The leading contenders in the women’s team event of the 87th UTT Senior National Table Tennis Championships continued their dominant run as the favourites advanced into the quarterfinals with convincing victories in the pre-quarterfinal round at the Abhay Prashal Stadium on Sunday.
Most ties concluded in identical 3–0 scorelines, highlighting the strength of the top teams in the competition. However, the day also featured several tightly contested individual rubbers that produced moments of drama and resilience.
Among the most notable stories of the round was the spirited effort from the seventh-seeded West Bengal team, which fielded a youthful lineup. Despite their determination and strong performances in patches, they eventually bowed out after a hard-fought encounter against Gujarat.
With the results of the pre-quarterfinals, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB), Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) secured their places in the last eight, underlining the consistency and depth of the country’s strongest table tennis units.
PSPB Begin Campaign in Dominant Fashion
The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) began their campaign with authority, defeating Haryana 3–0.
Yashaswini Ghorpade provided the perfect start for PSPB with a commanding straight-games victory over Suhana Saini, setting the tone early in the tie. Taneesha Kotecha then extended the advantage with a composed performance against Prithoki Chakraborti, winning comfortably to place PSPB firmly in control.
The third rubber proved to be the most competitive contest of the tie. Syndrela Das was pushed hard by Sneha Bhowmick and even dropped the second game. However, the experienced Das held her nerve in the crucial stages, edging the final two games 13-11 and 12-10 to seal the victory and complete a clean sweep for PSPB.
Delhi Overcome Early Resistance
Delhi also progressed to the quarterfinals with a 3–0 win over Assam, though the scoreline did not fully reflect the competitive nature of the opening matches. Lakshita Narang faced a brief challenge from Bhavna Kashyap, who managed to take the third game. Narang, however, quickly regained control and closed the match to give Delhi the lead.
Sayanika Maji followed with a determined performance against Trisha Gogoi, edging a tight third game before securing a four-game victory. Garima Goyal then wrapped up the tie for Delhi with a straightforward straight-games win against Bhumika Kaushik.
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Uttar Pradesh enjoyed one of the smoothest passages into the quarterfinals with a comfortable 3–0 victory over Andhra Pradesh.
Avani Tripathi, Aarti Chaudhary, and Disha all delivered convincing straight-games wins against their respective opponents, ensuring a dominant performance that left little doubt about Uttar Pradesh’s credentials in the competition.
Maharashtra also advanced with a 3–0 victory over Chandigarh, though the tie featured a moment of high drama. Pritha Vartikar gave Maharashtra an early lead with a convincing performance in the opening rubber. However, the second match proved far more intense. Senhora D’Souza faced a stern test from left-handed paddler Vani Sharma, losing the first game before battling back.
The fourth game stretched into a tense finish before D’Souza finally prevailed 15–13, sealing the match and securing the tie for Maharashtra. Ananya Chande then completed the job with a composed straight-games victory in the third rubber. Tamil Nadu produced one of the most dominant displays of the round as they defeated Madhya Pradesh 3–0.
Selena Deepthi, Yashini Sivashankar, and Nithyashree Mani all registered comfortable straight-games wins. Among them, Yashini delivered one of the standout performances of the day with a particularly commanding display.
Karnataka also secured a 3–0 win over Telangana, though their tie featured some of the most competitive rallies of the day. Kushi Viswanath edged a tense opening game 15–13 before eventually winning in four games. In the third rubber, Sahana Murthy demonstrated impressive resilience, recovering from a deficit to win a five-game battle and complete the sweep.
Gujarat End West Bengal’s Campaign
Despite the 3–0 result, Gujarat were made to work hard by a determined West Bengal side.
In the opening match, Subhankrita Datta had Gujarat’s Radhapriya Goel under serious pressure after taking a 2–1 lead. However, Goel staged a strong comeback to win the deciding game and give Gujarat the advantage. The final rubber proved equally dramatic. Frenaz Chipia found herself two games down against Sampriti Roy but mounted an impressive recovery to win the decider 11–9, sealing the tie and ending West Bengal’s campaign.
RBI Complete Quarterfinal Line-up
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rounded off the pre-quarterfinal action with a 3–0 victory over Odisha. Odisha’s Neha Kumari briefly threatened an upset by taking the opening game against international star Sreeja Akula, but Akula quickly regained control to turn the match around and secure the win.
Ayhika Mukherjee and Diya Chitale followed with convincing straight-games victories to complete the tie and confirm RBI’s place in the quarterfinals.
With the women’s quarterfinal line-up now finalised, attention will shift to the men’s team pre-quarterfinals, where another exciting phase of competition awaits at the championships in Indore.
