Day four of the first UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the SAMA Indoor Stadium produced the tournament’s biggest upset so far, as eighth seed Ritvik Gupta of Jammu & Kashmir toppled top seed Sarthak Arya of Odisha 3-2 in a tense U-17 boys’ singles quarterfinal.
The result blew the top half of the draw wide open, even as the U-17 girls’ competition stayed largely in line with expectations. Ritvik began with purpose, taking the opening game before Sarthak struck back. The J&K youngster reclaimed the lead at 2-1, only to see Sarthak level the match in a nail-biting fourth game (12-10). In the decider, Ritvik’s composure under pressure saw him edge through by the narrowest of margins, sealing the biggest win of his young career.
The upset set the tone for a day in which several seeded players were made to sweat. Karnataka’s Atharva Nawarange pushed PSPBA’s Sahil Rawat to the brink before Sahil eked out a 12-10 win in the final game. PSPBA’s Dhairya Rawat recovered from a slow start to beat Bhaskar Singh Sugra of Delhi 3-1, while Tamil Nadu’s M. Nikhil Menon overcame an early game loss to defeat Soham Mukherjee of West Bengal by the same margin.
In the pre-quarterfinals, Sarthak had survived a five-game test from Rupam Sardar (West Bengal), and Ritvik had overcome Maharashtra’s Parth Magar 3-1. Bhaskar rallied past Arya Kataria (Gujarat) after dropping the first game, while Dhairya was made to work hard against Rajdip Sen (NCOE), edging a 16-14 finish in the fourth game.
There were commanding wins too Atharva dismissed Himon Mondal (West Bengal) in straight games, and Nikhil eased past compatriot Vishruth Ramakrishnan 3-0. Sahil survived a five-game battle against Haryana’s Vatsal Duklan, and Soham held firm in a nervy decider against PSPBA’s Dhananjay Thakur.
Girls’ Seeds Stay on Course
While the boys’ draw saw upheaval, the U-17 girls’ event unfolded in a more predictable fashion. Top seed Syndrela Das of West Bengal and second seed Divyanshi Bhowmick of Maharashtra both advanced without major scares, joined by fellow seeds Kavya Bhatt (Maharashtra) and Ananya Muralidharan (Tamil Nadu) in the semifinals.
In the quarterfinals, Syndrela dropped the opening game to Naisha Rewaskar (Maharashtra) but found her rhythm to win 3-1. Ananya maintained high intensity to beat Ahona Ray (West Bengal) in straight games, while Kavya and Divyanshi each produced dominant 3-0 victories over Prisha Goel (Delhi) and Tushti Sood (Delhi) respectively.
Earlier in the pre-quarters, Syndrela had quelled a lively challenge from Haryana’s Tanmayee Saha in straight games, while Naisha fought through one of the day’s longest matches to outlast Tanishka Kalbhairav (Karnataka) in five. Ananya overcame a first-game slip against Advika Agrawal (Madhya Pradesh), and Ahona staged a comeback against Avisha Karmakar (West Bengal).
Kavya recovered from losing the first game to beat Shreya Dhar (West Bengal), while Prisha won a series of tight games against Haryana’s Manal Antal. Tushti made short work of Myraa Sangelkar (Maharashtra), and Divyanshi was at her ruthless best in dispatching Anwesha Das (West Bengal).
Quarterfinal Results
U-17 Boys’ Singles
- Ritvik Gupta (J&K) bt Sarthak Arya (Odisha)
- Dhairya Rawat (PSPBA) bt Bhaskar Singh Sugra (Delhi) 6-11, 11-5, 13-11, 11-9
- Sahil Rawat (PSPBA) bt Atharva Nawarange (Karnataka) 11-6, 8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10
- M. Nikhil Menon (TN) bt Soham Mukherjee (WB) 4-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-6
U-17 Girls’ Singles
- Syndrela Das (WB) bt Naisha Rewaskar (Maharashtra) 6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-9
- Ananya Muralidharan (TN) bt Ahona Ray (WB) 11-7, 11-4, 11-6
- Kavya Bhatt (Maharashtra) bt Prisha Goel (Delhi) 11-7, 11-8, 11-6
- Divyanshi Bhowmick (Maharashtra) bt Tushti Sood (Delhi) 11-7, 11-8, 11-4
The contrasting fortunes in the boys’ and girls’ sections highlight the unpredictable nature of youth competition where a single inspired performance can upend the seedings, yet composure and consistency still carry weight in the title hunt.
