Ramesh Prabhoo Memorial 82nd Maharashtra State Table Tennis Championship
Riana Bhoota of Thane District defeated Ishika Umate of Nagpur 4-1 to clinch the Cadet girls crown on the opening day of the Ramesh Prabhoo Memorial 82nd Maharashtra State Table Tennis Championship organized by The Suburban District Table Tennis Association and played at the Prabodhankar Thackeray Krida Sankul, Vile Parle, Mumbai on Tuesday.
The champion Riana Bhoota (right) of Thane and runner-up Ishika Umate of Nagpur
In the summit clash, the young left-handed Thane girl Riana was in full flow against Ishika and called the shots from the start as she raced to a comfortable 11-2, 12-10, 11-7, 8-11 and 11-5 victory. Champion Riana is being trained by two former state players Rajendra Sawant and Nilesh Pandirkar at their academy in Thane.
Earlier, in the semi-finals, Riana dashed the aspirations of home challenger Divyanshi Bhoumick of TSTTA cruising to a straight-games 11-2, 11-9 11-5, 11-6 success to take her spot in the final.
Meanwhile, Ishika faced quite a stiff opposition from Ria Kothari of Akola District before coming out trumps 4-2. Ria started on a promising note by winning the first and third games to race to a 2-1 lead. But, showed excellent fighting spirit as she claimed the next three games in succession to complete a satisfying 6-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5 and 11-8 victory.
This tournament which has obtained the necessary sanctions and permission from the concerned authorities, is the first sporting event to be conducted in Mumbai since the lockdown in March 2020. The organisers TSTTA have ensured that all protocols are being followed and all precautions measures have been taken for the safety of the players, parents, coaches and officials. Some of the Matches can be watched on fb page of PTKS.
Results –
Quarter-finals: Ishika Umate (NGP) beat Anshuka Rawat (SOL) 11-4, 11-3, 11-6; Ria Kothari (AKL) beat Ruchita Darvatkar (PNA) 11-7, 11-8, 11-9; Divyanshi Bhoumick (TSTTA) beat Swara Salgaonkar (TSTTA) 11-9, 11-7, 11-9; Riana Bhoota (THN) beat Kavya Bhatt (THN) 11-5, 6-11. 11-2, 11-8.
Semi-finals: Ishika Umate (NGP) beat Ria Kothari (AKL) 6-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-8; Riana Bhoota (THN) beat Divyanshi Bhoumick (TSTTA) 11-2, 11-9 11-5, 11-6.
Final: Riana Bhoota (THN) beat Ishika Umate (NGP) 11-2, 12-10, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5.