Payas Jain and Syndrela Das Crowned Singles Champions at UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships

Delhi’s Payas Jain and West Bengal’s Syndrela Das emerged as the standout singles champions at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Sportz Hub in Kanpur, bringing the singles competition to a close with two high-quality finals.

Payas defeated PSPB’s Manav Thakkar 4-1 in the men’s singles final, while Syndrela overcame Maharashtra’s Divyanshi Bhowmick 4-2 in a competitive women’s singles title clash. The championships also highlighted the growing depth of Indian table tennis, with several younger players producing strong performances and established names falling before the finals.

For Payas and Syndrela, however, the final day belonged to them.

The men’s singles final was one of the standout contests of the championship, bringing together Delhi’s third-seeded Payas Jain and second-seeded Manav Thakkar of PSPB. Payas made a strong start, taking the opening game 11-3 and immediately putting Manav under pressure. The response came in the second game, with Manav leveling the match after winning 11-9.

But Payas regained control.

The Delhi paddler won the third game 11-5 before holding his nerve in a crucial fourth game. The 12-10 scoreline proved to be an important moment in the final, as Payas edged the tight contest to move within one game of the title. He then completed the job in the fifth game, winning 11-8 to seal a 4-1 victory and the men’s singles crown.

The final score read 11-3, 9-11, 11-5, 12-10, and 11-8, reflecting Payas’ ability to recover quickly after Manav had levelled the contest. The victory was particularly significant given the quality of opposition he had faced during the tournament. Payas had earlier been tested in the semifinals by RSPB’s Jeet Chandra. He eventually won 4-1, taking the match 11-8, 11-5, 11-8, 1-11, and 11-7.

Manav’s route to the final was also far from straightforward. He overcame Haryana’s Ankur Bhattacharjee 4-1 in the other semifinal, winning 12-10, 13-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8. With both finalists coming through difficult semifinal matches, the stage was set for a high-quality title clash, and Payas delivered when it mattered most.

Syndrela Das wins women’s singles crown

The women’s singles final was an even longer and more closely contested affair, with Syndrela Das defeating Divyanshi Bhowmick 4-2. Divyanshi started strongly, winning the opening game 11-9 and putting Syndrela on the back foot. The West Bengal paddler, however, responded immediately. Syndrela won the next two games 11-8 and 11-8 to take a 2-1 lead. Divyanshi then produced a dominant response in the fourth game, winning 11-5 to level the contest at 2-2.

At that stage, the final was evenly poised. Syndrela regained control in the fifth game, winning 11-7, before producing a composed finish in the sixth. With the title on the line, she held her nerve to take the game 11-9 and complete a 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 victory.

Her path to the title had already included one of the most dramatic matches of the championship. In the semifinal, Syndrela faced PSPB’s Swastika Ghosh in a seven-game thriller. The match went all the way to a deciding seventh game, where Syndrela found herself trailing 4-7.

She produced a composed comeback to win the decider 11-9 and seal a 4-3 victory. Divyanshi, meanwhile, reached the final after an impressive 4-1 win over Yashaswini Ghorpade. She dominated the opening three games before completing the victory with an 11-4, 11-6, 11-4, 9-11, 11-2 scoreline.

The singles competition underlined the challenge being posed by India’s emerging table tennis players. Several established names were eliminated before the finals, including top seeds Manush Shah and Yashaswini Ghorpade, who both fell short of the title match. Qualifier Sreeja Akula also saw her campaign end in the pre-quarterfinals.

https://www.indiasportshub.com/articles/manush-shah-survives-major-scare-as-sayali-wani-crashes-out-of-utt-national-ranking-championships

The results demonstrated the increasing tof the domestic circuit, where rankings and seedings are no guarantee of progression. The youth competitions provided further evidence of the depth coming through.

Priyanuj wins gripping U-19 boys’ final

The Under-19 Boys’ Singles final delivered another dramatic seven-game contest. RSPB’s Priyanuj Bhattacharrya defeated Tamil Nadu’s P.B. Abhinand 4-3 in a match filled with momentum shifts. Abhinand won the opening game 11-9, but Priyanuj responded by taking the next two 11-5 and 11-3. Abhinand fought back to level the match before winning a remarkable fifth game 23-21.

But Priyanuj recovered strongly, winning the sixth game 11-4 and taking the decider 11-7.

The final score was 9-11, 11-5, 11-3, 8-11, 21-23, 11-4, 11-7.

Syndrela’s day became even more memorable as she also won the Under-19 Girls’ Singles title. She defeated Tamil Nadu’s Ananya Muralidharan 4-1 in the final, winning 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 11-4. The result gave Syndrela a double crown at the championships, underlining her consistency across both the senior and youth categories.

As the singles competition concluded in Kanpur, Payas Jain and Syndrela Das stood at the top of the field. Payas delivered a composed performance to overcome Manav Thakkar, while Syndrela showed resilience throughout the tournament before adding both the women’s and Under-19 titles to her name.

The championships may have crowned two senior singles champions, but the performances across the draws also sent a clear message: the next generation of Indian table tennis is pushing hard for its place at the top.