Arora, trailing 1-2, beat Jyoti Hriday Sharma of Assam 11-4, 9-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-7, and West Bengal’s Praneet Bhaskar outsmarted his TTFI wildcard rival A. Gourisankar 9-11, 14-12, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7.

Some other matches did have fierce competition as one witnessed between Manikandan Sundar of TNTTA and Anish Sontakke of Maharashtra. The former won 6-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9. In group 26, Priyanuj Bhattacharyya of Assam defeated Saptashwa Chakraborty of West Bengal 11-4, 7-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8 to keep his chance of qualifying for the second stage.

Harkunwar Singh of Punjab did really well to come back from a precarious position to outwit Andhra’s Sri Prabhath Sai 11-9, 6-11, 3-11, 11-5, 11-8. Akhilesh Khajuria of Jammu and Kashmir, despite leading 2-1, could not press home the advantage and went down 11-9, 6-11, 11-5, 9-11, 6-11 to Punjab’s Kirsh in his encounter.

SVN Krishna of Andhra had a tricky outing against Aaryan Rawat of Uttarakhand but the former managed to win 14-16, 11-1, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6. Kerala’s Mohammad A Naffil squandered his best opportunity, after levelling the score 2-2, to bow out of the competition when he lost 8-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6, 9-11 in a close match to Soumik Basak of West Bengal.

There was hardly any shift in the Under-19 first-round clashes with the stronger boys going through the motions to win their matches clinically.

A TTFI press release

Lin and Zhu crowned Asian Cup champions

Ahmedabad, September 17: The ITTF-ATTU 30th Asian Cup finals at the TransStadia here today threw up two new champions today, both from China, as Lin Gaoyuan won the men singles title and Zhu Yuling took the women singles crown home. In addition, they also received $7,000 each in cash, the winner’s purse. But the biggest bonus for both was the instant World Cup berths.

Lin defeated compatriot Fan Zhendong, twice finalist, 4-2 but it was the women final between Zhu Yuling and Liu Shiwen, four-time winner, that brought the packed stadium down with the din created by the audience on a day India was playing Australia in the first one-dayer at Chennai. Zhu won 4-3, the match lasting 75 minutes.  

For the fans of India, especially the ones from Ahmedabad, it was a real feast served on a pltter with a variety of Chinese spread. In the men final, top-seed Fan was the favourite to win but the 20-year-old failed to raise his game against a more determined 22-year-old, who was making his maiden Asian Cup appearance.

Matching stroke for stroke, the left-handed Lin played percentage game and drove well with fewer negative give-aways as compared to his rival, a former junior world champion. Unlike the women singles final, this one saw fewer rallies as the two preferred to go for the kill at the first opportunity. Fan did try his best to level the game 2-2 but once Lin went 3-2 up, it was a mere formality for him to finish off in style.

Zhu reign supreme

The fast-paced women singles final with full of long rallies was one of the finest in recent time. The top-seeded Liu, with four Asian Cup title wins to her credit, was in some discomfort despite beginning well. But she slowly clawed her way back with precise backhands and equally effective forehands to make it three games apiece. The fourth game win at 12-10 looked like giving her the confidence but the next one went the way of Zhu.

In the decider, Zhu held five match points and playing close to the table, she tackled everything that was sent back to her. Of course, a couple of negatives from Liu too helped her inch closer to victory. In the end, it turned out be an anti-climax when the 22-year-old served for the Asian Cup title point as Liu’s return escaped the edge much to the elation of Zhu.  

For records, this was the sixth occasion when the second seed, who is world No. 3, had beaten the Liu, world No. 3, in their 13 meetings so far. Thus, she also snatched away Liu’s fifth shot at the crown.     

Tickets to World Cups

Left-handed Ishikawa didn’t throw in the towel after being down 0-2. Showed a lot of patience and believing in her experience, the 24-year-old played the match the hard way and conquered Miu Hirano, the only Japanese to become the Asian Champion. In fact, Ishikawa’s deep returns coupled with her proper exploitation of the angles added meat. Yet, the 17-year-old world No. 6 fought back well to make it 3-3. In the decider, Ishikawa ran away with a sizeable lead and held four match points. All that Hirano could do was to bring them down but couldn’t stop Ishikawa from winning 4-3 and booking her World Cup berth as the third player.

