PB Abhinand faced a challenging day at the UTT National Ranking Championships at the Manohar Parrikar Indoor Stadium. After failing to progress beyond the quarterfinals of the men’s singles—he felled top seed Manav Thakkar—and exiting in the quarterfinals of the U-19 Boys, he had his task cut out. However, the 16-year-old from Tamil Nadu had his sights fixed on a different prize: defending his Under-17 Boys singles title.
As the second seed in the tournament, Abhinand met West Bengal’s Punit Biswas in a closely contested final. The match was a back-and-forth battle, with both players demonstrating their skills. Yet, Abhinand’s resolve shone through in the decisive moments, particularly in the final game. With his powerful forehand and tactical play, he quickly gained the upper hand, outpacing Punit and securing the title with a commanding performance.
Syndrela Das from West Bengal had all the answers for her state mate, Nandini Saha. After dropping the first game, Syndrela found her rhythm in the second and third, taking a 2-1 lead. Nandini put up a decent fight in the fourth, even pushing the game to deuce, but Syndrela exploited her momentum, denying Nandini another chance to claim the trophy.
Earlier in the semifinals, Punit Biswas overcame Delhi’s Sarthaak Arya in a thrilling 4-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-5 victory to book his spot in the Under-17 Boys’ final. P.B. Abhinand, seeded second, also secured his place with a resilient performance, defeating AAI’s Sudhanshu Maini 7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9. In the Under-17 Girls’ category, Syndrela Das edged out Maharashtra’s Kavya Bhatt in a tightly fought contest, prevailing 9-11, 12-10, 11-8, 13-11. Meanwhile, West Bengal’s Nandini Saha displayed determination in her semifinal, overcoming a tough challenge to defeat Maharashtra’s Divyanshi Bhowmick by 11-9, 13-15, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8.
Results:
U-17 Boys Singles: Final: P.B. Abhinand (TN) bt Punit Biswas (WB) 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-4.
Semifinals: Punit Biswas bt Sarthaak Arya (Del) 4-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-5; P.B. Abhinand bt Sudhanshu Maini (AAI) 7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9.
U-17 Girls Singles: Final: Syndrela Das (WB) bt Nandini Saha (WB) 6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 12-10.
Semifinals: Syndrela bt Kavya Bhatt (Mah) 9-11, 12-10, 11-8, 13-11; Nandini Saha (WB) bt Divya Bhowmick (Mah) 11-9, 13-15, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8.
