Archana Kamat kept the Indian flag flying with a crucial win in her second league encounter, even as the two Indian boys faltered on the opening day of the 11even Sports ITTF World Junior Circuit finals in Indore on Friday.
Archana Kamath
Faced with a must win situation after losing her first league encounter, the 15-year-old paddler from Bengaluru kept her nerve to claw her way back from 2-3 down then prevail in the decider to win 4-3 against Brazil’s Leticia Nakada. Archana won 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 2-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-7. In her last league encounter, Archana will take on Pauline Chasselin on
France and a win should see her through to the quarter-finals.
Earlier, Mudit Dani and Siddhesh Pandey lost both their league encounters and with it the hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals from their respective groups of four. Dani and Pandey will now have to battle it out for the slots between 9 and to 16.
Dani, seeded 16 and the higher-ranked player among the two Indians, seemed totally out of sorts on this big stage and lost both his encounters rather tamely, first falling to No. 7 seeded Zhang Kai of the US 3-11, 5-11, 9-11, 4-11 and then losing to 10th seed Jonah Schlie of Germany 6-11, 8-11, 6-11, 8-11.
In contrast, Pandey, who lost his opening encounter to eighth seed Helshan Weerasinghe of England 4-11, 9-11, 5-11, 3-11, put up a good fight against Spain’s Carlos Vedriel, before running out of steam to lose in six games, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8, 5-11, 4-11, 6-11.
Among the girls, Archana Kamath gave the goodly partisan crowd a flicker of hope when she began on a bright note against the fifth seed opponent Andreea Dragoman of Romania, only to falter 2-4 in her opening match.
Fancied Darko Jorgic of Slovenia also had a bad beginning, losing his opening encounter to Spain’s Vedriel, before he pulled himself back into contention by winning his second encounter against England’s Helshan Weerasinghe 3-11, 11-4, 10-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-5 in an exciting encounter.
Results:
Junior Boys:
Group 1: Zhang Kai (USA) bt Mudit Dani (IND) 4-0 (11-3, 11-5, 11-9, 11-4), An Jaehyun (KOR) bt Jonah Schlie (GER) 4-1 (11-3, 11-9, 10-12,11-4, 11-8).
Zhang Kai US bt An Jaeyhun (kor) 4-0 (11-9, 11-3, 11-8, 13-11), Jonah Schlie (Ger) bt Mudit Dani 4-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8)
Group 2: Carlos Vedriel (ESP) bt Darko Jorgic (SLO) 4-1 (11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4), Helshan Weerasinghe (ENG) 4-0 bt Siddhesh Pandey 4-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-5, 11-3).
Vedriel Carlos (Spain) bt Siddhesh Pande 4-2 (9-11, 12-10, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6), Darkp Jorgic bt Helshan Weerasinghe 3-11, 11-4, 10-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-5
Junior Girls:
Group 1: Adina Diaconu (ROU) bt Zhang Xuan (ESP) 4-2 (6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 6-11, 11-3, 11-6), Lin Po-Hsuan (TPE) bt Amira Yousry (EGY) 4-0 (11-2, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8).
Group 2: Miyuu Kihara (JPN) bt Tamolwan Khetkhuan (THA) 4-3 (1-11, 2-11, 13-15, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7, 11-2), Lin Chia-Hsuan (TPE) bt Wu Jiamuwa (AUS) 4-2 (8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5, 11-2).
Group 3: Park Seri (KOR) bt Zhu Chengzhu (HKG) 4-2 (4-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4), Angela Guan (USA) bt Bruna Takahashi (BRA) 4-2 (11-8, 9-11, 10-12, 11-4, 11-4, 11-6).
Group 4: Andreea Dragoman (ROU) bt Archana Girish Kamath (IND) 4-2 (3-11, 11-1, 11-8, 11-3, 7-11, 11-5), Pauline Chasselin (FRA) bt Letcia Nakada (BRA) 4- 1 (6-11, 11-5, 14-12, 13-11, 11-8).