Like the women singles third position match, the men singles fight, too, was between lefthander Chen Chien-An of Taipie and right-hander Lee Sangsu of Korea and this time the right got it absolutely right, winning the bronze with a 4-2 verdict and getting World Cup ticket as a bonus.

Sangsu was aggressive and in a hurry to finish off while the Taipei southpaw was unable to hit the groove as his rhythm going haywire. Cashing in on, the Korean surged with a 2-0 lead before Chen arresting it momentarily when he won the third game 12-10. But Sangsu pounced on the opportunities very early and thwarted all possible threats emanating from the left-hander.

Results:

Women: Final: Zhu Yuling (CHN) bt Liu Shiwen (CHN) 6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 11-13, 11-6; Third Position: Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN) bt Miu Hirano (JPN) 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-3, 9-11, 11-8.

Men: Final: Lin Gaoyuan (CHN) bt Fan Zhendong (CHN) 11-7, 7-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5; Third Position: Lee Sangsu (KOR) bt Chen Chien-An (TPE) 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-3, 12-10.

TTFI release

Asian Cup TT: Chinese men and women at it, yet again

Ahmedabad, September 16:  Fan Zhendong joined compatriot Lin Gaoyuan in the men singles final of the of the ITTF-ATTU 30th Asian Cup at the TransStadia here today. Lin first accounted for Taipei’s Chen Chien-An 4-0 and Fan steamrolled Korea’s Lee Sangsu, also by the same margin.

Just before that, top-seeded Liu Shiwen and No. 3 Zhu Yuling ensured that the women singles crown will remain with the Chinese when they entered the final, beating their Japanese rivals.

The men singles semi-finals failed to raise the din as it did in the women matches, especially the one between Liu Shiwen and Kasumi Ishikawa.

Fan and Lin are not the ones to waste time. Focused as they were, they didn’t relax the grip at any point of time during the semis. Fast and furious were their dictum and unable to cope with the pressure their Taipei and Korean opponents succumbed by their accuracy and measured strokes on either flanks.

On their way to the women final, Liu struggled against Kasumi Ishikawa of Japan before winning 15-13, 11-3, 9-11, 13-11, 9-11, 11-6 and Zhu just packed off the other Japanese Miu Hirano packing in straight games to win 13-11, 11-8, 11-2, 12-10, to make an all-China affair.

Unlike Miu, who had to play three matches on the day, including the playoff challenge round first up, Kausmi had a lot of steam left in her to challenge the supremacy of Liu. In fact, it started off with the first game where Liu won on the third game point. The struggle continued from the third game but the seasoned Chinese put an end to the ordeal in the sixth to grab the final slot.

Just before that Zhu ensured that her entry was not prolonged, knowing well the capabilities of the 17-year-old Japanese. Though she won the first game on extended points, Zhu went 3-0 up very quickly. In the fourth, Miu looked like waging some battle but it was not good enough to keep her Chinese at bay.

In women singles quarterfinals, two matches stood out for tenacity and quality. In the first, No. 2 seed Miu Hirano, who had a play her first match in the challenge round, was visibly tired against Taipei’s Chen Szu-Yu as the 11th seed played exceptionally well to lead 3-2. However, the 17-year-old Japanese turned it around by keeping her opponent engaged with long rallies and tiring out. That was when she went all out and making clever use of flanks beat the stuffing out of Chen to take the next two games.

But what surprised everyone was the way Korean Suh Hyowon stretched top-seed and title favourite Liu Shiwen. The Korean played with the patience of the Chinese and, to a large extent, succeeded in her mission. With her defensive skills coming to the fore, the Korean made things difficult for Liu. Making a lot of unforced errors, she hit the net going for the flat drives.

So much so, the players took every alternative game and despite her 3-2 lead Liu was unable to stop her opponent at that. However, in the decider she called the shots and emerged the deserving winner. 

Both Zhu Yuling and Kasumi Ishikawa quickly disposed of their quarterfinal opponents, Cheng I-Ching and Doo Hoi Ken, respectively, with an identical 4-0 wins.

