The Hindu : Sport / Table Tennis : Zubin, Neha clinch titles

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Sport - Table Tennis

Zubin, Neha clinch titles

Special Correspondent

INDORE: Zubin Kumar and Neha Aggarwal clinched the youth boys and girls’ singles crowns respectively in the National youth and junior table tennis championships that concluded at the Abhay Prashal indoor stadium here on Friday.

Fast and furious

In a fast and furious final, marked by the flair of the two left-handers, doubles partners and Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy (PSPBA) mates, Zubin was down 0-2 initially against Devesh Karia. Just when the former seemed set to throw in the towel, he noticed Karia’s attack easing.

Thereafter, it was a drive versus drive duel, Karia’s cavalier-like approach pitted against Zubin’s controlled aggression. The 2-0 lead was a luxury Karia would regret he had let slip. The body-line barrage and to the corners continued, but Zubin, a second year BA student of DAV College, Chandigarh, keen to keep the ball in play, had attitude for a worthy ally enroute to his maiden title.

Neha Aggarwal’s fast serves elicited lobbed returns from Pooja Sahasrabudhe more often than not in the youth girls final, which were invariably smothered by the former’s third or fifth-ball attack.

Low on confidence

Low on confidence until now, the title was more than a shot in the arm for Neha, a first year B.A. student of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.

Pooja Sahasrabudhe’s all-round game and her penchant for adapting to the situation quickly, saw her prevail over Shreya Ghosh in the junior girls’ semifinals earlier in the day.

In the other last four match, Ankita Das, clambered her way back from a first game loss to defeat Sanya Sehgal, who seemed unnerved after losing the second game.

Das meanwhile, mixed her returns well, her backhand pretty effective when directing her pushes all over her rival’s half.

The results:

Boys: Youth: Final: Zubin Kumar bt Devesh Karia (both PSPBA) 7-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-5, 14-12, 11-13, 12-10. Semifinals: Devesh Karia bt G. Sathiyan (TN) 11-6, 12-10, 6-11, 11-6, 11-4; Zubin Kumar bt R. Abishek (TN) 11-3, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9, 13-11. Doubles: Final: Aniket Koparkar/ Sanil Shetty (Mah ‘A’) bt Zubin/ Devesh (PSPBA) 11-9, 11-5, 11-5.

Juniors: Final: Raj Mondal (NB) bt Soumyajit Ghosh (NB) 11-8, 5-11, 6-11, 14-12, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8. Semifinals: R. Mondal bt G. Sathiyan 5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 13-11, 10-12, 11-8; Soumyajit G. bt V. Nitin (PSPBA) 12-10, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 11-2. Doubles: Final: Soumyajit G./ R. Mondal (NB) bt G. Sathiyan/ S. Prasanna (TN) 11-5, 11-7, 12-10.

Girls: Youth: Final: Neha Aggarwal (Del) bt Pooja Sahasrabudhe (Mah A) 11-6, 11-7, 12-10, 4-11, 11-9. Semifinals: Neha A. bt Madhurika Patkar (Mah A) 11-13, 11-3, 11-9, 11-13, 11-3, 13-11; Pooja S. bt Soumi Mondal (RSPB) 11-8, 11-8, 11-7, 11-13, 11-7. Doubles: Final: K. Shamini/ J. Swarna (TN) bt Ashlesha Bodas/ Priti Mokashi (Mah ‘B’) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8.

Juniors: Final: Ankita Das (NB) bt Pooja Sahasrabudhe (Mah ‘A’) 11-9, 10-12, 5-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-4.

Semifinals: Pooja S. bt Shreya Ghosh (WB) 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 11-4; Ankita D. bt Sanya Sehga (Del) 13-15, 14-12, 13-11, 11-1, 11-2. Doubles: Final: Ankita D./ Medha Moitra bt Pooja S./ Mallika Bhandarkar (Mah A) 11-3, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8.

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