The 87th UTT Senior National Table Tennis Championships began at the Abhay Prashal Stadium in Indore on Saturday, with the opening two rounds of the men’s and women’s team events largely unfolding along expected lines.
Several traditional powerhouses asserted their dominance early, registering convincing victories and positioning themselves strongly for qualification to the knockout stages.
The prestigious domestic championship, one of the most important competitions on the Indian table tennis calendar, brought together leading paddlers and state teams from across the country. The first day of action saw dominant performances from several institutional and state teams, though a few closely contested ties added excitement to the proceedings.
Men’s Teams Stamp Their Authority
In the men’s team event, several leading contenders made commanding starts. The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) set the early pace in Group A, delivering two clinical 3–0 victories over Andhra Pradesh and Punjab. Their dominant performances underlined the depth and experience within the institutional side.
Meanwhile, the Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) established control in Group B. Railways defeated Rajasthan 3–1 before comfortably brushing aside Gujarat 3–0, signalling their intent to challenge for the title once again. West Bengal also began strongly in Group C, securing consecutive 3–1 victories over Uttarakhand and Odisha. Their balanced lineup allowed them to maintain control in both encounters and take an early lead in the group.
In Group D, Telangana emerged as the early leader with impressive wins over Chhattisgarh (3–0) and Madhya Pradesh (3–1). The team demonstrated strong coordination and consistency across all rubbers to maintain a perfect start.
Delhi Edge Thrilling Tie Against Maharashtra
The most gripping contest of the day came in Group E, where Delhi edged Maharashtra 3–2 in a dramatic encounter. Both teams had opened their campaigns with comfortable victories, setting up a highly anticipated clash between two evenly matched sides.
Delhi initially took the lead in the tie, but Maharashtra responded strongly to level the contest. The turning point came in the fourth rubber when Kushal Chopda defeated Sudhanshu Grover in a tense five-game battle.
Chopda prevailed 11–6, 5–11, 11–6, 8–11, 13–11, bringing the tie level at 2–2 and forcing a decisive fifth rubber. His performance was particularly impressive as he managed to win both his singles matches on the day, keeping Maharashtra firmly in the contest. With everything riding on the final rubber, Shivjit Singh Lamba stepped up for Delhi. Showing composure under pressure, he defeated Anish Sontakke 11–6, 13–11, 12–10 to clinch the tie for Delhi and ensure his team maintained its winning momentum.
Dominant Wins Across Other Groups
Elsewhere in the men’s competition, Mizoram and Assam dominated Group F, registering clean sweep victories in their respective matches. Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu also advanced smoothly in Group G, both teams recording emphatic 3–0 wins to strengthen their chances of reaching the knockout stages.
In Group H, Haryana and Karnataka began their campaigns on a positive note with convincing victories over Daman & Diu and Chandigarh, respectively.
Watch Indian Live Scores and Play Quiz – Download IndiaSportsHub App
The women’s team event followed a similar trend, with several top teams asserting early dominance. PSPB, RBI, and Maharashtra each registered successive 3–0 victories, highlighting their strength and depth in the competition. In Group C, Tamil Nadu delivered commanding performances to defeat Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh, establishing themselves as early leaders in the group.
West Bengal and Delhi also impressed with comfortable victories in their respective groups, maintaining clean records in the opening rounds.
While many matches were one-sided, a few tightly contested ties provided moments of drama on the opening day. One such encounter saw Karnataka narrowly defeat Assam 3–2, while Uttar Pradesh secured a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Odisha in another closely fought contest. These results demonstrated that even in the early stages of the championship, several teams remain capable of challenging the favourites.
Ladakh Teams Await Their Start
Meanwhile, the men’s and women’s teams from Ladakh are yet to begin their campaign after arriving a day late due to a flight cancellation. They are scheduled to play their group matches later in the evening following the tournament’s inauguration ceremony. With the opening rounds now complete, the championship has begun largely on predictable lines, with established teams asserting their dominance early.
However, as the competition progresses toward the knockout stages, the intensity is expected to rise significantly.
For now, teams like PSPB, RSPB, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal have set the early pace, while emerging sides will look to challenge the traditional powerhouses as the tournament unfolds in Indore.
