Chandigarh: In an exciting semifinal at the 51st Institutional Table Tennis Championships, PSPB’s women’s team, powered by the young duo of Yashaswini Ghorpade and Sayali Wani, triumphed 3-2 over the defending silver medallists, RBI. This thrilling victory has earned them a spot in toorrow's final, where they will face the defending champions, RSPB at the Panjab University Gymnasium Hall.
The match was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, with multiple twists and turns. Yashaswini set the tone early by effortlessly defeating RBI’s Diya Chitale in the opening rubber. However, RBI soon gained a 2-1 lead, as Sayali and Pritha Vartikar both lost their respective rubbers. With the pressure mounting, Yashaswini returned to the table to face Ayhika Mukherjee and levelled the score by winning her match.
This set up the stage for Sayali to play the deciding fifth rubber. With the match hanging in the balance, the young Sayali rose to the occasion. Even when trailing, she remained calm and played with remarkable skill, executing clever placements and attacking with precision. Her performance in the final game was nothing short of brilliant, as she overwhelmed Diya, securing the win for PSPB and sending her team to the final.
On the men’s side, PSPB’s team dominated their semifinal encounter. Manav Thakkar started the proceedings with a convincing straight-game win, giving his team an early lead. Harmeet Desai extended the advantage with a well-fought 3-1 victory over Abhimanyu Mitra. G. Sathiyan then sealed the deal with a composed win over the in-form H. Jeho, securing PSPB’s place in the final with a 3-0 victory.
RSPB, on the other hand, faced a tough challenge against RBI. Despite an early loss from Anirban Ghosh to RBI’s top player Manush Shah, Jeet Chandra stepped up and displayed remarkable composure, fighting back from a slow start to defeat Raj Mondal and level the tie. Akash Pal’s straightforward victory over Vighney Patel Reddy put RSPB in the driver’s seat, and Chandra finished the job with a commanding win over Manush Shah, ensuring RSPB’s place in the final.
The men’s quarterfinals provided thrilling moments as well. Petroleum easily dispatched the Food Corporation of India, securing a 3-0 victory. RBI, however, had a tougher challenge, fighting back to overcome Canara Bank 3-1. The most dramatic match of the day came between Indian Audit and Central Revenue. In an epic, nearly four-hour battle, Indian Audit survived a tense 3-2 win, with Jeho staging a remarkable comeback after trailing 0-2 in the final rubber, sealing their spot in the semifinals.
In the women’s quarterfinals, Railways and RBI advanced automatically due to byes, while Airports Authority and Petroleum each secured 3-0 victories in their respective matches to complete the semifinals lineup.
Results (Team Championships):
Men: Semifinals: PSPB bt IA&AD 3-0 (Manav Thakkar bt SFR Snehit 11-5, 15-13, 11-8, Harmeet Desai bt Abhimanyu Mitra 10-12, 11-4, 11-7, 11-7, G. Sathiyan bt H. Jeho 11-4, 12-10, 11-5); RSPB bt RBI 3-1 (Anirban Ghosh lost to Manush Shah 12-14, 7-11, 3-11, Jeet Chandra bt Raj Mondal 12-10, 11-9, 11-7, Akash pal bt Vighney P. Reddy 11-9, 11-6, 11-6, Jeet bt Manush 12-10, 11-7, 11-8).
Quarterfinals: PSPB bt FCI 3-0; IA&AD bt CRSB 3-2 (H. Jeho lost to Parth Virmani 4-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-3, 7-11; SFR Snehit bt Siddesh Pandey 14-16, 11-6, 11-5, 11-13, 12-10; Abhimanyu Mitra lost to Utkarsh Gupta 10-12, 11-5, 10-12, 14-12, 9-11, 7-11; Snehit bt Parth 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5; Jeho bt Siddesh 8-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-2); RBI bt Canara Bank 3-1; RSPB bt AAI 3-2 (Jeet Chandra bt Yashansh Malik 8-11, 12-10, 3-11, 11-8, 11-9; Anirban Ghosh lost to Raegan Albuquerque 11-9, 5-11, 9-11, 12-14; Ronit Bhanja lost to Chinmaya Somaiya 11-7, 7-11, 12-14, 9-11; Jeet bt Raegan 11-7, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7; Anirban bt Yashansh 11-8, 11-2, 11-7).
Women: Semifinals: RSPB bt AAI 3-0 (Anusha Kutumbale bt Swastika Ghosh 12-10, 6-11, 11-6, 11-7, Sutirtha Mukherjee bt Lakshita Narang 11-9, 11-9, 5-11, 11-7, Moumita Dutta bt Oishiki Joardar 8-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-2, 11-5); PSPB bt RBI 3-2 (Yashaswini Ghorpade bt Diya Chitale 11-13, 12-10, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, Sayali Wani lost to Ayhika Mukherjee 2-11, 6-11, 4-11, Pritha Vartikar lost to Sreeja Akula 5-11, 9-11, 5-11, Yashaswini bt Ayhika 8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-3, Sayali bt Diya 8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-3, 11-8).
Quarterfinals: AAI bt Canara Bank 3-0; PSPB bt FCI 3-0.
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