Panchkula, November 15: The U-19 Youth Nationals witnessed a riveting day of pre-quarterfinal clashes, with emerging stars turning in commanding displays and several matches going the distance at the fourth UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium here—the clashes today included emphatic straight-game victories to tense five-game nail-biters, the round showcasing the depth and competitive energy of both the Boys’ and Girls’ fields.

With favourites cruising and several others surviving tough early scares, the stage is set for high-stakes quarterfinal matchups later this evening.

Assam’s Priyanuj Bhattacharyya produced one of the most convincing wins of the day, dismantling Delhi’s Sudhanshu Maini 11-2, 11-2, 13-11. His speed and accuracy allowed him to dictate the tempo from the outset, marking him as a formidable contender moving forward, despite Sudhanshu putting up a brave front in the third game.

PSPBA’s Sahil Rawat also turned heads, shaking off an opening-game loss to dispatch West Bengal’s Oishik Ghosh 9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 with strategic adjustments that shifted the match in his favour. Tamil Nadu enjoyed a strong run, with M. Senthil Kumar defeating Sounav Barman (NCOE) 11-9, 11-8, 11-9, and M. Balamurugan scoring a composed 3-0 win over Karnataka’s Atharva Nawarange, despite the extended third game.

The round’s most gripping contest came when Maharashtra’s Kushal Chopda, who fought through multiple momentum shifts to edge Airports Authority of India’s K. Segal Singh 9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 10-12, 11-6. Kushal’s confidence in the decider drew strong applause from spectators.

Himachal’s Naman Bhatnagar moved past Umesh Kumar of Tamil Nadu with a steady 3-1 performance, even as West Bengal’s Punit Biswas orchestrated a dramatic turnaround after losing the first two games, storming back to beat Priyanshu Karmakar 3-2.

Bihar’s Harshit Kumar wrapped up the boys’ lineup with a pulsating five-game win against Odisha’s Sarthak Arya 3-11, 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 12-10, a contest marked by intense rallies and sudden momentum swings.

Tamil Nadu’s top prospect M. Hansini controlled her pre-quarterfinal match with maturity, overcoming West Bengal’s Ankolika Chakraborty 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8. Chakraborty pushed hard in the middle stages, but Hansini’s poise in critical moments proved decisive.

West Bengal’s Avisha Karmakar put up one of the most commanding wins of the round, sweeping Vanshika Mudgal (FCI) 3-0, while TN’s Shriya Anand recorded a clean 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 victory over Maharashtra’s Hardee Patel.

Maharashtra’s Kavya Bhatt battled through a hard-fought five-game encounter to outlast Subhankrita Datta of West Bengal 11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-6, showing grit in the closing stages.

Ananya Muralidharan of Tamil Nadu also advanced, rebounding from a third-game slip to defeat Avani Tripathi of UP 11-5, 11-6, 11-13, 11-6.

Delhi’s Sayanika Maji posted a solid straight-game win over West Bengal’s Ditsa Roy, and Maharashtra’s Divyanshi Bhowmick controlled her match from start to finish in a 3-0 victory over Delhi’s Riddhima Kapoor. West Bengal’s Syndrela Das turned in a sharp 3-0 win over Maharashtra’s Sukrati Sharma, adding to a strong show by WB.

Meanwhile, as the men’s and women’s singles events reached the round of 64, a few of the top 16 seeds had already fallen. The remaining players will vie for quarterfinal battles tomorrow, following tonight’s pre-quarterfinal action.

Results:

Youth Boys U-19: Pre-quarterfinals: Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (Asm) bt Sudhanshu Maini (Del) 11-2, 11-2, 13-11; Sahil Rawat (PSPBA) bt Oishik Ghosh (WB) 9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5; M. Senthil Kumar (TN) bt Sounav Barman (NCOE) 11-9, 11-8, 11-9; Kushal Chopda (Mah) bt K. Segal Singh (AAI) 9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 10-12, 11-6; M. Balamurugan (TN) bt Atharva Nawarange (Kar) 11-7, 11-8, 12-10; Naman Bhatnagar (HP) bt Umesh Kumar (TN) 10-12, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8; Punit Biswas (WB) bt Priyanshu Karmakar (WB) 11-13, 7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-1; Harshit Kumar (Bhr) bt Sarthak Arya (Ods) 3-11, 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 12-10.

Youth Girls U-19: Pre-quarterfinals: M.Hansini (TN) bt Ankolika Chakraborty (WB) 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8; Avisha Karmakar (WB) bt Vanshika Mudgal (FCI) 11-9, 11-2, 11-9; Shriya Anand (TN) bt Hardee Patel (Mah) 11-5, 11-6, 11-5; Kavya Bhatt (Mah) bt Subhankrita Datta (WB) 11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-6; Ananya Muralidharan (TN) bt Avani Tripathi (UP) 11-5, 11-6, 11-13, 11-6; Sayanika Maji (Del) bt Ditsa Roy (WB) 11-3, 11-9, 11-9; Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) bt Riddhima Kapoor (Del) 11-6, 11-2, 11-6; Syndrela Das (WB) Sukrati Sharma (Mah) 11-7, 11-7, 11-3.