Prateek Tulsani ofMaharashtra cruised to victory in the Youth Boys Under-13 final, defeatingHimon Mondal of West Bengal 3-0 for the title at the UTT National RankingChampionships held at the Rainbow Khelo India Residential Academy today. Incontrast, Saturya Banerjee of West Bengal staged a remarkable comeback in theYouth Girls Under-13 final to win the gold.
Prateek’s match wasstraightforward as he dominated Himon from the start. Despite a strongchallenge in the first game, Himon was consistently trailing. Prateekeventually secured an easy win, particularly in the second game, and clinchedthe third game, after a close encounter.
Saturya's match was athrilling contest against Tanishka as she led 10-5 in the decisive fifth gameand held five match points. Despite this advantage, Tanishka allowed Saturya tostage a comeback. After a tense deuce, Saturya capitalised on her third matchpoint to win the game and the match, much to the delight of the Bengal camp.
In contrast, Prateekmaintained his composure throughout the match, taking control after the firstgame. Although Himon managed to challenge him in the third game, Prateek stayedfocused and won the crucial points to secure his victory.
Himon Mondal and PrateekTulsani took different routes to reach the Boys' final, while TanishkaKalbhairav and Shariqa Shahid did the same in the Girls' category.
In the Boys' semifinals,Himon struggled initially against Bengal’s Souswarya Banerjee, who won acritical extended game after saving two game points. However, Himon regainedhis form, capitalised on Souswarya’s errors, and ultimately won 2-1. Souswaryafaded in the fourth game, giving Himon an easy victory. Meanwhile, PrateekTulsani dominated Tamil Nadu’s Sanjay Arwindh, who crumbled under pressure.
In the Girls' semifinals,Tanishka Kalbhairav started strong but Shariqa Shahid equalised. Tanishka thenadapted her strategy and won the next two games. Saturya Banerjee, on the otherhand, had a straightforward win over Aarya Deepak, who was too passive to mounta challenge.
The Boys’ quarterfinalswere largely uneventful, with most winners facing minimal resistance.
The Results:
Youth Under-13 Boys:Final: Prateek Tulsani (Mah) bt Himon Mondal (WB) 11-8, 11-6, 13-11. Semifinals:Himon Mondal bt Souswarya Banerjee (WB) 11-13, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6; PrateekTulsani bt J.N.Sanjay Arwindh (TN) 11-6, 11-8, 11-7. Quarterfinals: HimonMondal bt Krish Vinodh (TN) 11-9, 11-7, 11-4; Souswarya Banerjee bt ParamBhiwandkar (Mah) 11-3, 11-5, 11-6; J.N. Sanjey Arwindh bt RishaanChattopadhayay (WB) 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 13-1.
Youth Under-13 Girls:Final: Saturya Banerjee (WB) bt Taniksha Kalbhairav (Kar) 11-8, 10-12, 11-8,9-11, 16-14. Semifinals: Tanishka Kalbhairav bt Shariqa Shahid (WB) 11-6, 8-11,12-10, 11-8; Saturya Banerjee bt Aarya Deepak Redkar (PSPBA) 11-7, 11-4, 11-6. Quarterfinals:Tanishka Kalbhairav bt M. Shaanvi Sri (PSPBA) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8; Shariqa Shahidbt Ishani Gogoi (Asm) 7-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-5; Aarya Deepak Redkar bt Pragnya(PSPBA) 11-5, 11-7, 11-6; Saturya Banerjee bt Aradhya Dhingra (PSPBA) 11-4,11-13, 15-13, 11-4.
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