WTT Youth Contender: Taniksha, Prateek, Punit and Divyanshi emerge champions in U13 & U17 categories
Vadodara, Feb 27 (IANS) Punit Biswas triumphed in the U17 boys’ category, defeating seed-toppler Sahil Rawat 3-2 in the finals of the WTT Youth Contender. Throughout the match, both players seemed on the verge of victory but soon found themselves chasing each other as the match reached a tight decider.
Divyanshi Bhowmick showed true character by turning around a shaky start to win the U17 girls’ category. She looked uncertain in the initial rounds but found her form exactly when it mattered, beating Jennifer Varghese 3-1 to claim the top honour.
Tanishka Kalbhairav was solid from the first match and maintained that momentum to win the U13 girls’ category, defeating the higher-ranked Aradhya Dhingra. Prateek Talsani had a flawless run to the title, becoming the U13 boys’ champion without losing a single set throughout the main draw.
The semifinal stages for all categories saw some upsets and runaway matches. Sahil Rawat defeated top seed Abhinandh Pradhivadhi 3-1 in the semifinals to secure the first spot in the finals while Punit Biswas overcame Rupam Sardar 3-1. Rupam Sardar had been in great form, beating second seed Priyanuj Bhattacharya 3-1, but fell short against Punit Biswas. Divyanshi Bhowmick found her form in the semifinals, defeating Kavya Bhatt 3-0. Nandini Saha had a dream run to the semifinals, defeating second seed Ananya Muralidharan in the Round of 16, but was defeated 1-3 by Jennifer Varghese in the semifinals.
Earlier in the day, the U19 and U15 mixed doubles pairs began their campaigns, with the top pairs cruising through the draw. The biggest upset of the day came in the U19 mixed doubles semifinals, where Taneesha Kotecha and Preyesh Suresh stunned favourites Ankur Bhattacharya and Pritha Vartikar with a commanding victory. Meanwhile, Jennifer Varghese and Balamurugan Rajakesaran secured a solid win to book their place in Friday’s final.
Final results:
U17 Boys: Punit Biswas bt Sahil Rawat 3-2 (11/9, 8/11, 11/5, 8/11, 11/6)
U17 Girls: Divyanshi Bhowmick bt Jennifer Varghese 3-1 (11/7, 11/9, 4/11, 11/7)
U13 Boys: Prateek Talsani bt Rishaan Chattopadhyay 3-0 (11/7, 11/5, 11/9)
U13 Girls: Tanishka Kalbhairav bt Aradhya Dhingra 3-0
–IANS
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