Indore, March 21 Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) paddlers Manav Thakkar and Yashaswini Ghorpade clinched their maiden singles titles at the Senior National Table Tennis Championships here on Saturday.
In the men's final, top seed Manav lived up to expectations with a commanding 4-1 (11-2 11-4 6-11 11-9 11-3) victory over Jeet Chandra of the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB).
The PSPB star dominated from the outset, easily winning the opening two games. Although Jeet briefly pushed back to take the third game, he struggled to replicate the sharp form that carried him through the semifinals.
Manav quickly regained control, sealing the contest 11-3 in the fifth game to cap off an emphatic title run.
The women's final delivered everything you'd expect from a title clash – intensity, momentum swings, and a finish that kept everyone on edge until the very last point.
Finally, Yashaswini etched her name into the record books, clinching the title with a hard-fought 4-3 (11-6 12-14 11-5 9-11 13-11 6-11 11-8) victory over the young and fearless Syndrela Das of PSPB.
Yashaswini started with authority, taking the opening game 11-6, but the 16-year-old Das quickly showed she was no pushover.
She edged a tense second game 14-12, setting the tone for what would become a see-saw battle. The two traded blows through the middle phase, but Yashaswini's controlled aggression earned her the third, and Syndrela responded with resilience to claim the fourth.
Yashaswini inched ahead again with a narrow 13-11 fifth game, but Das refused to fade, dominating the sixth 11-6 to force a decider.
With the title on the line, it was Yashaswini's composure that made the difference. She held her nerve in crucial rallies, closing out the final game 11-8 to seal a memorable victory.
For Yashaswini, this triumph marks a breakthrough moment – a first championship earned through grit and consistency under pressure.
Ankur-Suhana win gold
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In a gripping mixed doubles final, Ankur Bhattacharjee (WB) and Suhana Saini (Haryana) edged past the West Bengal pair of Aniket Bose and Sampriti Roy in a thrilling five-game contest, winning 3-2 (11-9 11-7 9-11 13-15 12-10).
The WB-Haryana duo started strong, taking the first two games with controlled aggression, but Bose and Roy mounted a spirited comeback, clinching the next two, including a tense 15-13 fourth game to force a decider.
In the final game, both pairs traded points under intense pressure, but Ankur and Suhana held their nerve in the closing moments to seal a narrow 12-10 victory and claim the title.
Divyanshi bags Vishwa Trophy
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Divyanshi Bhowmick was awarded the D Vishwa Trophy, presented to a promising young player for outstanding performance at the Senior Nationals. She delivered an impressive campaign, reaching the quarterfinals and pushing defending champion Diya Chitale to the brink in a closely contested match on Friday.
Divyanshi won the Under-15 singles gold at the Asian Youth Championships, in addition to claiming the Under-19 title at the ITTF Youth World Championships last year.