Date:01/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/01/stories/2008120156331600.htm

Sport - Table Tennis

Rajib, Mallika corner glory

Principal Correspondent

— PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

WINNERS ALL: Rajib Sarker, Subhendu Shaw, Anuska Dutta and Mallika Bhandarkar won the singles titles in the sub-junior national table tennis championship.

VIJAYAWADA: North Bengal’s Rajib Sarkar and Mallika Bhandharkar of Maharashtra ‘A’ emerged triumphant in the 70th National sub-junior table tennis championship that concluded at the DRRMC indoor stadium here on Sunday.

In the cadet segments finals, West Bengal’s Subhendu Shaw outplayed Delhi’s Utkarsh Gupta 11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8, while North Bengal’s Anuska Dutta, down by two games, rallied back to down Andhra Pradesh’s K. Spoorthy 8-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-3, 11-2.

Best match

The match of the day was between Mallika and Tamil Nadu’s Reeth Rishya which went to the wire. Mallika who won her first three games, saw a resurgent Reeth, throwing a gauntlet. Reeth played a waiting game allowing her opponent to commit mistakes.

With three-games-all it was anybody’s match. Mallika used all her experience, especially her powerful forehand smashes to defeat Reeth 11-9, 13-11, 11-4, 6-11, 7-11, 6-11, 13-11.

However, the sub-junior boys’ final was a lopsided affair in which Rajib Sarkar took the better of Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy paddler Abhishek Yadav 11-6, 11-9, 13-11, 11-5.

The results: Sub-junior boys (final): Rajib Sarker (NB) bt Abhishek Yadav (PSPBA) 11-6, 11-9, 13-11, 11-5.

Semifinals: Rajib bt S. Das (PSPBA) 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6; Abhishek bt Sandipan Dey (WB) 11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 1-11, 11-7, 11-9.

Sub-junior girls (final): Mallika Bhandarkar (Mah ‘A’) bt Reeth Rishya (TN) 11-9, 13-11, 11-4, 6-11, 7-11, 6-11, 13-11.

Semifinals: Mallika bt Camelia Sil (WB) 11-9, 11-7, 12-10, 11-7; Reeth bt Anuska Dutta (NB) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7.

Cadet boys (final): Subhendu Shaw (WB) bt Utkarsh Gupta (Del) 11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8.

Semifinals: Subhendu bt Shubhankar Sarkar (NB) 6-11, 11-8, 7-11, 8-11, 11-6, 12-10, 13-11; Utkarsh bt Mridangha Bhodro (NB) 11-8, 16-14, 11-7, 12-10.

Cadet girls (final): Anuska Dutta (NB) bt K. Spoorthy (AP) 8-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-3, 11-2.

Semifinals: Anuska bt Rutuja Khopkar (Mah ‘A’) 1-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-4, 7-11, 13-15, 11-9; Spoorthy (AP) bt Sanika Divekar (Mah ‘A’) 11-13, 11-9, 11-7, 6-11, 11-4, 11-5.

Sub-junior boys doubles (final): Sudhanshu Grover & Abhishek Yadav bt Rajib Sarkar & Subham Basak 11-5, 11-9, 11-6.

Sub-junior girls doubles (final): Camelia Sil & Sutirtha Mukherjee (WB) bt Narasimha Priya & Reeth Rishya 10-12, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9.