Tamil Nadu’s teenagers PB Abhinandh and Preyesh Suresh Raj won the men’s doubles title at the 86th Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships in Surat on Saturday (January 25).

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In the women’s doubles, Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Sreeja Akula and Diya Parag Chitale were crowned the champions. They beat Suhana Saini and Prithoki Chakraborti of Haryana 3-2 (12-14, 11-4, 11-4, 11-13, 11-4) in a closely contested title clash at the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium.

TN duo defeats Bengal pair

Abhinandh, 17, and Preyesh, 18, both from Chennai, defeated Bengal’s Sourav Saha and Aniket Sen Choudhury 3-1 (12-10, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7).

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“It feels great to win here. Obviously, becoming the men’s doubles national champion is a very big thing. Last year, we won bronze and this time we wanted to go higher. Also, in Under-19s, we lost in the quarterfinals. Our aim in Surat was to win gold,” Abhinandh, who trains at Chennai Achievers Professional Table Tennis Academy, told The Federal after winning the final.

‘Tough final’

Abhinandh, who won the Under-17 boys title in the National Ranking Table Tennis Tournament last year in Himachal Pradesh, said he was determined to do well in doubles after exiting in the first round of men’s singles in Surat. “I lost in the Round of 128 in men’s singles, and after that disappointment, I wanted to win in doubles, and managed to do that.”

On their route to the crown, Abhinandh said it was not easy. “It was a tough match today. Not only the final, from the pre-quarterfinals onward, our path had been tough, and won 3-1 each match. We had some strategies that worked well for us,” he said.

“I am very happy to win the men’s doubles title. I want to thank my coaches Raman sir and Bhuvaneshwari madam. My next goal is to be in the top 16 in men’s ranking. I want to keep on improving my game,” Preyesh said.

The key to the duo’s success, according to Preyesh is, “We don’t take pressure. We play our game.”

Men: PB Abhinandh and Preyesh Suresh Raj (Tamil Nadu) beat Sourav Saha and Aniket Sen Choudhury (Bengal) 3-1 (12-10, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7)

Women: Sreeja Akula and Diya Parag Chitale (RBI) beat Suhana Saini and Prithoki Chakraborty (Haryana) 3-2 (12-14, 11-4, 11-4, 11-13, 11-4)