The men singles quarterfinals, too, went the same way with Lin Gaoyuan and Fan Zhendogn quickly fixing Korean Sangeun Jeong and Japanese Jun Mizutani with 4-1 triumphs. But the other Korean, Lee Sangsu, had to fight till the end to oust Taipei’s Chaung Chih-Yuan.

In the gripping encounter, the fifth seeded Korean led comfortably at 3-1 but the determined sixth seed from Taipei took the battle from there to euqalise, often using his down-the-line backhands to surprise his opponent. However, it was the Korean’s day as he progressed winning the decider with minimal points.

Taipei’s Chen upped the ante in the fifth game to win it 13-11 and replicated it in the next to topple the fourth seed Japanese. Before that, Koki Niwa fought well to first level the score after Chen went 2-1 up.

Earlier in the day, Manika Batra could not sustain the pace and guile of Miu Hirano and went down 1-3 (7-11, 11-8, 8-11, 6-11) in 20 minutes flat to end the Indian challenge .

Coach Massimo Costantini seemed satisfied with the progress of Manika when he said: “We knew the result, but I must say I am impressed with the way she fought against Hirano.”

In the second match, Su Hyowon of Korea accounted for Lee Ho Ching of Hong Kong 3-1 to enter the main draw.

Results:

Women:

Semi-finals: Zhu Yuling (CHN) bt Miu Hirano (JPN) 13-11, 11-8, 11-2, 12-10; Liu Shiwen (CHN) bt Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN) 15-13, 11-3, 9-11, 13-11, 9-11, 11-6.

Quarter-finals: Zhu Yuling bt Cheng I-Ching (TPE) 11-5, 11-3, 11-2, 11-3; Miu Hirano bt Chen Szu-Yu (TPE) 11-13, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 11-3; Kasumi Ishikawa bt Doo Hoi Ken (HKG) 11-9, 12-10, 14-12, 14-12; Liu Shiwen bt Suh Hyowon (KOR) 11-4, 8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-3.

Playoff Challenge: Miu Hirano (JPN) bt Manika Batra (IND) 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6; Su Hyowon (KOR) bt Lee Ho Ching (HKG) 11-9, 11-13, 11-9, 11-9.

Men:

Semi-finals: Lin Gaoyuan (CHN) bt Chen Chien-An (TPE) 11-5, 12-10, 15-13, 11-7;  Fan Zhendong (CHN) bt Lee Sangsu (KOR) 11-5, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7. 

Quarter-finals: Chen Chien-An bt Koki Niwa (JPN) 7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 3-11, 13-11, 13-11; Lin Gaoyuan bt Sangeun Jeong (KOR) 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5; Fan Zhendong bt Jin Mizutani (JPN) 11-8, 11-13, 16-14, 11-5, 11-8; Lee Sangsu bt Chuang Chih-Yuan (TPE) 11-6, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 7-11, 11-9.

Playoff Challenge: Lee Sangsu bt Noshad Alamiyan (IRI) 11-4, 10-12, 11-13, 11-2, 12-10; Chen Chien-An bt Nima Alamian (IRI) 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 11-7.

Sharath WC hopes shattered, Manika lone Indian to enter challenge round

Ahmedabad, September 15: Manika Batra, with three consecutive wins in her group D, brought some smile back on the face of Indian fans but the hopes of A. Sharath Kamal of a World Cup berth lay shattered on a disappointing day for the Indians in the ITTF-ATTF 30th Asian Cup at the TransStadia here today.

Manika lives another day to take on Japanese Miu Hirano in the challenge round for a quarterfinal berth, but for the two male players the challenge ended here tonight. For Sharath, this must have been the worst Asia Cup outing, without a win in his group. However, did manage to take a game off Jun Mizutani in his last match of the evening.

Harmeet, on the other hand, can take heart from the fact that he did post one win out of three matches. In the first round, he beat Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Al-Abbad 3-0 and in the second he ran Iran’s Nima Alamian close in the 2-3 loss.

