Panchkula, November 14: Odisha’s Sarthak Arya once again proved too strong for Jammu and Kashmir’s Ritvik Gupta, edging him out 3–2 in a pulsating Under-17 Youth Boys final to clinch his second straight title at the fourth UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships, held at the Tau Devi Lal Multipurpose Indoor Stadium.

The final looked to be tilting Ritvik’s way, but Sarthak flipped the script with a commanding fourth game, setting the stage for a tense decider. In the fifth, both players traded fierce rallies, yet it was Sarthak’s nerves of steel in the crunch moments that carried him through, dramatically securing back-to-back crowns.

Ankolika shook off her final-match nerves and delivered a dominant performance, securing a commanding 3–0 victory over Maharashtra’s Kavya Bhatt. The Bengal paddler displayed strong confidence from the outset, overwhelming her opponent in the first two rounds. Although the left-handed Kavya mounted brief moments of resistance and appeared to unsettle Ankolika, the latter maintained her composure and ultimately outsmarted her rival to claim the title.

Earlier, Ritvik and Sarthak stormed into the final after navigating a series of tightly fought encounters marked by long rallies and heavy pressure. Ritvik’s semifinal against PSPBA’s Sahil Rawat showcased his ability to stay composed in crucial moments. After controlling the first two games with early leads and sharp finishing, he momentarily lost rhythm in the third as Sahil stepped up the pace. But Ritvik restored order in the fourth, using deeper placements and firmer attacks to close out the match 11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8.

Sarthak’s semifinal win over West Bengal’s Rupam Sardar was equally intense. Sarthak dropped a draining first game 12-14, but responded with greater aggression, tightening his serve–receive patterns and forcing more errors to take the next three games. His 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 stretch reflected growing control as the match wore on.

The quarterfinals had already set a dramatic tone. Ritvik began the day by sweeping PSPBA’s Dhairya Rawat with quick, authoritative play, barely giving his opponent room to settle. Sahil Rawat’s win over Gujarat’s Arya Kataria required more grit—after conceding the second game, he steadied himself with disciplined rallying to take the next two. Rupam had produced one of the cleaner wins of the round, outmaneuvering PSPBA’s Rushikesh Jagtap in straight games. But the standout performance belonged to Sarthak, who fought back from 0-2 down against Karnataka’s Atharva Nawarange. In a match full of momentum shifts, Sarthak dug deep, winning key points at the end of the third and fourth games before overpowering Atharva in the decider.

In the Under-17 Youth Girls section, both finalists—Ankolika and Kavya—advanced through matches marked by persistent pressure and narrow margins. Ankolika’s semifinal win over West Bengal’s Syndrela Das was a three-game sweep on paper, but each game hung in the balance until the final points. Her ability to stay calm during tight exchanges made the difference as she won 3-0.

Kavya’s semifinal against fellow state player Ikshika Umate followed a similar pattern of intensity. Though she won in straight games, each game saw long rallies and careful point construction. Kavya’s readiness to accelerate at key junctures—particularly late in the second game, which she sealed 12-10—helped her secure the match.

The quarterfinals in the girls’ draw were filled with comebacks and grit. Syndrela staged a determined fightback against Maharashtra’s Swara Karmakar, overturning a 1-2 deficit with steadier defence and sharper counters. Ankolika’s win over Naisha Rewaskar was another five-game test; she regrouped after dropping the second and third games, lifting her tempo in the fourth and fifth to edge through. Kavya also weathered sustained pressure from Tamil Nadu’s Ananya Muralidharan, clawing back from 1-2 down with well-timed attacks. Ikshika produced a memorable turnaround too, recovering from a two-game deficit to defeat Divyanshi Bhowmick with patient, controlled play in the last three games.

Results:

Youth Boys U-17: Final: Sarthak Arya (Ods) bt Ritvik Gupta (JK) 11-7, 9-11, 9-11, 11-2, 12-10.

Semifinals: Ritvik bt Sahil Rawat (PSPBA) 11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8; Sarthak bt Rupam Sardar (WB) 12-14, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5.

Quarterfinals: Ritvik bt Dhairya Rawat (PSPBA) 11-7, 11-1, 11-3; Sahil bt Arya Kataria (Guj) 11-4, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8; Rupam bt Rushikesh Jagtap (PSPBA) 12-10, 11-8, 11-5; Sarthak bt Atharva Nawarange (Kar) 3-11, 7-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6.

Youth Girls U-17: Final: Ankolika Chakraborty (WB) bt Kavya Bhatt (Mah) 11-6, 11-8, 13-11.

Semifinals: Ankolika bt Syndrela Das (WB) 11-9, 11-9, 11-9; Kavya bt Ikshika Umate (Mah) 11-8, 12-10, 11-9.

Quarterfinals: Syndrela bt Swara Karmakar (Mah) 11-3, 5-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-8; Ankolika bt Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) 11-5, 10-12, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7; Kavya bt Ananya Muralidharan (TN_ 11-8, 8-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-3; Ikshika bt Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) 5-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-8.