UTT Junior & Youth C’ship: Abhinand anchors TN’s title win against Maharashtra
Top seed Tamil Nadu stamped its authority with a 3-1 win over Maharashtra to clinch the Under-19 boys’ team title at the UTT Inter-State Junior and Youth National Table Tennis Championships on Wednesday.
Tamil Nadu’s charge was led by the rock-solid P B Abhinand, who delivered commanding wins over Neil Mulye and Kushal Chopda, sealing the title in style in the reverse singles.
Maharashtra leaned heavily on Chopda — a tactic that carried it to the final but exposed its lack of depth. Mulye showed fight, but the duo couldn’t match Tamil Nadu’s balance when it mattered.
The difference was Tamil Nadu’s all-round strength, highlighted by SK Mehan’s straight-game win over Ishan Khandekar, which firmly tilted the tie in their favour.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu beat Assam in the semifinals, while Maharashtra got past West Bengal.
Results:
Under-19 Boys (Final): Tamil Nadu bt Maharashtra 3-1 (M.R.Balamurugan lost to Kushal Chopda 11-9, 13-11, 8-11, 6-11, 9-11, P.B. Abhinand bt Neil Mulye 11-5, 11-3, 7-11, 11-6, S.K. Mehan bt Ishan Khandekar 11-4, 12-10, 11-7, Abhinand bt Kushal 11-6, 11-6, 11-8).
Semifinals: Tamil Nadu bt Assam 3-2 (Abhinand bt Divyaj Rajkhowa Roy 6-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-5, Balamurugan lost to Priyanuj Bhattacharyya 12-14, 6-11, 9-11, Mehan bt Swapnanil Dutta 11-4, 11-7, 11-7, Abhinand lost to Priyanuj 6-11, 11-5, 11-13, 11-7, 6-11, Balamurugan bt Divyaj 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 5-11, 11-8).
Maharashtra bt West Bengal 3-1 (Neil bt Punit Biswas 11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-8, Kushal bt Oishik Ghosh 11-6, 11-9, 11-8, Ishan lost to Rupam Sardar 9-11, 10-12, 11-7, 8-11, Kushal bt Punit 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8).
– PTI
GOLF
Leading Indians in fray at Singapore Open golf
As many as 11 Indians, including Karandeep Kochhar, Gaganjeet Bhullar, SSP Chawrasia, and Jeev Milkha Singh, will tee off at the Singapore Open on Thursday, aiming to secure spots in the 154th edition of The Open Championship, golf’s oldest Major, later this year.
The 57th edition of the tournament is part of the International Series and offers a prize purse of USD 2 million, with the top two players — if not already exempt — earning spots in The Open Championship, scheduled for July.
Kochhar, in sublime form in recent months, will be one to watch. He is joined by 11-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar, six-time winner SSP Chawrasia, and two-time Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Jeev Milkha Singh.
Also in the fray are three-time Asian Tour winner Shiv Kapur, former champions Ajeetesh Sandhu and Rashid Khan, along with a promising young contingent featuring Pukhraj Singh Gill, Sachin Baisoya, Shaurya Bhattacharya, and Shubham Jaglan.
The Singapore Open was last played at Sentosa Golf Club in 2022, when Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana beat Tom Kim of Korea.
Kochhar, who has been in close contention twice already this year, finishing fourth at the Philippine Golf Championship and fifth at International Series Japan, will look to capitalise on his rich vein of form.
“This is one tournament I look forward to, especially just in terms of the golf course. I think it’s an amazing golf course and I love playing here. Hopefully I can play well,” said Kochhar.
“I think it’s a great track. It’s a long golf course. It’s on the longer side for sure. But the conditions are great. I think it’s going to be a hot, hot week,” he added.
– PTI
Published on Apr 22, 2026
Results:
Under-19 Boys (Final): Tamil Nadu bt Maharashtra 3-1 (M.R.Balamurugan lost to Kushal Chopda 11-9, 13-11, 8-11, 6-11, 9-11, P.B. Abhinand bt Neil Mulye 11-5, 11-3, 7-11, 11-6, S.K. Mehan bt Ishan Khandekar 11-4, 12-10, 11-7, Abhinand bt Kushal 11-6, 11-6, 11-8).
Semifinals: Tamil Nadu bt Assam 3-2 (Abhinand bt Divyaj Rajkhowa Roy 6-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-5, Balamurugan lost to Priyanuj Bhattacharyya 12-14, 6-11, 9-11, Mehan bt Swapnanil Dutta 11-4, 11-7, 11-7, Abhinand lost to Priyanuj 6-11, 11-5, 11-13, 11-7, 6-11, Balamurugan bt Divyaj 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 5-11, 11-8).
Maharashtra bt West Bengal 3-1 (Neil bt Punit Biswas 11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-8, Kushal bt Oishik Ghosh 11-6, 11-9, 11-8, Ishan lost to Rupam Sardar 9-11, 10-12, 11-7, 8-11, Kushal bt Punit 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8).