Three weeks ago, he fell two points short of lifting the trophy at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship (CTTC) in his hometown New Delhi.

But on Sunday here, Payas Jain didn’t let history repeat itself. For the 21-year-old, the time since the CTTC has not been about chasing results. It has been about sticking to a process. That process bore fruit in emphatic fashion as Payas outplayed reigning National champion Manav Thakkar to win the season-opening National ranking tournament at The Sportz Hub.

“Nothing has changed,” Payas told The Hindu. “Before the Commonwealth Championship, I was trying to follow the process. Even after the Commonwealth Championship, I was just trying to follow the process. The Asian Games is coming up, my main goal is to win a medal for India there.”

What changed, however, was the manner in which Payas went about his business. Against one of the strongest defensive players in Indian men’s table tennis, he refused to be hurried. He stayed in the rallies, waited for the opportunity to turn, and passed Manav with the precision that had also been evident in his service receiving.

Everything, he insisted, was intentional. “Whether it was my body language, shot-making, strategy or tactics. The fact that everything was intentional reflected on the table. I know how Manav plays. He knows how I play. So, I was prepared for everything,” Payas said. “It was a great match. I actually played well and I was feeling very confident.”

That confidence grew as the final progressed. Payas sensed the rhythm after the opening game and, rather than attempting to force the issue, trusted his ability to remain in the exchanges until the opening appeared.

“I knew that Manav was not going to miss so soon and that it was going to be a tough fight,” he said. “I was just ready to be on the table irrespective of whether he was playing with speed or power. Whenever I was getting the chance, I was able to turn and pass.”

A member of India’s Asian Games squad, he put together a strong domestic season and finished second in the National rankings. He is closing in on a place in the world’s top 100. Payas is still awaiting inclusion in the Sports Authority of India’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme list of promising athletes. The Asian Games medal, though, remains the bigger target. Sunday’s crown was simply another step towards it.

Syndrela Das marked her 17th birthday in style, claiming a double crown, while Payas Jain bounced back from the disappointment of losing the Commonwealth Championship final three weeks ago to headline the final day of the UTT National ranking table tennis tournament at The Sportz Hub here on Sunday.

On an action-packed day, the senior paddlers negotiated their last three rounds while the youth events reached their climax. Syndrela, who played seven matches without dropping one game, outclassed fellow teenager Divyanshi Bhowmick in the women’s final.

Divyanshi, fresh from winning the under-17 title and having bowed out to Ananya Muralidharan in the U-19 semifinal, tried hard to disrupt Syndrela’s rhythm. But the Kolkata paddler’s trademark backhand winners proved decisive. Earlier, Syndrela had accounted for Ananya in the youth girls’ final.

The men’s final, between two members of India’s Asian Games squad, produced more engrossing rallies. Payas’ assured service receiving helped him breach Manav Thakkar’s defensive fort as he battled his way to a five-game victory.

In the youth boys’ final, Priyanuj Bhattacharyya edged Abhinandh P.B. in a 65-minute thriller. Despite conceding the fifth-game tie-break 21-23, Priyanuj responded with an aggressive approach to pocket the next two games and seal the title.

The results: Men: Final: Payas Jain (Del) bt Manav Thakkar (PSPB) 11-3, 9-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-8. Semifinals: Payas bt Jeet Chandra (RSPB) 11-8, 11-5, 11-8, 1-11, 11-7; Manav bt Ankur Bhattacharjee (Har) 12-10, 13-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8.

Women: Final: Syndrela Das (WB) bt Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9. Semifinals: Divyanshi bt Yashaswini Ghorpade (PSPB) 11-4, 11-6, 11-4, 9-11, 11-2; Syndrela bt Swastika Ghosh (PSPB) 11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9.

Youth (U-19): Boys: Final: Priyanuj Bhattacharrya (RSPB) bt Abhinandh P.B. (TN) 9-11, 11-5, 11-3, 8-11, 21-23, 11-4, 11-7. Semifinals: Priyanuj bt Punit Biswas (WB) 11-7, 11-5, 11-3; Abhinandh bt Soham Mukherjee (WB) 12-10, 12-10, 11-9.

Girls: Final: Syndrela bt Ananya Muralidharan (TN) 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 11-4. Semifinals: Syndrela bt Naisha Rewaskar (Mah) 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7; Ananya bt Divyanshi Bhowmick (Mah) 11-5, 2-11, 11-7, 11-7.

