Ankur Bhattacharjee wins Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships men’s singles title

Ankur Bhattacharjee staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Payas Jain 4-3 and win the men’s singles title at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. Yashaswini Ghorpade claimed the women’s singles crown as India won all but one gold medal on offer

Hyderabad: Ankur Bhattacharjee emerged a deserving 4-3 winner over Payas Jain in the men’s singles final of the Commonwealth table tennis championship at the Thyagaraj Stadium in Delhi on Sunday.

Payas looked set for victory after opening a 7-4 lead in the deciding game. However, Ankur called a timeout that disrupted his opponent’s rhythm, fought back to level at 8-8, and then edged ahead 10-9. He eventually sealed the title 11-9 when Payas’ final return drifted long, capping a dramatic comeback and earning his biggest international crown.

It was so near, yet so far. Payas Jain came close and lost another title at home after doing so last year at the Senior Nationals in Surat, where he lost to Manush Shah, whom he accounted for today in the semifinals.

Earlier, Yashaswini Ghorpade delivered a commanding performance to defeat Sreeja Akula 4-1 in the women’s singles final and claim the title.

India dominated the championships, winning all but one of the gold medals on offer. The lone title to elude the hosts came in the men’s doubles, where Malaysia’s pair pulled off an upset by defeating the Indian combination of Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah in the final.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta gave away the medals and prize money to the medal winners.

Results

Men’s Singles

Final: Ankur Bhattacharjee (India) bt Payas Jain (India) 11-8, 9-11, 7-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-4, 11-9.

Semifinals: Payas Jain bt Manush Shah (India) 11-9, 11-7, 5-11, 12-10, 11-9; Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Manav Thakkar (India) 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8.

Men’s Doubles

Final: Shen Qi Wong/Javen Choong (Malaysia) bt Manav Thakkar/Manush Shah (India) 11-9, 12-10, 11-7.

Women’s Singles

Final: Yashaswini Ghorpade (India) bt Sreeja Akula (India) 11-6, 11-1, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11.

Semifinals: Sreeja Akula bt Syndrela Das (India) 10-12, 11-7, 11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9; Yashaswini Ghorpade bt Sutirtha Mukherjee (India) 6-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-4, 11-9.

Women’s Doubles

Final: Sreeja Akula/Syndrela Das (India) bt Yashaswini Ghorpade/Divyanshi Bhowmick (India) 11-8, 11-13, 11-8, 11-6.

Mixed Doubles

Final: Taneesha Kotecha/Manav Thakkar (India) bt Ai Xin Tee/Richard Rui Zhe Yap (Malaysia) 11-8, 10-12, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5.