Manush Shah and Diya Chitale won their maiden senior national table tennis singles titles in Surat on Sunday (January 26).

In the women’s singles final of the 86th Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships at the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium, Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) 21-year-old Diya defeated her teammate Sreeja Akula 4-3 (10-12, 8-11, 13-11, 12-10, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9) in a thriller. It was a grand double for Diya as she had won the women’s doubles trophy with Sreeja on Saturday at the same venue.

What Diya and Manush said

“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 after the win.

Also read: TN teens Abhinandh-Preyesh win TT men’s doubles national title in Surat

When asked about her comeback after being 0-2 down in the final, she said, “Sreeja is an amazing player and after being 0-2 down, I told myself to keep fighting and not give up at any point. I knew I had to work for each and every point, and I just did that, and kept pushing myself till the last game.”

“It is an amazing moment for me to win my maiden senior national title in my home state. Gujarat has always been a special venue for me. 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,” Manush told The Federal.

Manush gets Rs 4 lakh reward

Later, in a double for RBI, Manush had it easy against Delhi’s Payas Jain in the men’s singles summit clash. The 24-year-old Manush, who is from Gujarat, and was backed by the home fans, triumphed 4-1 (10-12, 11-6, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8) rallying from 0-1.

Also read: Ankur Bhattacharjee: Inspired by Kohli and Hardik, Bengal’s teen TT star dreams big

Both Manush and Diya received trophies along with a Rs 3.2 lakh prize money cheque each.

Left-handed Manush, who is from Vadodara, was also rewarded with Rs 2.5 lakh from the Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) and Rs 1.5 lakh from the Table Tennis Association of Baroda (TTAB).

Mixed doubles champions

The mixed doubles championship was won by Akash Pal and Poymantee Baisya of Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) against Maharashtra’s Jash Modi and Taneesha Kotecha 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-4).

The men’s singles final saw Payas initially gaining the upper hand by clinching the first deuce game. However, Manush quickly turned the tide. He secured the next two games with ease to take a 2-1 lead. In a critical fourth game, Payas briefly recovered to lead 8-4, but a resilient Manush staged a dramatic comeback, seizing victory on his second game point. With a commanding 3-1 advantage, Manush closed out the match in style.

For the women’s crown, it was a tough battle between Diya and Sreeja who had on Saturday claimed the doubles title playing together.

Sreeja races to 2-0 lead

Sreeja, two-time women’s singles senior national champion, raced to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven final. However, Diya was in no mood to surrender without a fight and bounced back brilliantly to take the next three games and hold a 3-2 lead.

Now, it was Sreeja’s turn to rally and won a close sixth game 11-9, and the championship was headed to be decided in the seventh and deciding game.

Sreeja fought valiantly to regain control, but Diya held her nerve. At 10-9, Diya’s bold and precise return left Sreeja scrambling, her forehand sailing out of bounds. With that, Diya threw her arms skyward in sheer elation, celebrating her maiden title in a hard-fought and unforgettable final.

Results

Men’s Singles (Prize money – Winner: Rs 3.2 lakh; Losing finalist: Rs 1.6 lakh; Losing semi-finalists: Rs 80,000 each)

Final: Manush Shah (RBI) beat Payas Jain (Delhi) 4-1 (10-12, 11-6, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8).

Semifinals: Payas beat Divyan Srivastava (Uttar Pradesh) 4-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7); Manush beat Ankur Bhattacharjee (PSPB) 4-0 (13-11, 11-4, 11-9, 12-10).

Women’s Singles (Prize money – Winner: Rs 3.2 lakh; Losing finalist: Rs 1.6 lakh; Losing semi-finalists: Rs 80,000 each)

Final: Diya Chitale (RBI) beat Sreeja Akula (RBI) 4-3 (10-12, 8-11, 13-11, 12-10, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9).

Semifinals: Sreeja beat Yashaswini Ghorpade (PSPB) 4-1 (11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9); Diya defeated Syndrela Das (West Bengal) 4-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6).

Mixed Doubles (Prize money – Winner: Rs 32,000; Losing finalist: Rs 18,000; Losing semi-finalists: Rs 9,000 each)

Final: Akash Pal/Poymantee Baisya (RSPB) beat Jash Modi/Taneesha Kotecha (Maharashtra) 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-4).