Dehradun, Oct 2 (IANS) India ended up claiming eight out of 10 titles at the ITTF Indian Open Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships with top seed Soumyajit Ghosh’s win over compatriot Harmeet Desai in the junior boys final being the highlight on the concluding day.
The other two titles went to Thailand and Chinese Taipei, whose paddlers emerged winners in the junior girls and junior girls doubles final at the Maharanapratap Sports College Complex here Sunday. India had made a clean sweep in the team events, winning all four titles on offer.
The most exciting match of the day was between World No.25 Ghosh and Desai, ranked a mere three places below. The pendulum swung from one extreme to the other after Harmeet took the first game. Then it was the turn of Ghosh to go 2-1 up before allowing his rival a 3-2 lead. Ghosh eventually took the next two games for a 4-11, 11-5, 11-6, 14-16, 9-11, 11-3, 11-5 victory and a purse of $1,000.
The two then teamed up to win the doubles crown, beating Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chun-Lin and Lai Yi-Yao 11-7, 11-5, 10-12, 14-16, 11-7.
India’s Ankita Das lost to Piyapon Panak of Thailand 11-8, 7-11, 6-11, 6-11, 12-14 in the junior girls final.
Both the cadet boys and girls finals were an all-Indian affair.
Anuska Dutta had to wage a bold fight against a confident Ayhika Mukherjee to win the cadet girls final 9-11, 8-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-4.
In the the boys category, Abhishek Yadav defeated Utkarsh Gupata 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6. Yadav had won a bronze in the Asian Junior Championships in Delhi in July.
The results:
Junior boys (final): Soumyajit Ghosh bt Harmeet Desai 4-11, 11-5, 11-6, 14-16, 9-11, 11-3, 11-5. (semifinals): Ghosh bt G. Sathiyan 12-10, 11-9, 11-4, 11-5; Desai bt Lee Chun-Lin (Tpe) 14-12, 11-2, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5.
Junior girls (final): Piyaporn Pannak (Tha) bt Ankita Das 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6, 14-12; (semifinals): Piyaporn bt Mallika Bhandarkar 7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7; Ankita bt Yeh-Tung-Yi (Tpe) 11-9, 5-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8.
Cadet boys (final): Abhishek Yadav bt Utkarsh Gupta 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6; (semifinals): Yadav bt X. Lalhunhlua 12-10, 14-12, 11-9; Gupta bt Ayush Tayal 2-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4.
Cadet girls (final): Anuska Dutta bt Ayhika Mukherjee 9-11, 8-11,11-5, 12-10, 11-4; (semifinals): Ayhika bt K. Spoorthy 11-8, 13-11, 9-11, 11-3; Anuska bt Naina 11-9, 11-8, 13-11.
Junior boys’ doubles (final): Soumyajit Ghosh and Harmeet Desai bt Lee Chun-Lin and Lai Yi-Yao (Tpe) 11-7, 11-5, 10-12, 14-16, 11-7; (semifinals): Ghosh and Desai bt Abhishek Yadav and Utkarsh Gupta 11-5, 11-9, 11-9; Lee and Lai bt G. Sathiyan and Sourav Saha 12-14, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7.
Junior girls’ doubles (final): Yeh Tung-Yi and Lee Chun-Hui (Tpe) bt R. Rattanavongsa and Piyaporn Pannak (Tha) 11-8, 11-8, 11-3;(semifinals): Pannak and Rattanavogsa bt Manik Batra and Ankita Das 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5; Yeh and Lee bt Mallika Bhandarkar and Reeth Tennison 11-2, 11-9, 4-11, 11-2.
