The doubles finals took center stage on an action-packed day at the 87th UTT Senior National Table Tennis Championships at the Abhay Prasal Stadium, delivering high-quality rallies and dramatic momentum swings as champions were crowned in both categories.
In the men’s final, Jeet Chandra and Anirban Ghosh of RSPB held their nerve to edge past 3-2 teammates Ronit Bhanja and Preyesh Raj Suresh in a gripping five-game contest. After racing to a two-game lead, Jeet and Anirban were pushed to the brink as their opponents clawed back, but they regrouped just in time to seal the title.
The women’s final saw Sutirtha Mukherjee and Kaushani Nath, also of the Railways, put up a composed performance to overcome Avisha Karmakar and Nandini Saha of AAI 3-1. Sutirtha and Kaushani combined consistency with sharp attacking play to close out the match in four games and lift the trophy.
The men’s singles pre-quarterfinals stage delivered a gripping mix of high-quality rallies and notable upsets, with several top seeds falling short of the last-eight lineup. With only the stronger seeds advancing, the men’s draw has opened up significantly, setting the stage for an unpredictable, fiercely contested quarterfinal round.
Top seed Manav Thakkar survived a stern test against teammate Sanil Shetty, winning in four games. However, the round saw multiple seeded casualties. SFR Snehit, Manush Shah, and Divyansh Srivastava were among the prominent names to bow out, underscoring the competitive depth in the draw.
Harmeet Desai, incidentally, is the only surviving former national champion. He was pushed to the limit before edging past Aakash Pal in a five-game thriller, while Ankur Bhattacharjee also came through a hard-fought five-game encounter. Maharashtra’s Kushal Chopda and Raegan Albuquerque impressed, the former clinching a tight decider and the latter advancing in straight games.
In other results, Ronit Bhanja and Jeet Chandra registered strong wins, with Chandra eliminating seeded contender Manush Shah in a five-game battle. Mizoram’s H. Neho was another standout, upsetting Divyansh Srivastava after dropping the opening game.
The women’s singles pre-quarterfinals witnessed largely predictable outcomes, with most top contenders advancing, though a few seeded players fell by the wayside in tightly contested matches.
Top women seed Akula Sreeja (RBI) was tested but prevailed over Shruti Amrute of Maharashtra in four games. Yashaswini Ghorpade and Sutirtha Mukherjee were in dominant touch, registering straight-game wins against Trisha Gogoi (Assam) and Avani Tripathi(UP), respectively. Syndrela Das (PSPB) also cruised through comfortably, underlining her strong form.
Among the more competitive ties, Suhana Saini of Haryana and Yashini Sivashankar of Tamil Nadu dropped a game each before sealing their quarterfinal berths. The standout clash saw Divyanshi Bhowmick fight back from a deficit to overcome Jennifer Varghese in five games. At the same time, second seed Diya Chitale recovered after losing the opening game to advance.
Despite the dominance of seeded players who reached the quarterfinals, a few notable names bowed out earlier than expected. Players like Trupti Purohit, Anannya Basak, and Jennifer Varghese caused brief ripples but could not progress further.
With the Doubles titles decided, attention now shifts to the business end of the tournament. The quarterfinals in both men’s and women’s singles will follow on the penultimate day, while the championship will culminate with three finals—including the mixed doubles—on the final day.
Results:
Men’s Singles:Pre-quarterfinals: Manav Thakkar (PSPB) bt Sanil Shetty (PSPB) 11-9, 11-3,9-11, 13-11; Kushal Chopda (Mah) bt SFR Snehit (Telg) 13-11, 6-11, 11-9, 7-11,11-7; Harmeet Desai (PSPB) bt Aakash Pal (RSPB) 6-11, 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 13-11;Ankur Bhattacharjee (WB) bt Sudhanshu Grover 9Del) 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 11-13,11-6; Raegan Albuquerque (Mah) bt Neil Mulye (Mah) 11-5, 14-12, 11-8; RonitBhanja (RSPB) bt Jash Modi (PSPB) 11-1, 11-3, 4-11, 11-8; H. Neho (Miz) btDivyansh Srivastava (PSPB) 4-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9; Jeet Chandra (RSPB) btManush Shah (RBI) 11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4.
Men’s Doubles: Final: Jeet Chandra/Anirban Ghosh (RSPB) bt Ronit Bhanja/Preyesh Raj Suresh (RSPB) 11-8,11-6, 10-12, 1-11, 11-8.
Semifinals: Jeet/Anirbanbt M.R. Balamurugan/Siddhesh Pande (TN) 11-13, 11-4, 14-12, 11-7; Ronit/Preyesh bt Sanil Shetty/Divyansh Srivastava (PSPB) 7-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-8.
Women’s Singles:Pre-quarterfinals: Akula Sreeja (RBI) bt Shruti Amrute (Mah) 13-11, 11-7, 6-11,11-9; Yashaswini Ghorpade (PSPB) bt Trisha Gogoi (Asm) 111-7, 11-9, 11-4;Suhana Saini (Har) bt Trupti Purohit (Kar) 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9; Sutirtha Mukherjee (RSPB) bt Avani Tripapthi (UP) 11-5, 11-6, 11-8; Syndrela Das (PSPB)bt Anannya Basak (iA&AD) 11-4, 11-4, 11-7; Yashini Sivashankar (TN) bt Anusha Kutumbale (RSPB) 11-6, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9; Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) bt Jennifer Varghese (Mah) 11-6, 5-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-4; Diya Chitale (RBI) bt Tanishka Kalbhairav (Mar) 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-4.
Women’s Doubles: Final:Sutirtha Mukherjee/Kaushani Nath (RSPB) bt Avisha Karmakar/Nandini Saha (AAI)11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5.
Semifinals: Avisha/Nandinibt Aarti Chaudhury/Avani Tripathi (UP) 11-9, 11-8, 11-4; Sutirtha/Kaushani bt Frenaz Chipia/Fatema Kadri (Guj) 11-7, 11-5, 11-7.
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