Panchkula, November 13: Fourth-seeded K. Akshay Bhushan, the lone surviving seed in a demanding 128-player draw, rose to the occasion and clinched the Under-15 Youth Boys title at the fourth UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships at the Tau Devi Lal Multipurpose Indoor Stadium. The Tamil Nadu paddler showcased composure and tactical maturity, overcoming Maharashtra’s unseeded but impressive Nilay Pattekar with a 3–1 victory in the final.

In the Under-15 Girls category, top seed Naisha Rewaskar reaffirmed her dominance by successfully defending her title, securing back-to-back championships. The Maharashtra youngster delivered a commanding performance against second-seeded Ankolika Chakraborty of West Bengal, sealing the final with a straight-games 3–0 win. Incidentally, the two ran into each other in the final at Indore. Naisha’s consistency and control throughout the tournament underscored why she remains the benchmark in her age group.

Bhushan edged out a tight opening game, weathered Pattekar’s comeback in the second, and then tightened his grip on the match with disciplined shot selection in the next two games. His strong finish in the fourth game sealed a well-earned title run.

Rewaskar maintained steady leads in all three games, using her placement and tempo variation to keep Ankolika under constant pressure. Though the West Bengal paddler fought hard, Rewaskar’s superior consistency helped her close out the match in straight games.

The Boys and Girls competitions delivered a thrilling day of top-quality table tennis, with several standout performances in the quarterfinals and semifinals setting the stage for the highly anticipated finals.

Akshay and Nilay booked their places in the U-15 boys’ final after strong semifinal displays. Akshay looked in complete control as he defeated statemate Sanjey Arwindh 11-5, 11-7, 11-7. In the other semifinal, Nilay displayed grit under pressure, overcoming West Bengal’s Rishaan Chattopadhayay in straight games, 11-7, 11-9, 12-10.

The quarterfinals showcased intense battles. Sanjey impressed with a commanding 3-0 win over A.B. Tharoon, also from Tamil Nadu, 11-3, 11-4, 11-4. Akshay advanced after a four-game fight against Rundranil Jana of West Bengal, winning 11-9, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6. Rishaan edged past Vatsal Duklan of Haryana in a tight five-game contest 11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, while Nilay defeated Akash Rajavelu of Tamil Nadu 11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 11-8.

In the girls’ category, Naisha and Ankolikha sealed their spots in the championship match following contrasting semifinal encounters.

Naisha delivered one of the most dominant performances of the day, brushing aside Maharashtra’s Myraa Sangelkar 11-1, 11-7, 11-5. Ankolikha, meanwhile, had to dig deeper in her semifinal clash, defeating Sreejani Chakraborty of West Bengal 11-6, 12-10, 10-12, 11-5.

Quarterfinal action was fiercely contested. Naisha recovered from a slow start to beat Aarya Redkar of PSPBA 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9. Myra came through a five-game thriller against Saturya Banerjee, winning 9-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6. Sreejani survived a nail-biting encounter against Tanishka Kalbhairav of Karnataka 6-11, 11-4, 7-11, 12-10, 11-9, while Ankolikha marched into the semis with a commanding straight-games win of 11-3, 11-4, 11-5 over Janvi Garg of Delhi.

Results:

Youth Boys U-15: Final: K. Akshay Bhushan (TN) bt Nilay Pattekar (Mah) 12-10, 7-11, 11-9, 11-4.

Semifinals: Akshay bt J.N. Sanjey Arwindh (TN) 11-5, 11-7, 11-7; Nilay bt Rishaan Chattopadhayay (WB) 11-7, 11-9, 12-10.

Quarterfinals: Sanjey bt A.B. Tharoon (TN) 11-3, 11-4, 11-4; Akshay bt Rundranil Jana (WB) 11-9, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6; Rishaan bt Vatsal Duklan (Har) 11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9; Nilay bt Akash Rajavelu (TN) 11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 11-8.

Youth Girls U-15: Final: Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) bt Ankolika Chakraborty (WB) 11-7, 11-6, 11-9.

Semifinals: Naisha bt Myraa Sangelkar (Mah) 11-1, 11-7, 11-5; Ankolikha bt Sreejani Chakraborty (WB) 11-6, 12-10, 10-12, 11-5.

Quarterfinals: Naisa bt Aarya Redkar (PSPBA) 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9; Myrra bt Sturya Banerjee (WB) 9-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6; Sreejani bt Tanishka Kalbhairav (Kar) 6-11, 11-4, 7-11, 12-10, 11-9; Ankolika bt Janvi Garg (Del) 11-3, 11-4, 11-5.