Date:10/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/10/stories/2008111061201900.htm

Sport - Table Tennis

Sathiyan bags double; Shamini claims women’s title

Principal Correspondent

BOLPUR (WEST BENGAL): Unseeded G. Sathiyan of Tamil Nadu won the men’s crown in the SAIL National ranking table tennis (East Zone) championship here at the Kabiguru Sports Complex on Sunday.

He beat another unseeded statemate R. Abhshek in an absorbing men’s final. The 15-year-old ward of V. Chandrashekhar’s academy in Chennai showed indomitable form on the final day as he also picked up the junior boys’ title.

K. Shamini extended the dominance of the Tamil Nadu paddlers winning the women’s title. Third seeded Shamini, who is sponsored by Indian Oil, beat her Petroleum colleague and eighth seeded Neha Agarwal in the women’s final.

Shamini however, failed to clinch a double crown as she lost in the youth girls’ final to Divya Deshpande of Air India.

Biggest upset

The latter produced the biggest upset of the day consuming top seeded Sourav Chakraborty, who erred his way out of the semifinals unable to find answers against the uncommon style of his opponent.

In the final Sathiyan played a waiting game and chose his shots well to break through Abhishek’s defences. Sathiyan beat another statemate V. Nitin to lift the boys’ crown.

The results (prefix denotes seeding): Men: Final: G. Sathiyan (TN) bt R. Abhishek (TN/DB) 11-9, 10-12, 19-17, 11-5, 11-7; semifinals: Abhishek bt 1-Sourav Chakraborty (RSPB) 11-8, 13-11, 11-9, 11-7; Sathiyan bt Anirban Nandy (RSPB) 11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7.

Youth boys: Final: 2-Aniket Koparkar (Mah) bt 4-Aman Balgu (Mah) 8-11, 11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 14-12; semifinals: Aman bt 8-Soumyajit Ghosh (NBen) 11-8, 11-9, 12-10, 11-9; Aniket bt 3-Sanil Shetty (AI) 11-9, 9-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-6.

Junior boys: Final: 3-G. Sathiyan bt 4-V. Nitin (PSPB-A) 11-7, 13-11, 11-2, 11-6; semifinals: Nitin bt 8-Mohit Verma (PSPB-A) 11-6, 12-10, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8; Sathiyan bt 2-Raj Mondal (NBen) 11-9, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9, 11-6.

Sub-junior boys: Final: 1-Rajib Sarkar (NBen) bt 7-Sandipan Dey (WBen) 11-6, 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4; semifinals: Rajib bt Utkarsh Gupta (Del) 9-11, 12-14, 11-9, 11-6, 11-3, 11-6; Sandipan bt 3-Devdatta Phadnavees (Mah) 11-6, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8.

Women: Final: 3-K. Shamini (PSPB) bt 8-Neha Agarwal (PSPB) 6-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-6, 11-6; semifinals: Neha bt A.V. Nivedita (TN) 11-8, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8; Shamini bt Madhurika Patkar (PSPB) 12-10, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8.

Youth girls: Final: 4-Divya Deshpande (AI) bt 7-K. Shamini 11-6, 11-7, 2-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5; semifinals: Divya bt 1-Neha Agarwal 11-4, 12-10, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9; Shamini bt Prajakta Tipale (Mah) 11-6, 12-10, 11-2, 11-6.

Junior girls: Final: 1-Ankita Das (NBen) bt 7-Mallika Bhandarkar (Mah) 11-9, 13-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9; semifinals: Ankita bt Camelia Sil (WBen) 11-5, 8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-4; Mallika bt Jayeeta Pushilal (WBen) 11-1, 11-6, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8.

Sub-junior girls: Final: 1-Mallika Bhandarkar bt 3-Monika Batra (Del) 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-6; semifinals: Mallika bt 5-Somali Sarkar (WBen) 6-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-4, 8-11, 11-3; Monika bt Camilia Sil 11-8, 5-11, 11-3, 11-3, 10-12, 11-3.