Ranchi, December 13: Delhi’s Payas Jain and Railways’ Sutirtha Mukherjee ended the season on a high, clinching the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively at the fifth UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships held at the Harivansh Tana Bhagat Indoor Stadium.

Payas produced a spirited comeback to overcome Railways’ Jeet Chandra 4-2, while Sutirtha battled past a resilient Sayali Wani of Maharashtra 4-3 in a pulsating women’s final.

After trailing 0-2, Payas altered his tactics brilliantly—mixing controlled aggression with clever use of the flanks to disrupt Jeet’s rhythm. Once he leveled the score, he maintained his grip on the match to close it out in style.

The women’s final was equally gripping, highlighted by Sayali’s fearless fight against the experienced former national champion. The young Maharashtrian forced a decider after taking the fifth and sixth games, but Sutirtha’s composure and tactical nous ultimately saw her through. Though Sayali fell just short, her grit and performance won over the Ranchi crowd.

The semifinal stage of the championship delivered thrilling rallies and fierce battles across all categories, setting up a cracking finale lineup.

In the Men’s Singles, Jeet displayed nerves of steel to overcome PSPB’s seasoned Sanil Shetty 4-1, surviving several tense moments in the mid-games before pulling away with precision and power. Young gun Payas Jain was in scintillating form, dictating the tempo with aggressive forehands to sweep past a defensive H. Jeho from Mizoram in straight games and underline his growing stature on the circuit.

On the women’s side, Sutirtha Mukherjee outlasted Tamil Nadu’s Yashini Sivashankar in a high-quality contest, prevailing 11-8, 11-13, 12-10, 11-8, 11-5 after a gripping third game that saw multiple momentum shifts. In the other semifinal, Sayali Wani produced a spirited comeback, fighting back from early setbacks to edge PSPB’s veteran Madhurika Patkar 4-2, sealing her place in the final amid loud cheers from the stands.

Abhinand and Sayanika Shine

P.B. Abhinand of Tamil Nadu produced a commanding performance to clinch the Youth Boys U-19 title, defeating PSPBA’s Sahil Rawat in straight games—11-8, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5. Displaying superb control and precision throughout, Abhinand never allowed the left-handed Rawat to find his rhythm, sealing the trophy in emphatic style before the sparse crowd.

In the Youth Girls U-19 final, Delhi’s Sayanika Maji battled past West Bengal’s Syndrela Das in a gripping five-game encounter, prevailing 11-9, 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9. Sayanika’s consistent defensive tactics and calm under pressure proved decisive as she resisted Syndrela’s late resurgence to capture the national ranking crown.

The Youth events mirrored the same intensity. In Boys’ U-19, Sahil showcased his endurance and tactical variety to outplay Assam’s Priyanuj Bhattacharyya 4-1, while Abhinand displayed flawless rhythm to breeze past Tamil Nadu’s M.R. Balamurugan 3-0.

In Girls’ U-19, Sayanika overcame Maharashtra’s Naisha Rewaskar 3-1 in a match of sharp exchanges, and Syndrela battled through a nail-biting duel against Kavya Bhatt, clinching two deuce games to secure a hard-fought 3-1 win.

Results:

Men’s Singles: Final: Payas Jain (Del) bt Jeet Chandra (RSPB) 4-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5, 11-7.

Semifinals: Jeet bt Sanil Shetty (PSPB) 9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-9, 11-5; Payas bt H. Jeho (Miz) 11-8, 11-3, 13-11, 14-12.

Women’s Singles: Final: Sutirtha Mukherjee (RSPB) bt Sayali Wani (Mah) 11-7, 11-5, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, 11-3.

Semifinals: Sutirtha bt Yashini Sivashankar (TN) 11-8, 11-13, 12-10, 11-8, 11-5; Sayali bt Madhurika Patkar (PSPB) 7-11, 11-7, 10-12, 12-10, 11-3, 11-9.

Youth Boys U-19: Final: P.B. Abhinand (TN) bt Sahil Rawat (PSPBA) 11-8, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5.

Semifinals: Sahil bt Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (Asm) 11-7, 7-11, 13-11, 6-11, 11-4; Abhinand bt M.R. Balamurugan (TN) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7.

Youth Girls U-19: Final: Sayanika Maji (Del) bt Syndrela Das (WB) 11-9, 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9.

Semifinals: Sayanika bt Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9; Syndrela bt Kavya Bhatt (Mah) 11-7, 16-14, 13-11.