Of course, it will be a tough ask for Manika, a first-timer in Asian Cup, to beat the player of the calibre of Hirano, who is seeded second here. But she will derive satisfaction of playing the World No. 6, who is all of 17 only.

Manika shook off her early troubles to beat Qatari Aia Mohamed 13-11, 11-8, 11-7 and then Neda Shasavari 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 before beating Thailand’s Suthasini Sawettabut 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-8 in a thriller. After she levelled score, the Indian took a three-point lead at 7-4 before allowing her rival a few liberties. Manika’s luck too held as he got four crucial points, three off the net cord and one from the edge of the table.

The slow start to their league match saw the players cautious in their approach with leading changing hands regularly. After deuce, Manika missed one game point but won it on the second. From there, she never looked back as the former national champion the next two games easily.

The rot set in when A. Sharath Kamal first went down to Korean Lee Sangsu 0-3 in men singles and then followed it up with the second round loss to Chinese Lin Gaoyuan in group C matches. Later in the evening Mizutani beat him 11-5, 11-3, 8-11, 11-8.

The Korean proved too hot for Sharath to handle as the ninth-seeded Indian had no answers to the fifth seed. He kept using the backhand drives forcefully down the line and clever forehands to the far left off Sharath. There was an occasion when Sharth led briefly in the second game when power interruption broke his rhythm and the Korean was back in business as he shut out the Indian rather easily.

But the story of the morning session was Taipei’s Chen Chen-An who upset top-seed Chinese Fan Zhendong in men singles in group A. The No. 9 seed, who had surprised then Olympic champion Zhang Jike a few years ago, outsmarted Fan. The Chinese had made a fine recovery and went up 8-5. But he let Chen-An claw his way back and level at 8-8. A service error saw the Taipei paddler go 9-8 up and from there the match was going only one way as Chen-An won 13-11, 11-7, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8.

Similarly, there was yet another upset when Chen Szu-Yu of Taipei shocked Feng Tianwei of Singapore 3-2 in a see-saw women singles battle. Feng, who is no stranger to India, was at Jaipur two years ago and had a top-of-the-podium finish beating Liu.

List of Qualifiers:

Men:

Group A: Koki Niwa (JPN), Fan Zhendong (CHN); Group B: Chuang Chih-Yuan (TPE), Jeong Sanguen (KOR); Group C: Jun Mizutani (JPN), Lin Gaoyuan (CHN).

Women:

Group A: Zhu Yuling (CHN), Doom Hoi Kem (HKG); Group B: Liu Shiwen (CHN), Cheng I-Ching (TPE); Group C: Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN), Chen Szu-Yu (TPE).

Playoff Challenge:

Men: Noshad Alamiyan (IRI) vs Lee Sangsu (KOR), Nima Alamian (IRI) vs Chen Chien-An (TPE).

Women: Miu Hirano (JPN) vs Manika Batra (IND); Lee Ho Ching (HKG) vs Su Hyowon (KOR).

Results:

Men:

Group A (1st Round): Chen Chien-An (Tpe) bt Fan Zhendong (Chn) 3-2, Koki Niwa (Jpn) bt Ho Kwan Kit (Hkg) 3-2. 2nd Round: Fan Zhendong bt Koki Niwa 3-1, Chen Chien-An bt Ko Kwan Kit 3-2. 3rd Round: Koki Nawa bt Chen Chien-An 3-0, Fan Zhendong bt Ho Kwan Kit 3-0.

Group B (1st Round): Jeong Sangeun (Kor) bt Wong Chun Ting (Hkg) 3-1, Chuang Chih-Yuan (Tpe) bt Noshad Alamiyan (Iran) 3-1, 2nd Round: Chuang Chih-Yuan bt Wong Chun Ting 3-0, Jeong Sangeun bt Noshad Alamiyan 3-2.  3rd Round: Chuang Chih-Yuan bt Sangeum Jeong 3-0, Noshal Alamiyan bt Wong Chun Ting 3-2.

Group C (1st Round): Jun Mizutani (Jpn) bt Lin Gaoyuan (Chn) 3-2, Lee Sangsu (Kor) bt A. Sharath Kamal (Ind) 3-0. 2nd Round: Jun Mizutani bt Lee Sangsu 3-0, Lin Gaoyuan bt A. Sharath Kamal 3-0. 3rd Round: Jun Mizutani bt Sharath Kamal 3-1, Lin Gaoyuan bt Lee Sangsu 3-0.

