New Delhi: Manush Shah and Diya Chitale won their maiden Senior National Table Tennis Championship singles crown at the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium in Surat on Sunday. This marks a new era in the Indian table tennis era with youngsters proving their mettle.
Manush, who comes from Vadodara, didn’t represent his home state Gujarat instead donned the jersey of his employers Reserve Bank of India in the nationals. The southpaw prevailed over Payas Jain of Delhi in the five sets (the format was of best of seven). The local lad Manush, who received the support of the home fans, trounced his opponent 4-1 with the scoreline of 10-12, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8. The win was astounding as he went down in the first game in a close contest.
“It is an amazing moment for me to win my maiden senior national title in my home state. Gujarat has has always been a special venue for me,” Manush told The Federal.
“The support I got today from the fans made a lot of difference. After the final, many came up to me and congratulated me. It was a happy feeling, and I am very grateful to them,” he added.
Diya Chitale pushes hard against Sreeja Akula
Earlier in the day, Diya Chitale, who also represented Reserve Bank of India instead of her state Maharashtra, made a tremendous comeback after being 0-2 down against two-time national champion Sreeja Akula. Both the paddlers were on their top of their game, trying to get the better of each other back and forth as the final match went down the wire. It was the 21-year-old Diya who had the final roar against the country’s top-ranked international ranked player.
“It is an amazing feeling to win my maiden senior nationals title. Honestly, it is yet to sink in. I am really happy that I could convert my final appearance into a national title,” Diya told The Federal.
A day before their final clash, Diya and Sreeja combined to win the women’s doubles final. Manush and Diya were awarded a cash prize of INR 3.20 lakh each for their marvellous triumphs.
Manush Shah defeated Payas Jain in the men’s singles final while Diya Chitale made a remarkable come-from-a-behind win against Sreeja Akula in the women’s singles final. Both Manush and Diya won their first singles title in the 86th Senior National Table Tennis Championship. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
