Rajiv stuns Abhishek to clinch junior boys' title

Reeth outplays Manika to bag corresponding girls crown

With their backs to the wall, qualifier Rajiv Sarkar of Bengal humbled top-seeded Abhishek Yadav of PSPB 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 13-11, 13-11 to clinch the junior boys’ crown while Tamil Nadu’s Reeth Rishya T dismissed second seed Manika Batra of Delhi 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 in the junior girls final to take the title.

Under conditions that were hot, humid and far from favourable, the paddlers’ ability to adjust was put to the test. Some came through without a glitch while others struggled to adjust.

The final results were as much a testament to their skill as it was to their conditioning.
Given the form he showed throughout the tournament, Abhishek was expected to steamroll Rajiv, but the latter’s tenacity and ability to control his emotions paved the way for his maiden national-level title.

Abhishek claimed the first game without so much as a fight, but Rajiv regrouped and managed to grab a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven match. Making the most of Rajiv’s tendency to go for the big shot too often, Abhishek played smart to level the score at 2-2. Following a brief break, Rajiv stepped up the ante and grab the fifth game. A couple of long rallies, some remarkable shots and a lapse in Abhishek’s concentration then fetched the 15-year-old Silliguri Boys’ High School lad the title.

In the girls’ final, Reeth, who had knocked out top seed Mallika Bhandarkar in the quarterfinals, put up a flawed display and handed Manika first game.  With a slight change in the position at the table and a destructive serve at her disposal, Reeth turned things around, winning the next two games with ease. Manika tried to alter the scenario with an aggressive approach, and despite luck favouring her on several occasions, she lost the next two games, leaving Reeth triumphant.

Boys: Youth, quarterfinals: Sarthak Gandhi (Del) bt Sushmit Sriram (TN) 12-10, 11-13, 11-4, 11-3, 11-8; Harmeet Desai (Guj) bt Satiswaran L (TN) 11-7, 11-9, 4-11, 13-11, 11-7; Venkataramanan (RSPB) bt Susovan Das (WB) 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 5-11, 11-3, 11-9; Sathiyan G (TN) bt Sourav Saha (WB) 11-3, 4-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-2, 11-4.

Junior, final: Rajiv Sarkar (Ben) bt Abhishek Yadav (PSPB ‘A’) 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 13-11, 13-11.  Semifinal: Rajiv bt Sabhay Virmani (Del) 11-4, 15-13, 11-8, 11-6; Abhishek bt Vivek Bhargava 11-9, 12-10, 19-17, 8-11, 11-8.

Girls: Youth, semifinal: Mallika Bhandarkr (Mah) bt Nikhat Banu (AI) 11-4, 5-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8; Divya Deshpande (ONGC) bt Shruthi Talnikar (Mah) 11-7, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9.

Junior, final: Reeth Rishya T (TN) bt Manika Batra (Del) 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6. Semifinal: Reeth bt Cameli Sil (Ben) 8-11, 12-10, 16-14, 11-7, 11-4; Manika bt Narsimha Priya S (TN) 11-9, 11-13, 10-12, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4.