Ranasinghe ruins India’s party

Sri Lanka’s surprise-packet Uday Ranasinghe prevented India’s much-anticipated gold-medal sweep by claiming the junior boys’ title in the South Asian junior table tennis championship at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium here on Friday.

In the junior girls and cadet sections, it was India all the way and finished with nine of the 10 gold medals at stake in the three-day competition.

Ranasinghe gave the island nation its first ever singles gold medal from the regional event after beating Lalrinpuia 4-2 in the best-of-seven-game final. Even in the semifinal, Ranasinghe surprised Utkarsh Gupta after trailing twice by a set.

Utkarsh and Larinpuia had to be content with the doubles gold that came at the expense of Ranasinghe and Krish Wickramrathne.

The results (Indians unless stated): Junior boys (final): Uday Ranasinghe (SL) bt Lalrinpuia 11-9, 11-5, 4-11, 11-13, 12-10, 14-12. Semifinals: Lalrinpuia bt Krish Wickramrathne (SL) 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, 11-13, 11-5; Ranasinghe (SL) bt Utkarsh Gupta 9-11, 11-8, 1-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8.

Junior boys doubles (final): Utkarsh Gupta & Lalrinpuia bt Uday Ranasinghe & Krish Wickramrathne (SL) 11-2, 11-5, 11-9.

Junior girls (final): Sreeja Akula bt Shruti Amruthe 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-8.

Semifinals: Sreeja bt Ruvin Kanangora (SL) 11-1, 11-7, 11-7, 6-11, 11-2; Shruti bt S.T.M. Priyadarshini (SL) 11-3, 11-8, 11-3, 11-5.

Junior girls doubles (final): Shruti Amruthe & Sreeja Akula bt Ruvin Kanangora & Priyadarshini (SL) 6-11, 11-3, 11-6, 12-10. Cadet boys (final): Manav Thakkar bt Parth Virmani 11-4, 11-4, 9-11, 11-7. Semifinals: Thakkar bt Santoo Shreshtra (Nep) 11-5, 11-8, 13-11; Virmani bt Virinka Hendahewa (SL) 11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 9-11, 14-12.

Cadet girls (final): Shrushthi Helangadi bt Archana Kamath 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7. Semifinals: Archana bt Imesha De Silva (SL) 14-12, 11-7, 11-1; Srushthi bt Hansani Kapoogkiyana (SL) 12-10, 11-6, 11-5.