Jodhpur, December 1: Five men’s teams—Chitkara, Chandigarh, Jain, SRM, and Adamas—and four women’s teams—SRM, Chitkara, Chandigarh, and Calcutta—have secured their spots in the quarterfinals of the fifth edition of the Khelo India University Games at the Chainpura Indoor Stadium today.

The SRM women finished their Group A campaign with an unblemished record, winning all their matches to top the group. The remaining third-round matches in other groups will conclude later tonight, determining the final four teams to complete the knockout lineup.

In the men’s section, only Group D has finalised both its qualifiers so far. The remaining second-spot entries in other groups will be decided following the completion of the third-round fixtures tomorrow morning.

Despite losing their dependable player Manushree Patil to injury during practice, the SRM women displayed remarkable resilience. Led by Kavyashree Baskar, Pranati P. Nair, and Thanuja, the team overcame every challenge in their group with grit and composure.

In Group A, SRM University opened its campaign with a commanding 3–0 win over LNM University. Panjab University also began strongly, defeating Rajasthan University 3–1 in a clinical performance that underscored their knockout potential.

Group B produced some of the day’s most thrilling encounters, highlighted by Chitkara University’s narrow 3–2 victory over Adamas University. Suhana Saini gave Chitkara an early lead with a dominant straight-game win (11–4, 11–8, 11–8) over Sneha Bhowmick. Adamas struck back as Prithoki Chakraborty edged out Pritha Vartikar in a tense five-game duel (9–11, 11–2, 11–9, 6–11, 9–11). Lakshita Narang restored Chitkara’s advantage before Prithoki leveled the tie again, defeating Suhana in another five-game thriller (11–6, 11–9, 8–11, 9–11, 7–11). In the decisive rubber, Pritha redeemed herself, overcoming Sneha 11–6, 11–5, 5–11, 11–6 to seal a hard-earned win for Chitkara. In the same group, Veer Narmad South Gujarat University blanked Anna University 3–0 in a one-sided contest.

Group C results went largely as expected, with both favourites asserting dominance. Chandigarh University breezed past Osmania University 3–0, while SNDT University registered an identical 3–0 win over Jadavpur University, showcasing depth and consistency.

The day’s most dramatic matches came from Group D. Delhi University opened their campaign with a confident 3–1 win over Savitribai Phule Pune University. But it was the clash between the University of Calcutta and Jain University that kept spectators on edge. Calcutta ultimately prevailed 3–2 after a rollercoaster battle. Mahek Das dropped the opener to Trupti Purohit (8–11, 11–7, 11–4, 11–8), but wins from Sucheta Prosad (9–11, 11–8, 2–11, 11–9, 11–8) and Ratnabali Pathak (11–8, 7–11, 11–4, 11–8) put Calcutta ahead. Trupti fought back to level the score, but Mahek delivered under pressure, rallying from two games down to clinch the decider 11–13, 8–11, 11–9, 13–11 and secure a memorable victory for Calcutta.

Results: (2nd Round):

Men: Group A: Chitkara University bt Veer Narmad SG University 3-0; Jadavpur University bt VELS University 3-2.

Group B: Chandigarh University bt Madras University 3-0; University of Calcutta bt Krishnakumarsinhji University 3-1;

Group C: Jain University bt Rashtrasant Tukdoji University 3-0; University of North Bengal bt CT University 3-2.

Group D: SRM University bt Devi Ahilya Bai University 3-0; Admas University bt Punjabi University 3-0

Women: Group A: SRM University bt LNM University 3-0; Panjab University bt Rajasthan University 3-1

Group B: Chitkara University bt Admas University 3-2; Veer Narmad SG University bt Anna University 3-0;

Group C: Chandigarh University bt Osmania University 3-0; SNDT University bt Jadavpur University 3-0;

Group D: Delhi University bt Savtribai Phule University 3-1; University of Calcutta bt Jain University 3-2.