The Hindu : Sport / Table Tennis : Soumyajit and Shamini reign supreme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 23, 2005

Sport

Sport - Table Tennis

Soumyajit and Shamini reign supreme

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: National junior champions Soumyajit Sarkar and K. Shamini won the singles titles in the South Asian junior table tennis championship at the NDMC Indoor Stadium here on Friday.

The boys' final was a battle between Abhishek's defensive skills and Sarkar's all-attacking game. The straight-game final does not really reflect the difference in the playing strengths of the finalists.

Top seed Abhishek, one from the diminishing breed of defensive players, put back many returns standing away from the table but Sarkar, seeded two, was equal to the challenge. Sarkar varied the length of his returns consistently and made his rival err. Abhishek fought hard in the second and fourth games and held a game point at 10-9 but on both occasions, Sarkar claimed the big points.

In the girls' final, Shamini, seeded four, kept Madhurika at bay. She opened up big leads through the first two games before the second-seeded Madhurika tried to make a match of it.

Though Shamini dropped the third and fifth games, she was never threatened in the sixth.

In the morning, Shamini had outwitted Tamil Nadu teammate and top seed J. Swarna in five games. Swarna, however, had the consolation of winning the girls doubles title with Neha Aggarwal and the mixed doubles final in the company of Aniket Koparkar. In fact, Koparkar went on add the boys' doubles title with Devesh Karia.

The results: Boys: singles: final: Soumyajit Sarkar bt R. Abhishek 11-7, 12-10, 11-8, 12-10. Semifinals: Abhishek bt Aman Balgu 6-11, 16-14, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7; Sarkar bt Aniket Koparkar 11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5.

Doubles: final: Aniket Koparkar and Devesh Karia bt Soumyajit Sarkar and Sanil Shetty 11-9, 12-10, 11-9.

Girls: singles: final: K. Shamini bt Madhurika Patkar 11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-5. Semifinals: Shamini bt J. Swarna 11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 14-12. Madhurika bt Salankara Mohalanobish 11-2, 11-3, 11-9, 9-11, 11-4.

Doubles: final: Neha Aggarwal and J. Swarna bt Salankara Mohalanobish and Pallavi Kundu 11-7, 11-7, 11-7.

Mixed doubles: final: Aniket Koparkar and J. Swarna bt Soumyajit Sarkar and Madhurika Patkar 11-7, 13-15, 11-9, 14-12.

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