The Hindu : Sport / Table Tennis : Ankita Das takes youth girls’ title

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Sport - Table Tennis

Ankita Das takes youth girls’ title

Rakesh Rao

Sharath loses in pre-quarterfinals

Poulomi and Mouma Das in doubles final
Soumyajit loses in youth boys’ final

INDORE: Indians fell in a heap with World No. 74 Sharath Kamal being the biggest casualty on what turned out to be a highly disappointing day for the host in the $30,800 Indian Open ITTF Pro Tour event here on Saturday.

Once Sharath blew away a 3-1 lead and a matchpoint in the sixth game to suffer a stunning loss to Iran’s Mehran Ahadi after being directly seeded into the pre-quarterfinals, Singapore captured all four semifinal spots.

Seven out of eight Indians lost in the pre-quarterfinal and the lone survivor, Anirban Nandi, surrendered to Ma Liang in the quarterfinal.

In the women’s semifinal, Madhurika Patkar was the lone Indian after she scored her first career-victory over third seed and former National champion Poulomi Ghatak.

On the brighter side, Poulomi and Mouma Das upstaged the top- seeded Singaporean pair of Sim Kai Xin Zena and Yu Meng Yu to reach the doubles final and second-seeded Sharath and Subhajit Saha took their allotted place in the men’s doubles final.

In the day’s last match, National junior champion Ankita Das avenged the loss suffered to National champion K. Shamini in the women’s singles first-round and posted a 4-3 victory in the gruelling Youth girls’ title-match.

Soumyajit Ghosh expectedly lost in the Youth boys’ final.

Big disappointment

However, Sharath’s defeat clouded all other performances. Sharath played the match feeling heavy in the feet and eventually left his supporters feeling heavy in the heart.

The lanky Indian raced away with the first two games before Ahadi managed to sort out his problems with the fourth seed’s serve and claimed the third game.

Ahadi, who lost to Sharath in the Olympic qualifiers last March, produced some amazingly consistent blocks, returned far too many balls than the Indian expected.

“I am feeling really bad that I’ve let down all my supporters here,” was how a crestfallen Sharath reacted after the unexpected loss.

The results (Indians unless stated):

Men’s singles: Quarterfinals: Gao Ning (Sin) bt Mohammadreza Akhlaghpasand (Iri) 11-13, 11-3, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8; Cai Xiao Li (Sin) bt Mehran Ahadi (Iri) 8-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-4; Ma Liang (Sin) bt Anirban Nandi 11-4, 8-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-6; Yang Zi (Sin) bt Tse Ka Chun (Hkg) 11-9, 11-6, 11-13, 13-11, 11-8.

Pre-quarterfinals: Gao Ning bt Soumyajit Ghosh 11-6, 13-11, 11-4, 11-7; Akhlaghpasand bt Pathik Mehta 11-2, 11-6, 11-6, 11-3; Cai Xiao Li bt Jubin Kumar 11-4, 11-8, 7-11, 12-10, 5-11, 11-5; Ahadi bt Sharath Kamal 1-11, 6-11, 11-3, 7-11, 11-4, 13-11, 11-9; Liang bt Mohammad Bayrampour (Iri) 11-5, 11-9, 11-8, 13-11; Nandi bt Subhajit Saha 13-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-6; Chun bt Sourav Chakraborty 12-10, 4-11, 13-11, 11-5, 6-11, 6-11, 11-7; Yang Zi bt A. Amalraj 11-8, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8.

Doubles: Semifinals: Gao Ning & Yang Zi (Sin) bt Mehran Ahadi & Mohammadreza Akhlaghpasand (Iri) 11-7, 11-6, 11-8, 12-14, 11-5; Sharath Kamal & Subhajit Saha bt Cai Xiao Li & Pang Xue Jie (Sin) 12-10, 7-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-4, 8-11, 11-5.

Women’s singles: Quarterfinals: Yu Meng Yu (Sin) bt Mouma Das 11-7, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5; Ng Sock Khim (Mas) bt K. Shamini 11-8, 11-7, 11-13, 11-5, 11-8; Madhurika Patkar bt Poulomi Ghatak 11-9, 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9; Beh Lee Wei (Mas) bt Kasturi Chakraborty 11-4, 13-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8.

Doubles: Semifinals: Mouma Das & Poulomi Ghatak bt Sim Kai Xin Zena & Yu Meng Yu (Sin) 8-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9; Beh Lee Wei & Ng Sock Khim (Mas) bt Pooja Sahashrabudde & Sanya Sehgal 5-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-7, 11-4

Youth Boys (under-21): Final: Ma Liang (Sin) bt Soumyajit Ghosh 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 4-11, 13-11, 11-7. Semifinals: Liang bt Sayan Paul Roy 11-5, 11-4, 11-4, 11-9; Ghosh bt Pang Xue Jie (Sin) 11-8, 11-13, 11-5, 11-8, 11-7.

Youth Girls (under-21): Final: Ankita Das bt K. Shamini 19-17, 11-4, 5-11, 11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 11-9. Semifinals: Shamini bt Ala Shakun (Blr) 11-3, 11-9, 11-3, 11-3; Ankita bt Pooja Sahashrabudhe 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-1.

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