Navneeth storms past Mondal

Ayhika slams the door on Olympian Ankita

 Karnataka’s AR Navneeth stunned India’s second-ranked paddler Raj Mondal of North Bengal (NB) 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 to storm into the Youth boys’ pre-quarterfinals while Olympian Ankita Das bowed out of the corresponding category in girls’ section in the South Zone National-ranking table tennis championships at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor stadium here on Friday.

Navneeth, egged on by a vociferous home crowd, was in his elements against the more accomplished Mondal. The Bangalore boy ran away with the first game quite comfortably at 11-6.

In the second, Navneeth took a 6-1 lead before he was pegged back a little by a fighting Mondal who made it 6-5. But Navneeth soon got his act together with some excellent forehand winners to take the game at 11-7.

Mondal made his best effort to regain lost initiative in the third game but Navneeth’s nerves of steel ensured he pocketed game and match at 11-8.

19-year-old Ankita representing Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy (PSPBA) was shocked by West Bengal’s Ayhika Mukherjee 11-5, 7-11, 7-11, 7-11. “She (Ayhika) played better than me. There was no pressure on her so she could play freely,’’ a dejected Ankita said after the contest.

Ayhika was over the moon after notching the biggest win of her career. “It’s the first time I am defeating Ankita didi. It’s great to beat someone who took part in the Olympics,’’ the 15-year-old from Kolkata said.

Results: Youth boys (Second round): AR Navneeth (Kar) bt Raj Mondal (NB) 11-6, 11-7, 11-8.  First round: Anirban Ghosh (WB) bt Sudarshan Prabhakar (UP) 11-6, 10-12, 11-5, 11-4; Surojit Das (PSPBA) bt VP Charan (Kar) 11-7, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9; Nishad Shah (AI) bt M Harikrishna (Ker) 11-4, 11-5, 11-4; Ravi Joshi (LIC) bt Subham Basak (NB) 11-8, 14-12, 11-9; Ayush Tayal (Har) bt Arnab Bose (RSPB) 11-8, 14-12, 11-2; AR Navneeth (Kar) bt Ravindra Kotiyan (Mah) 11-3, 9-11, 11-3, 11-4, Pathikrit Roy (WB) bt Pankaj Vishwakarma (Raj) 14-12, 12-14, 11-7, 11-3; R Anandraj (AAI) bt Somraj Roy (NB) 12-10, 11-8, 5-11, 11-4.

Junior boys: Pre-quarterfinals: R Anandraj (AAI) bt Sunand Vasan (Kar) 12-10, 11-5, 11-6; Sudhanshu Grover (PSPBA) bt Abhishek Jaggi (Del) 11-9, 6-11, 13-11, 11-7; KR Rohit (TN) bt Birdie Boro (PSPBA) 11-5, 11-4, 18-16; Abhishek Yadav (PSPBA) bt Paras Madan (Har) 11-5, 11-3, 11-7; Sabhay Virmani (Del) bt Anirban Ghosh (WB) 13-11, 10-12, 11-9, 12-10; Utkarsh Gupta (Del) bt Pankaj Vishwakarma (Raj) 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10; Peeyush Prasad (Del) bt Vivek Bhargava (Raj) 7-11, 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9; D  Sameera Kumar (TN) bt Lalrinpuia (PSPBA) 11-6, 10-12, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8.

Youth girls: Pre-quarterfinals: Vedika Garg (AI) bt Narasimha Priya (PSPB) 11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 6-11, 11-6; Takeme Sarkar (RSPB) bt Amrutha Pushpak (IB) 11-8, 11-9, 11-7; Suthirtha Mukherjee (WB) bt Riti Shankar (Del) 11-6, 11-3, 11-8; Ayhika Mukherjee (WB) bt Ankita Das (PSPB) 5-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-7; Shweta Parte (RSPB) bt Sayani Bose (NB) 11-5, 11-5, 11-6; Mariya Rony (Ker) bt Karnam Spoorthy (AAI) 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-3; KKNarmada (IB) bt Frenaz Chipia (DB) 11-4, 11-8, 13-11; Mallika Bhandkarkar (AI) bt Sreeja (AP) 11-5, 11-4, 11-8; Sumana R Krishnan (IB) bt Reeth Rishya T (PSPB) 11-9; 1-11, 12-10, 11-9; Manika Batra (PSPB) bt Medha Maitra (AAI) 11-6, 11-9, 11-5; N Vidya (DB) bt Sagarika Mukherjee (NB) 10-12, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9; Senhora D’Souza (Mah) bt Oishwarya Deb (WB) 11-6, 11-8, 14-16, 9-11, 12-10; Nikhat Banu (AAI) bt Trisha Das (WB) 11-4, 14-12, 12-14, 11-2; V Sneha (IB) bt Sanya Sehgal (Del) 7-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9; Seraha Jacob (Ker) bt Anushree Hazra (RSPB) 11-4, 9-11, 6-11, 15-13, 14-12; Krittiwika Sinha Roy (AAI) bt S Krithicka (TN) 7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 10-12, 11-2.

Junior girls: Pre-quarterfinals: Reeth Rishya T (PSPB) bt Srushti Haleangadi (Mah) 11-6, 11-2, 11-8; Suthirtha Mukherjee (WB) bt Anuska Dutta (NB) 11-2, 13-11, 7-11, 11-7; Ayhika Mukherjee (WB) bt Yukti Roshini (TN) 11-7, 11-8, 11-6; Mallika Bhandarkar (AI) bt Naina (AP) 4-11, 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6; Manika Batra (PSPB) bt Sagarika Mukherjee (NB) 11-8, 11-3, 11-7; Narasimha Priya (PSPB) bt Frenaz Chipia (DB) 11-4, 11-6, 11-8; Senhora D’Souza(Mah) bt Oishwaryya Deb (NB) 11-13, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5; Karnam Spoorthy (AAI) bt Priyadarshani Das (WB) 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6.