Group D (1st Round): Nima Alamian (Iran) bt Padasak Tanviriyavechakul (Tha) 3-2, Harmeet Desai (Ind) bt Abdulaziz Al-Abbad (Saudi) 3-0. 2nd Round: Nima Alamian bt Harmeet Desai 3-2, Padasak Tanviriyavechakul bt Abdulaziz Al-Abbad 3-2. 3rd Round: Padasak Tanviriyavechakul 3-2, Nima Alamian bt Abdulaziz Al-abbad 3-0.

Women:

Group A (1st Round): Zhu Ling (Chn) bt Do Hoi Kem (Hkg) 3-0, Miu Hirano (Jpn) bt Yu Mengyu (Sgp) 3-1. 2nd Round: Zhu Yuling bt Miu Hiano 3-0, Doo Hoi Kem bt Yu Mengyu 3-0. 3rd Round: Zhu Yuling bt Yu Mengyu 3-0, Doo HoiKem bt Miu Hirano 3-2.

Group B (1st Round): Liu Shiwen (Chn) bt Yang Haeum (Kor) 3-0, Cheng I-Ching (Tpe) bt Lee Ho Ching (Hkg) 3-1. 2nd Round: Liu Shiwen bt Cheng I-Ching 3-0, Lee Ho Ching bt Yang Yaeum 3-2. 3rd Round: Liu Shiwen bt Lee Ho Ching 3-1,Cheng I-Ching bt Yang Haeun 3-0.

Group C (1st Round): Kasumi Ishikawa (Jpn) Suh Hyowon (Kor) 3-2, Chen Szu-Yu (Tpe) bt Feng Tianwei (Sgp) 3-2. 2nd Round: Chen Szu-Yu bt Suh Hyowon 3-1, Kasumi Ishikawa bt Feng Tianwei 3-1. 3rd Round: Kasumi Ishikawa bt Chen Szu-Yu 3-0, Suh Hyowon bt Feng Tianwei 3-2.

Group D (1st Round): Manika Batra (Ind) bt Aia Mohamed (Qat) 3-0, Suthasini Sawettabut (Tha) Neda Shasavari 3-0. 2nd Round: Suthasini Sawettabut bt Aia Mohamed 3-0, Manika Batra bt Neda Shasavari 3-0. 3rd Round: Manika Batra bt Suthasini Sawettabut 3-2.

Positive Sharath confident of a World Cup berth

Ahmedabad, September 14: A thoroughbred that A. Sharath Kamal is, he was counting on the positives than the negatives soon after he was drawn in group C of ITTF-ATTF 30th Asian Cup on Thursday afternoon.

“Even if I finish second in my group, I am sure of making the semi-final cut,” said the ace paddler, who is seeded ninth here.

That was the confidence and character that spoke volumes of the Indian paddler who is currently ranked No. 47 in the world and on whom the entire country’s focus would for the next three days as one of the biggest continental events gets underway at the TransStadia from tomorrow.

Drawn in a group that has Japanese Jun Mizutani, the No. 2 seed, Korean Lee Sangsu and Chinese Lin Gaoyun, the seventh seed, one would have thought it is a tough ask for the Indian, particularly when he takes on the Korean in his opening match. Yes, Sharath has beaten him on a few occasions before and twice ran him close in recent times.

Understandably, Sharath was not thinking about that as much except admitting that the first match tomorrow would really set the tone for booking next month’s World Cup ticket in Belgium. He has dealt with the Gaoyuan, too, a few times before with an impressive track record. But he did admit in as many worlds that Japanese Mizutani would be a hard nut crack, simply because of the potent service weapons he possesses. “This guy is too good with his a variety of serves,” said Sharath.

However, he knows full well the pressure of playing in front of a crowd but he believes it is also his strength. He recalled the vociferous support he received at Jaipur in 2015. “I can hope to get a good support from the home crowd. I have shaped up well for the big event and have had good practice before coming here,” he said.

