PSPB beat Delhi to reach table tennis semifinal
By IANSTuesday, January 18, 2011
KOLKATA - Defending champions Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) snuffed out a feeble challenge from Delhi to set up a semifinal clash with North Bengal in the women’s contest of the 72nd senior national and inter-state table tennis championship here Tuesday.
Powerful North Bengal retained their winning streak to get past Air India after a stiff contest at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. In other quarterfinals, hosts West Bengal edged past Andhra Pradesh to settle for a last four battle with Maharashtra A, whose girls ended Jharkhand’s good showing without having to stretch themselves.
K.Shamini, Madhurika Patkar and Mouma Das continued to shine as PSPB had smooth sailing against Delhi, prevailing 3-0. Shamini blanked Sanya Sehgal 11-6, 11-6, 11-7, while Neha Aggarwal had to bite the dust against Patkar 11-8, 11-6, 14- 16, 9-11, 11. Das then led her side to the next stage without dropping a single game during her 11-8, 11-7, and 11-6 win over Esha Monga.
West Bengal managed a 3-2 win over Andhra after the hosts’ Anindita Chakraborty humbled K. Spoorthy 11-6, 11-6, and 11-9, while Kritika Sinha Roy got the better of Akshi Sancheti 11-6, 11-6, and 11-8. Pallavi Kundu kept her concentration on crucial points to carve out a 11-4, 12-10, 11-8 triumph over K. Spoorthy. However, both Chakraborty and Kundu lost one match each against Andhra’s Nikhit Banu.
For North Bengal, Nandita Saha beat Shweta Parte 11-5, 5-11, 11-6 and 11-6, before going down to Mallika Bhanderkar 11-8, 7-11, 11-13, 11-4, 12-14 after a ding-dong battle. In other matches, North Bengal’s Ankita Das fought back a late challenge from Mallika Bhandarkar 11-7,12-10, 6-11, 11-6 and finished successful against Shweta Parte 13-11, 6-11, 11-2, 11-9. However, Sukanya Bose lost to Air India’s Aslesha Boda’s 11-13, 11-5, 17-15, 5-11, 4-11.
After having pulled up a big upset over fancied Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand failed to repeat their magic against Maharastra A and lost badly by 0-3 margin. Maharastra A’s Shruti Talnikar accounted for Tulika Roy 4-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-6. Mamta Prabhu then defeated Rupsha Bhattacharya 11-7, 11-6, 11-4, while Vediga Garg sealed the rubber winning 11-8, 12-10, 11-4 against Taniya Mondal.
