UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships : Arunim Agarwal Survives Thriller as U-13 Quarterfinals Produce Intense Battles in Kanpur

The third day of the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Sportz Hub in Kanpur produced a series of absorbing contests in the Under-13 categories, with the boys' quarterfinals headlined by a dramatic five-game battle and two girls' matches also going the distance.

Delhi's Arunim Agarwal emerged as the standout performer of the day after surviving a tense encounter against West Bengal's Debanshu Chakraborty, while West Bengal continued its strong showing by sending three players into the boys' semifinals.

The Under-13 girls' section also delivered its share of closely fought matches, with Maharashtra's Mahika Susvirkar producing an impressive comeback victory and Assam advancing two players into the last four.

The most dramatic match of the Under-13 boys' quarterfinals was the contest between Arunim Agarwal and Debanshu Chakraborty. Arunim made the stronger start, but Debanshu refused to allow the Delhi player to settle. The West Bengal paddler fought back to level the contest and then stayed in contention throughout a match that repeatedly swung in momentum.

The deciding fifth game became a test of composure. With neither player willing to give away easy points, Arunim managed to maintain his concentration when it mattered most, eventually securing a 5-11, 13-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-9 victory.

The result put Arunim into the semifinals after one of the most closely contested matches of the day.

West Bengal's strong showing in the Under-13 boys' event continued as Ariv Dutta and Rajdeep Biswas secured their semifinal places. Top-ranked Ariv faced Tamil Nadu's H. Tanish and produced a controlled performance to win 11-6, 15-13, 11-7. The second game was particularly competitive, with Tanish pushing Ariv all the way. Ariv, however, remained composed during the crucial points before closing out the contest in straight games.

Rajdeep also needed to negotiate a late challenge from Maharashtra's Adhiraj Chauhan. The West Bengal player established control early, taking the first two games 11-4 and 11-6. Adhiraj responded strongly in the third, but Rajdeep held his nerve to win it 13-11 and complete an 11-4, 11-6, 13-11 victory.

West Bengal's third semifinalist is Gem Mahalanabish, who defeated PSPBA's Raayan Borthakur 11-7, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8. Gem appeared in control after winning the opening two games, but Raayan pulled one back with a 12-10 victory in the third. Gem responded in the fourth, regained control and secured his place in the last four.

With three players through, West Bengal has emerged as the dominant force in the boys' Under-13 competition.

The Under-13 girls' quarterfinals provided another five-game thriller. Maharashtra's Mahika Susvirkar had to overcome compatriot Keshika Purkar in a contest that changed direction several times. Keshika took the opening game 11-8, but Mahika responded immediately to level the match with an 11-4 win.

The Maharashtra players then traded another pair of games, with Keshika taking the fourth? No—the sequence remained finely balanced as Keshika won the third 11-7 before Mahika responded with an 11-6 fourth game. That set up a deciding fifth game. Mahika maintained her composure under pressure and completed the comeback with an 8-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8 victory.

She will now compete for a place in the Under-13 girls' final.

Assam also enjoyed a strong day, with Divija Paul and Ishani Gogoi advancing to the last four. Divija defeated Uttar Pradesh's Pehel Gupta 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 13-11 in another closely fought encounter. After the two players exchanged the opening two games, Divija edged the third 11-9 before holding her nerve in the fourth. The 13-11 finish reflected how little separated the two players during the closing stages.

Ishani, meanwhile, produced the most straightforward result among the girls' quarterfinals, defeating West Bengal's Aradhya Dey Sarkar 11-4, 11-8, 11-3. Delhi's Khyati Pande completed the girls' semifinal line-up after overcoming Uttar Pradesh's Anishika Gupta 11-9, 11-8, 11-6.

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Although neither Pehel nor Anishika reached the semifinals, Uttar Pradesh's young players made an encouraging impression during the knockout stages. Pehel had earlier produced a commanding performance against Maharashtra's Vedika Jaiswal in the pre-quarterfinals, winning 11-7, 11-5, 11-4.

Anishika had to work considerably harder against Maharashtra's Aadya Baheti. She won two closely contested games, including a 15-13 second game, before Baheti pulled one back. Anishika eventually regained control to win 12-10, 15-13, 8-11, 11-8. Their runs into the quarterfinals highlighted the growing depth among Uttar Pradesh's young paddlers.

The Kanpur leg has also provided valuable exposure for several local players, with the performances of the Uttar Pradesh contingent adding another positive dimension to the championship.

The tournament now moves towards its decisive stages in the Under-11 and Under-13 categories. The Under-11 and Under-13 boys' and girls' semifinals and finals are scheduled for Wednesday, followed by the prize distribution ceremony. Meanwhile, attention will also turn towards the Under-15 categories, where boys and girls are currently contesting qualification group matches for places in the main draw.

With the Under-13 semifinal line-ups now confirmed, the stage is set for another day of intense youth table tennis in Kanpur.

The battles involving Arunim Agarwal, West Bengal's trio of Ariv Dutta, Rajdeep Biswas and Gem Mahalanabish, and the four girls' semifinalists promise to provide another test of composure, consistency and temperament as India's young paddlers compete for national ranking honours.