If Sharath manages to win his first game against the Korean, he has every chance of finishing the group behind the Japanese and that would, in effect, help the Indian avoid running into the Group A and Group B toppers in the quarter-finals.

The top-three finishers here will earn an automatic berth in the men’s world Cup to be held in October at Liege (Belgium), but more berths will be on offer depending on where the players finish in their ranking when the final list is compiled.

Coming to the other Indian on view, Harmeet Desai, who is turning out here on the regional quota and drawn in group D. He has Thailand’s Padasak Tanviryavechakul, Iran’s Nima Alamian and Abdulaziz Al-Abbad from Saudi Arabia for company. But whoever qualifies from the group will run into the third finishing player from group A and C in a single play-off match that will determine the last two spots of quarter-finalists. They will join two quarter-finalists each from group A and C in the main draw.

As for No. 13 seed Manika Batra, the lone Indian woman gaining a slot through the regional quota, has her task cut out in group D. She has the Thai Suthasini, Qatari Aia Mohamed and Neda Shahsavari of Iran. In fact, all of them are far behind her in ranking and hence seeded behind her. This must give some hope to the former national champion, who is ranked 104 in the world. Manika did really well to win the national ranking title just the previous week at Dharwad and it has done a world of good to her confidence.

But nobody has done as well as Liu Shiwen, a four-time winner of Asian Cup. In addition, the Chinese top seed has won the Women’s World Cup as many times and that makes her favourite for the title. In fact, Liu has a great opportunity to surpass the record of Zhang Yining and qualify directly for the World Cup to be staged in Toronto later this year. The other contenders in fray here would only be fighting out for the remaining two spots.

The Asian Cup groupings:

Men:

Group A: Fan Zhendong (CHN), Koki Niwa (JPN), Chen Chien-An (TPE), Ho Kwan Kit (HKG).

Group B: Wong Chun Ting (HKG), Chuang Chih-Yuan (TPE), Jeong Sanguen (KOR), Noshad Alamiyan (IRI).

Group C: Jun Mizutani (JPN), Lee Sangsu (KOR), Lin Gaoyuan (CHN), A. Sharath Kamal (IND).

Group D: Harmeet Desai (IND), Padasak Tanviriyavechakul (THA), Nima Alamian (IRI), Abdulaziz Al-Abbad (KSA).    

Women:

Group A: Zhu Yuling (CHN), Miu Hirano (JPN), Doo Hoi Kem (HKG), Yu Mengyu (SGP).

Group B: Liu Shiwen (CHN), Cheng I-Ching (TPE), Yang Haeun (KOR), Lee Ho Ching (HKG).

Group C: Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN), Feng Tianwei (SGP), Suh Hyowon (KOR), Chen Szu-Yu (TPE).

Group D: Suthasini Sawettabut (THA), Manika Batra (IND), Aia Mohamed (QAT), Neda Shahsavari (IRI).

TTFI release

Loyola girls reign supreme in BB Yadav TT

Patna: Loyola High School won the girls’ team event title of the BB Yadav Memorial Inter-School Table Tennis Tournament defeating DAV School (Board Colony) 3-2 in a pulsating final at Bihar Young Men's Institute hall here on Saturday.

In the boys' section, St Xavier's School "A", DAV Board Colony "B", St Michael's School "A" and DAB Board Colony "A" cruised into the team event semifinals'

Singles matches also began today as in the sub-junior boys' section, Mohit, Shivam Puskar, Siddarth, Sagar. Vidhan, Priyanshu, Raj Chakraborty amd Mehul Kumar moved into the second round winning their respective first round matches. 

Earlier, in the girls’ team semifinals, DAV Board Colony beat Litera Valley 3-0 and Loyola High School "A" beat St Michael's School 3-0.

St Xavier's School 'A' in BB Yadav TT quarterfinals

Patna: St Xavier's School "A" team entered the quarterfinals of the boys' team event of the BB Yadav Memorial Inter-School Table Tennis Tournament at the Bihar Young Men's Institute Hall here on Friday.

In girls' section DAV School (Electricity Board Colony) occupied their place in the semifinals.

