Top seeds Yadav, Grover clinch Junior Boys title

MUMBAI: Top seeds India 'A' duo Abhishek Yadav and Sudhanshu Grover brought their best game to the table as they knocked down opponents India 'E' 3-0 to win the Junior Boys title at the 2013 Reliance India Junior and Cadet Open Table Tennis Championship at the NSCI Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium on Thursday. In the girl's contest, it was the third-seeded Chinese girls Yanmei Yang and Li Anqi, who staged an impressive upset against India 'A' to claim the title.
India 'E's Sanish Ambekar posed no problems for Yadav, who decimated the former 11-4, 11-5, 11-7. Teammate Grover had an equally easy outing against Chinmay Vinod in the second singles, before he paired up with Yadav to win the doubles 11-5,12-10, 11-8.
The hosts had a less favourable result in the junior girl's contest. Despite taking the lead with a singles win from World No. 30 Manika Batra, India lost the plot as the Chinese equalized the tie. Yanmei Yang won 11-3, 11-8, 11-8 against Suthirtha Mukherjee. The visitors did not let their guard down thereafter, sweeping the doubles as well as the fourth crucial singles tie.
Talking about the loss in the decider, Delhi lass Batra said: "I started out well. Then the pressure to win got to me when I was 2-0 up. I frittered that opportunity. Also she (Yanmei) changed the game completely. She was playing a slow and patient game and I was in a hurry. That's where I lost out." Meanwhile, favourites India 'A' won the Cadet boys and girls titles.
Earlier, India 'C' shocked India 'B' 3-1 in the Cadet Boys semifinal. India 'C's Lalhunhlua stunned World No. 36 Arjun Ghosh 3-0, before Lalrin Puia upset India No. 5 Ayush Tayal by the same margin for a 2-0 cushion.
Results:
Junior Boys: Final: India A bt India E 3-0 (Sudhanshu Grover bt Chinmay Datar 11-9, 11-8, 11-6; Abhishek Yadav bt Sanish Ambekar 11-4, 11-5, 11-7; Grover/Yadav bt Ambekar/Datar 11-5, 12-10, 11-8.
Junior Girls: Final: China bt India A 3-1 (Li Anqi lost to Manika Batra 5-11, 5-11, 11-6, 5-11; Yanmei Yang bt Suthirtha Mukherjee 11-3, 11-3, 11-8; Anqi/Yang bt Mukherjee/Batra 11-6, 11-4, 11-8; Yang bt Batra 8-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-3, 11-5.
Cadet Boys: Final: India A bt India C 3-1 (Boro Birdie lost to Lalhunhlua 4-11, 7-11, 8-11; Anirban Ghosh bt Lalrin Puia 11-9, 11-8, 11-5; Boro/Ghosh bt Lalhunhlua/Puia 11-8, 11-6, 11-6; Ghosh bt Lalhunhlua 11-5, 11-5, 10-12, 11-8.
Cadet Girls: Final: India A bt India B 3-1 (Clange Ravichandran bt Sreeja Akula 6-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8; Sagarika Mukherjee bt Moumita Dutta 11-3, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7; Ravichandran/Mukherjee lost to Akula/Dutta 12-10, 11-4, 6-11, 6-11, 7-11; Sagarika Mukherjee bt Akula 11-6, 7-11, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10.