Indore, March 19 The men's doubles competition at the 87th UTT Senior National Table Tennis Championships witnessed a dramatic upset as the top-seeded West Bengal team was eliminated, paving the way for an intriguing semifinal lineup here on Thursday.
The biggest headline of the day belonged to the Tamil Nadu duo of M.R. Balamurugan and Siddhesh Pande, who stunned the top seeds Ankur Bhattacharjee and Shankhadip Das of Bengal.
After losing the first game, the Tamil Nadu pair regrouped impressively, dictating rallies with sharp placement and composure to win the match 3-2. Their ability to maintain composure in a tense fourth game underlined their credentials as serious title contenders.
The Railway Sports Promotion Board showcased its strength with two pairs advancing to the semifinals. Jeet Chandra and Anirban Ghosh defeated Wesley Do Rosario and Nikunj Attri of Haryana in a closely contested match.
The match saw several lead changes, but the RSPB pair remained focused in crucial moments, securing a 3-1 victory with disciplined finishing in the fourth game.
Joining them are teammates Ronit Bhanja and Preyesh Raj Suresh, who delivered one of the most dominant performances of the round. They defeated Sarthak Arya and Tushar Chauhan of Odisha 3-0, combining aggressive shot-making with relentless pressure, particularly in the one-sided first game, which set the tone.
Results:
Men's Doubles: Quarterfinals: M.R. Balamurugan/Siddhesh Pande (TN) bt Ankur Bhattacharjee/Shankhadip Das (WB) 6-11, 11-4, 11-4, 13-11; Jeet Chandra/Anirban Ghosh (RSPB) bt Wesley Do Rosario/Nikunj Attri (Har) 11-6, 4-11, 11-9, 12-10; Sanil Shetty/Divyansh Srivastava (PSPB) bt Karthikeyhan Solaiyan/Tharun Shanmugam (TN) 11-8, 11-8, 10-12, 11-6; Ronit Bhanja/Preyesh Raj Suresh (RSPB) bt Sarthak Arya/Tushar Chauhan (ODS) 11-1, 13-11, 11-5.