Prateek Tulsani Dominates U-15 Final as Tanishka Kalbhairav Fights Back for Gold at UTT National Rankings
Maharashtra’s Prateek Tulsani and Karnataka’s Tanishka Kalbhairav claimed gold medals in contrasting fashion at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Sportz Hub in Kanpur on Wednesday.
While Prateek produced a dominant straight-games performance to win the Youth Boys Under-15 title, Tanishka had to dig deep and recover from a difficult position to overcome West Bengal’s Saturya Banerjee in a gripping five-game final in the girls’ competition.
Prateek needed less than 25 minutes to complete his title-winning performance, defeating West Bengal’s Rajdeep Biswas 11-6, 11-9, 11-9. Tanishka, meanwhile, recovered after falling behind to beat Saturya 9-11, 13-11, 7-11, 11-6, and 11-6 and lift the Youth Girls Under-15 crown. The two finals highlighted different routes to success. Prateek controlled his match from the outset, while Tanishka had to withstand pressure and produce her best table tennis when the title was on the line.
Prateek Tulsani Controls U-15 Boys Final
The Youth Boys Under-15 final was expected to provide a competitive contest between two players who had taken different routes through the knockout stages. Prateek, however, made sure the contest never developed into a prolonged battle. Facing the left-handed Rajdeep Biswas, the Maharashtra youngster established control early and kept his opponent under constant pressure. His attacking game was crisp, while his consistency prevented Rajdeep from finding a sustained rhythm.
Prateek took the opening game 11-6 and continued to dictate the exchanges in the next two games. Rajdeep put up greater resistance in the second and third games, with both ending 11-9, but Prateek remained composed at the crucial moments. Each time the West Bengal player threatened to close the gap, the Maharashtra paddler found a way to regain control.
The final was over in straight games, with Prateek lifting the championship trophy after an emphatic 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 victory. His performance was particularly impressive because he never allowed Rajdeep to settle into the patterns that had helped him reach the final.
Rajdeep Survives Five-Game Semifinal
The two finalists had experienced contrasting semifinals. Prateek delivered another composed performance against West Bengal’s Rishaan Chattopadhyay, winning 13-11, 11-8, 11-6. The opening game was the closest of the match, with Prateek needing to win at deuce. Once he took that early advantage, he gradually increased his control and completed the straight-games victory.
Rajdeep’s route to the final was far more dramatic. He faced Punjab’s Trijal Vohra in a gripping five-game semifinal. Rajdeep won the opening two games 14-12 and 13-11, but Trijal mounted an impressive comeback, taking the next two games 11-7 and 11-6.
The match went into a tense deciding game. Both players had opportunities, but Rajdeep held his nerve to edge the decider 13-11 and secure his place in the final. The semifinal had tested his resilience, but Prateek presented an entirely different challenge in the title clash.
The Youth Girls Under-15 final was a far more unpredictable contest. Karnataka’s Tanishka Kalbhairav and West Bengal’s Saturya Banerjee were locked in a high-quality battle, with momentum shifting several times. Saturya took the opening game 11-9, but Tanishka responded strongly to win a tense second game 13-11 and level the contest.
The West Bengal paddler then regained control, taking the third game 11-7 and moving one game away from the title. At that point, Tanishka faced a defining moment. Instead of allowing Saturya to build on her momentum, the Karnataka youngster raised her level. She took the fourth game 11-6 to force a deciding fifth game. With the championship on the line, Tanishka maintained her composure and produced a clinical finish.
She again won 11-6, completing a remarkable comeback and securing the Under-15 Girls title. The ability to recover after falling 2-1 behind underlined Tanishka’s mental strength. In a final where both players had opportunities, she produced her best table tennis when the pressure was at its highest.
Strong Knockout Run for Tanishka
Tanishka had entered the final after a convincing semifinal victory over West Bengal’s Shariqa Shahid. She won 11-5, 11-9, 13-11, although the third game provided a significant challenge before she closed out the straight-games victory. Her quarterfinal was even more dominant.
Tanishka defeated West Bengal’s Titash Chatterjee 11-1, 11-7, 11-6, establishing herself as one of the strongest performers in the draw. Saturya, meanwhile, reached the final after a 3-1 win over Tamil Nadu’s B. Varnica. The semifinal featured several closely contested games. Saturya won the first 13-11, lost the second 7-11, before taking the next two games, 12-10 and 11-8, to book her place in the title clash.
Her victory was built on composure at crucial moments, but Tanishka ultimately showed the same quality in the final.
The Youth Boys Under-15 quarterfinals also produced several competitive encounters. Rishaan Chattopadhyay survived a see-saw five-game battle against Goa’s Chandan Sinai Caro. After twice taking the lead, Rishaan was pushed into a deciding game before winning 11-4 to seal the match.
Punjab’s Trijal Vohra produced one of the strongest comebacks of the round. After losing the opening two games to Haryana’s Krishiv Garg, Trijal responded emphatically, winning 11-3, 11-9 and 11-5 to complete a 3-2 turnaround.
Prateek overcame West Bengal’s Souswarya Banerjee 3-1, while Rajdeep defeated another Bengal player, Ansuhman Roy, in straight games.
Two Champions, Two Different Stories
The finals in Kanpur offered two contrasting examples of championship performances. Prateek Tulsani won through authority, controlling the exchanges and maintaining his attacking consistency throughout the final. There was little drama in the scoreline because he ensured Rajdeep was never allowed to establish control.
Tanishka Kalbhairav, on the other hand, had to find a way through adversity. After losing the opening game and then falling 2-1 behind, she responded with two decisive 11-6 victories to claim gold.
For both youngsters, the titles represent significant milestones at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships. Prateek leaves Kanpur having demonstrated his ability to dominate a final. Tanishka leaves with a different but equally valuable lesson: even when momentum is against you, composure and determination can still change the outcome.
Two finals. Two contrasting styles.
But for Prateek Tulsani and Tanishka Kalbhairav, the destination was the same—national ranking gold.
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