Team Karnataka implodes to Gujarat, but both qualify

Vadodara: The UTT 86th Junior and Youth National Championships kicked off at the SAMA Indoor Stadium, with Gujarat making a powerful statement in the Under-19 Girls team events. After an unexpected walkover in the first round due to Meghalaya's inability to field a team, Gujarat capitalized on the momentum and secured a decisive win against Karnataka, the group's highest-ranked side.

The second round match started with Gujarat's Pratha Pawar taking charge and defeating Karnataka's Vanshika Deshna in four tightly contested matches of 11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7. This set the stage for Riya Jayswal, who overcame a shaky start to defeat Sahana Murthy in a thrilling five-match encounter (9-11, 6-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-3). Though Gujarat suffered a setback when Moubani Chatterjee lost a hard-fought battle to Himanshi Chowdhary 9-11, 9-11, 10-12, Riya bounced back to earn the decisive victory. In another intense five-match match, she defeated Vanshika 11-9, 12-14, 13-11, 9-11, 11-1 to secure Gujarat's place at the top of Group D.

Karnataka, despite their loss, secured qualification as the second team of the group after a win against Jammu & Kashmir in the opening round and a walkover of Meghalaya. Karnataka's struggles were further exacerbated by an unexpected equipment issue when Vanshika's racket failed compliance checks. Although the referee gave her a warning, allowing her to continue with another racket, the incident seemed to affect her focus. The introduction of random equipment checks by the TTFI caused similar challenges for several players, including Maharashtra's top performers Pritha Vartikar and Taneesha Kotecha, who also received warnings.

Elsewhere, dominant performances were the order of the day, as group leaders stamped their authority. Maharashtra, led by Annaya Chande, Pritha Vartikar and Sayali Wani, defeated Uttarakhand 3-0 with notable wins including Annayas 11-6, 11-3, 9-11, 11-3 win and Sayalis emphatic 11-6, 11 -2, 11-1 finish. Maharashtra rested Taneesha Kotecha, confident in their depth and form.

West Bengal also started with a clean 3-0 sweep of TTFI-1 (Rajasthan), led by the composed Syndrela Das. Nandini Saha cruised to an 11-2, 11-4, 11-4 victory while Sampriti Roy withstood a five-match battle to get past Aanjali Singh 11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11 -9 .

Haryana showed their prowess with a seamless 3-0 win against Andhra Pradesh. Tanmayee Saha, Suhana Saini and Saanvi Dargan delivered confident performances, with Tanmayee and Suhana winning in consecutive matches and Saanvi wrapping up the match against Mouparna Das. Meanwhile, Delhi, led by Vanshika Mudgal and supported by Riddhima Kapoor and Tushti Sood, registered a comprehensive 3-0 win over Puducherry.

As the tournament progresses, group toppers like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Haryana, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and NCOE have firmly positioned themselves as frontrunners to clinch their places in the second phase. The knockout stages, which begin tomorrow, promise an exciting clash of talent and strategy as these teams battle for the championship.

Results: Girls Team Events:

(Round 1&2):

Group A: Maharashtra bt Uttarakhand 3-0; Maharashtra v Goa 3-0.

Group B: West Bengal bt TTFI-1 3-0; West Bengal vs Kerala 3-0.

Group C: Haryana bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0; Haryana v Madhya Pradesh 3-0.

Group D: Delhi v Pondicherry 3-0; Telangana bt Punjab 3-1; Delhi v Telangana 3-0; Puducherry v Punjab 3-2.

Group E: Tamil Nadu bt TTFI-2 3-0; Chandigarh bt Jharkhand 3-0; Tamil Nadu v Chandigarh 3-0; TTFI 2 bt Jharkhand 3-0

Group F: Uttar Pradesh bt Daman & Diu 3-0; Odisha bt Chhattisgarh 3-1; Uttar Pradesh and Odisha 3-1; Chhattisgarh bt Daman & Diu 3-2.

Group G: Karnataka bt J and K 3-0; Gujarat bt Meghalaya 3-0 (without); Gujarat btKarnataka 3-1; J and K win Meghalaya 3-0 (without).

Group H: NCOE bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0; Assam v Bihar 3-0; NCOE bt Assam 3-0; Himachal Pradesh vs Bihar 3-0;