Ankur Bhattacharjee, Diya Chitale Win Thrillers at National Ranking Table Tennis Championships in Panchkula

Ankur Bhattacharjee and Diya Chitale emerged as the men’s and women’s singles champions at the second National Ranking Table Tennis Championships in Panchkula after surviving contrasting seven-game finals at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Hall. 

Ankur overcame Maharashtra’s Raegan Albuquerque 4-3, while Diya held off a remarkable comeback from West Bengal’s Syndrela Das to secure a 4-3 victory. The finals brought together sustained attacking play, tactical adjustments, and pressure-filled deciding games. Ankur recovered after trailing 1-2, while Diya saw a commanding early advantage disappear before finding a way to prevail in the decider.

The tournament also crowned Priyanuj Bhattacharyya and Divyanshi Bhowmick as the Under-19 boys’ and girls’ singles champions, respectively, completing an event marked by compelling contests across the senior and junior categories.

Ankur’s title was the culmination of a strong campaign in Panchkula, where he produced a series of convincing performances against leading opponents. His 4-3 victory over Raegan was particularly significant after he missed out on the title at the Kanpur leg, where Manav Thakkar defeated him in the semifinals.

The Haryana paddler started the final positively, winning the opening game 11-8. Raegan responded emphatically, taking the next two games 11-3 and 11-6 to move ahead 2-1 and put Ankur under pressure. Ankur adjusted his game to regain control, edging the fourth 11-8 before winning the fifth 11-9. Raegan refused to surrender, taking the sixth game 11-6 to force a decider.

With the championship on the line, Ankur produced his strongest response. He controlled the deciding game to win 11-5, completing a hard-fought victory and securing his first title of the season.

Ankur’s route to the final had included a 4-1 semifinal win over Railway Sports Promotion Board paddler Jeet Chandra. The opening game was closely contested, with Ankur edging it 13-11 before Jeet leveled the match. Ankur then won the next three games to close out the contest.

Raegan, meanwhile, earned his place in the final by defeating second seed Manav Thakkar 4-2. After the players traded games, Raegan won the pivotal fifth game 12-10 before carrying that momentum into the sixth.

Diya Chitale Holds Her Nerve Against Syndrela Das

The women’s singles final produced an equally dramatic contest, with Diya Chitale of the Reserve Bank of India overcoming 17-year-old Syndrela Das 4-3. Diya established early control, winning the first three games 11-6, 11-8 and 11-7. With a 3-0 lead, she appeared close to closing out the match, but Syndrela mounted an impressive recovery.

The West Bengal teenager raised her level, using her backhand effectively and taking the initiative whenever opportunities arose. She won the next three games 11-6, 11-9 and 11-8 to draw level at 3-3, turning a seemingly one-sided final into a tense decider.

Syndrela’s comeback demonstrated her ability to adjust tactically and compete under pressure. However, Diya regained her composure at the crucial moment, edging the seventh game 11-9 to secure the championship.

The victory capped a strong run for Diya, who had beaten Swastika Ghosh of the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board 4-1 in the semifinals. After dropping the second game, Diya maintained her advantage to complete the win. Syndrela had also produced a demanding semifinal performance, recovering from a two-game deficit to defeat Sutirtha Mukherjee of the RSPB 4-3. She won three consecutive games to move ahead before Sutirtha forced a decider. Syndrela ultimately prevailed in the seventh game, setting up her final against Diya.

Priyanuj Bhattacharyya of the RSPB captured the Under-19 boys’ singles title with a 4-0 victory over Tamil Nadu’s P.B. Abhinand. Priyanuj won the opening two games 11-6 and 11-8 before negotiating a closely contested third game 13-11. He then secured the fourth 11-9 to complete the straight-games victory.

His semifinal performance had required a recovery after losing the opening game to West Bengal’s Punit Biswas. Priyanuj responded by winning the next three games 11-5, 11-9 and 11-7. Abhinand advanced to the final with a 3-1 semifinal victory over Odisha’s Sarthak Arya. After taking the first two games, he conceded the third but held off Sarthak’s challenge in the fourth, winning 12-10.

Divyanshi Bhowmick Wins Under-19 Girls’ Title

Maharashtra’s Divyanshi Bhowmick secured the Under-19 girls’ singles championship by defeating Syndrela Das 4-0. Divyanshi won the four games 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 and 11-9, maintaining her advantage despite Syndrela’s efforts to fight back. Her consistency in the closing stages of each game proved decisive.

The victory followed a demanding semifinal against Tamil Nadu’s M. Hansini. Divyanshi initially built a two-game advantage before Hansini fought back to force a decider. Divyanshi held her nerve to win the final game 13-11.

Syndrela had reached the final with a 3-1 semifinal victory over Tamil Nadu’s Ananya Muralidharan.

The second National Ranking Table Tennis Championships delivered four singles champions through contrasting routes. Ankur and Diya had to survive seven-game finals, while Priyanuj and Divyanshi completed straight-game victories in the Under-19 categories.

Syndrela was among the standout performers despite finishing runner-up in both the women’s singles and Under-19 girls’ singles. Her recovery against Diya and her seven-game semifinal victory over Sutirtha highlighted her fighting qualities. 

For Ankur and Diya, the titles were rewards for composure when their finals reached decisive moments. Their victories underlined the fine margins separating success and defeat in national-level table tennis, where tactical adjustments and execution under pressure can determine a championship.