The Hindu : Sport / Table Tennis : Agni and Sivananda emerge triumphant

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Monday, Sep 08, 2008
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Sport - Table Tennis

Agni and Sivananda emerge triumphant

Principal Correspondent

— Photo: M. Vedhan

CHAMPIONS: Winners of the 10th State-ranking table tennis tournament on Sunday.

CHENNAI: SDAT-AKG’s U.V. Agni claimed her sixth title of the season with a hard-fought 17-15, 11-13, 3-11, 11-13, 11-9, 11-9, 13-11 victory over Swetha Kumaravel of Indian Bank in the women’s section of the 10th State-ranking table tennis tournament at Hall of TT, Nehru Stadium here on Sunday.

Sivananda Seshadri, the top seed, posted a relatively comfortable 11-8, 11-3, 8-11, 12-10, 11-7 win over R.S. Raja (SDAT-Chandra Academy) to win the men’s crown.

Leading by three games to one, Swetha had the opportunity to close out the match in the fifth, but she faltered. At nine-all in the fifth game, Swetha messed up two forehand shots — missed one completely and dumped the other straight into the net — to gift the game to Agni. That was the lifeline that Agni needed and thereafter she wriggled out of the tough situations like a seasoned player. While Swetha had two match points in the deciding seventh game, Agni capitalised on the one and only match point she had—a well-angled forehand top-spin that forced Swetha to hit it long.

Raja hardly posed a fight to the top seed in the men’s final. Raja played his best in the fourth game; matching Sivananda from the back of the table. But once Raja lost the game 10-12, the match was as good as over. Abinaya Ramesh of Erode won the cadet and mini-cadet girls’ titles.

The results:

Men (final): Sivananda Seshadri (LTTA) bt R.S. Raja (SDAT-C) 11-8, 11-3, 8-11, 12-10, 11-7. Semifinals: Sivananda bt R. Venkataramanan (LTTA) 11-3, 11-9, 11-9, 12-10; Raja bt M. Subash (SRSA) 5-11, 11-8, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 11-3. Youth boys (final): Sivananda Seshadri bt R. Venkataramanan (LTTA) 7-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9. Juniors (final): G. Sathiyan (SDAT-C) bt R. Venkataramanan (LTTA) 12-10, 11-8, 11-6, 3-11, 11-7.

Sub-juniors (final): D. Sameera Kumar (NLC) bt R. Anadhraj (SDAT-AKG) 11-3, 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9. Cadet (final): Sachin Viswanath (Ransa) bt V. Abinay (YMCA-K) 11-9, 11-8, 11-9. Mini-cadet (final): P. Premchand (NLC) bt S. Akash (NLC) 12-10, 11-8, 11-7.

Women (final): U.V. Agni (SDAT-AKG) bt Swetha Kumaravel (IB) 17-15, 11-13, 3-11, 11-13, 11-9, 11-9, 13-11. Semifinals: Agni bt K.K. Narmadha (IB) 11-4, 11-2, 11-4, 10-12, 14-16, 10-12, 12-10; Swetha bt N. Arul Selvi (IB) 11-8, 11-4, 12-10, 11-9. Youth girls (final): Swetha Kumaravel (IB) bt S. Krithicka (Ransa) 11-7, 11-13, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-4. Juniors (final): K.K. Narmadha (IB) bt Sumana R. Krishnan (Ransa) 6-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-9, 10-12, 11-9. Sub-juniors: S. Narasimha Priya (PSBB) bt T. Reeth Rishya (SDAT-AKG) 11-4, 11-8, 7-11, 10-12, 11-13, 13-11, 11-5. Cadet (final): Abinaya Ramesh (Erode) bt S. Krithika Rajan (KGI) 11-2, 11-5, 11-6.