Rising talent Aaron Farias is poised for a triple crown, at the 7th YMCA Table Tennis Ranking Tournament organised in collaboration with Goa Table Tennis Association, at Indoor Stadium, Campal.
Aaron marched into the highly-anticipated men’s singles finals to set a face off against Arvind Kumar G, setting the stage for an exciting clash between two exceptional paddlers.
One of the tournament’s rising stars, Aaron Farias, made a significant impact by knocking out top seed Anshuman Agarwal in a thrilling quarter-finals encounter. The match kept spectators on the edge of their seats, with Farias emerging victorious with a score of 3-2. This marks Farias’ third appearance in the finals of the tournament, having previously reached the finals in both the U17 and U19 boys’ categories.
The other quarter-finals witnessed fierce battles between skilled competitors, with Arvind Kumar G securing a convincing victory of 3-0 against Nagesh Verenkar. Ayaan Aziz defeated Varun Gangodkar with a score of 3-1, while Dheeraj Rai emerged victorious with a score of 3-1 against Kewal Tahmankar.
The men’s matches were marked by several notable performances. Kewal, making a highly anticipated return to competitive Table Tennis, showcased his skills with an excellent performance. He reached the quarter-finals after a hard-fought battle against Selvyn Godinho, defeating him 3-0 in the pre-quarters, before going down 1-3 to Dheeraj Rai.
Rishan Shaikh displayed his tenacity and resilience in the pre-quarters against top seed Anshuman Agarwal. The match was pushed to its limits, with young Rishan stretching Anshuman to five sets. In the end, Rishan narrowly missed out, with Anshuman clinching the victory with a score of 3-2.
There were a few major upsets in the pre-quarters. Nagesh Verencar, making his comeback after a year’s gap, upset Chandan Caro with a score of 3-2, Varun Gangodkar surprised former state champion Noel Noronha with a score of 3-1, and Ayaan Aziz dominated another former state champion Diljeet Velingkar with a comprehensive victory of 3-0.
The men’s semi-finals were equally enthralling, with Aaron Farias prevailing over Ayaan Aziz in a nail-biting encounter that went all the way to seven sets, resulting in a final score of 4-3. Arvind Kumar G showcased his prowess by defeating Dheeraj Rai with a score of 4-1, securing his spot in the finals.
Results:
Quarter-finals
Arvind Kumar G beat Nagesh Verenkar 3-0
Aaron Farias beat Anshuman Agarwal 3-2
Ayaan Aziz beat Varun Gangodkar 3-1
Dheeraj Rai beat Kewal Tahmankar 3-1
Semi-finals
Aaron Farias beat Ayaan Aziz 4-3
Arvind Kumar G beat Dheeraj Rai 4-1