Earlier, Bihar Table Tennis Association (BTTA) vice president KM Sinha inaugurated the tournament. Organising secretary Tarun Kumar, former state champion Somnath Roy and Raj Kumar Singh were present on the occasion.

In boys’ section, St Xavier's School  beat St Michael's School 3-0 (Adil Ibrahim beat Raj Shekhar 11-7, 11-5, 11-7, Kumar Aayush beat Hajma 11-9, 13-11, 11-7 while the pair of Adil and Vikas beat the pair of Sagar and Hajma 11-6, 11-6, 11-7).

In girls' section team event, DAV beat Loyola High School B 3-0 (S Priya beat Rashmi Rathi 8-11, 11-2, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, Twinkle beat Komal 11-4, 11-1, 11-5 and Twinkle and A Priya beat Rashmi and Srishti 11-5, 11-6, 11-5).

Other results (girls): Litera Valley beat Krishna Niketan 3-2, Loyola School "A" beat Litera Valley 3-2

Boys: St Xavier's beat St Michael's 3-0, St Xavier's beat Litera Valley 3-0 and St Michael's beat Litera Valley 3-0.

Coal India-SAI National TT Academy MoU signed

New Delhi, May 4: Taking yet another positive step, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Coal India Limited (CIL) and the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) for an ultramodern all-encompassing academy, to be set up in Kolkata.

The MoU is initially for a period eight years and could be extended on mutual agreement of the parties concerned and it was signed by Roque Dias, Executive Director (Special Project Cell), S.N. Singh, General Manager CIL and Dushyant Chautala, MP and president of TTFI at Shastri Bhavan on Tuesday in the presence of Injeti Srinivas, Secretary Sports and SAI Director General, Suthirtha Bhattacharya, CIL Chairman-cum-Managing Director and M.P. Singh, Secretary General of TTFI.

Named Coal India-SAI National Table Tennis Academy, it will start functioning from Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium premises of SAI, with Coal India pumping in over Rs. 7 crore towards constructing a training centre that can accommodate 24 tables and house 48 residential trainees, all in the age group of 10-14 years. But come August, the academy will be able to induct 24 residential trainees before gradually increasing its capacity to 48, according to the MoU.

SAI, on its part, will provide adequate space within its Netaji Subhas Eastern Centre at Salt Lake to construct the training centre with all modern facilities, besides appointing support staff, coaches, making available a complete scientific support, flooring, etc. 

Under the MoU, SAI is expected to meet the obligation of appointing two officials, seven coaches, a two-member staff and eight sparring partners, including some from abroad. The space provided for hostel at its premises will be large enough to comfortably accommodate 50 trainees with separate floors for boys and girls.  

CIL, on the other hand, will support the cause financially under CSR and take care of all capital expenditure and sports equipment and other operating costs for the initial period of three years which is extendable.

“We have been funding various other sports projects under CSR. We are happy to be associated in this academy, which is will be one of its kind in India,” said CIL’s Singh after signing the MoU.

It will be TTFI’s duty to provide all technical assistances, including helping in talent scouting, establishing periodical tie-ups with international coaches and granting affiliation to the academy in order to help its trainees participate in all national ranking championships under the Academy banner. 

This, in turn, will mean that the academy boys are eligible for international exposure as and when selected.

“All parameters to check the quality of coaches and experts and periodical review of trainees will be in place,” said TTFI president Dushyant Chautala.

Since the academy is residential in nature, it will provide for schooling of all its trainees, possibly adopting the open school method with provisions to monitor and supervise the academic progress of trainees on a regular basis.

“As per SAI policy, our idea is to promote all Olympic disciplines because we want a steady stream of international quality players. So table tennis has very good potential and this academy will be one such hub to produce quality players, We also arrange national and international workshops, seminars for trainees, coaches and technical officials to update their knowledge,” said the SAI Executive Director.

Picture caption: 

Sports Secretary Injeti Srinivas, TTFI President Dushyant Chautala and S.N. Singh of CIL afer signing the MoU at Shastri Bhavan as TTFI Secretary  General M.P. Singh and CIL chairman Suthirtha Bhattacharyna look on.

 TTFI release