Ankur Bhattacharjee and Yashaswini Ghorpade emerged as the men’s and women’s singles champions as India capped a dominant campaign by winning four of the five gold medals at the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex here on Sunday.

The men’s final, featuring two of the brightest prospects in Indian table tennis, lived up to the expectations. In a pulsating 70-minute contest, Ankur staged a stirring comeback to overcome Payas Jain, making a strong statement after narrowly missing out on a place in India’s Asian Games squad.

Yashaswini, meanwhile, added a major title to her growing resume by defeating the fancied Sreeja Akula. Both the finalists had been pushed to the limit in the semifinals earlier in the day. Yashaswini had edged teenager Syndrela Das 11-9 in the deciding game, while Sreeja had survived an equally stern examination from Olympian Sutirtha Mukherjee to win by the same margin.

The draining last-four match, however, left little trace on Yashaswini. She quickly settled into the final, repeatedly finding the mark with her forehand topspins to deny Sreeja any rhythm. The victory served as redemption after she and Divyanshi Bhowmick had gone down to Sreeja and Syndrela in the women’s doubles summit clash earlier on Sunday.

Yashaswini added a major title to her growing resume.
| Photo Credit:
Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

While the women’s title battle was largely one-sided, the men’s final ebbed and flowed throughout. Payas’ powerful forehand topspins initially outweighed Ankur’s trademark backhand winners as the Delhi paddler moved within a game of the crown at 3-2.

But Ankur showed remarkable improvement while receiving, reeling off nine consecutive points in the sixth game to force a decider.

The seventh game brought another twist. A yellow card for protesting Payas’ service appeared to disrupt Ankur’s concentration as he slipped 4-7 behind. But the Kolkata youngster used his timeout to regroup, returned with renewed purpose and completed a memorable comeback to earn the biggest title of his career.

The results (Indians unless specified):

Men: Singles: Final: Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Payas Jain 11-8, 9-11, 7-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-4, 11-9; Semifinals: Payas bt Manush Shah 11-9, 11-7, 5-11, 12-10, 11-9; Ankur bt Manav Thakkar 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8. Doubles: Final: Shen Qi Wong & Javen Choong (Mas) bt Manav & Manush 11-9, 12-10, 11-7.

Women: Singles: Final: Yashaswini Ghorpade bt Sreeja Akula 11-6, 11-1, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11; Semifinals: Sreeja bt Syndrela Das 10-12, 11-7, 11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9; Yashaswini bt Sutirtha Mukherjee 6-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-4, 11-9. Doubles: Final: Sreeja & Syndrela bt Yashaswini & Divyanshi Bhowmick 11-8, 11-13, 11-8, 11-6.

Mixed doubles: Final: Taneesha Kotecha & Manav bt Ai Xin Tee & Richard Rui Zhe Yap (Mas) 11-8, 10-12, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5.

Captain G. Sathiyan led from the front as Dabang Delhi TTC kept its Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 semifinal hopes alive with a hard-fought victory over Ahmedabad APL Pipers at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Monday.

Sathiyan’s clean sweep of Payas Jain, an opponent who has troubled him over the past few seasons, proved decisive in a closely contested tie. The 9-6 result means that Delhi will head into its final league fixture against PBG Pune Jaguars on Thursday precisely knowing the permutations.

With Dempo Goa Challengers, U Mumba TT and HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades having already secured last-four berths, both Delhi and Ahmedabad needed a convincing victory to stay in the race. After the opening three matches, there was little to separate the teams, with Delhi holding a slender 5-4 advantage. The onus fell on Sathiyan to deliver against Payas.

The youngster looked set to turn the contest in Ahmedabad’s favour as he surged to a 10-6 lead in the first game, his powerful winners repeatedly piercing Sathiyan’s defence.

Sathiyan brought his experience to the table.
| Photo Credit:
Butterfly UTT

But the veteran responded with his trademark composure, reeling off five consecutive points to snatch the opener. Buoyed by the comeback, Sathiyan adopted a more aggressive approach to take the second game comfortably.

Even when he trailed 2-5 in the third game, Sathiyan refused to relent. He continued to pile pressure on Payas, forcing errors at crucial moments before completing a facile win.

Ahmedabad stayed alive in the semifinal race only because Manika Batra defeated Sutirtha Mukherjee in the final match. Had Sutirtha prevailed, Delhi would have knocked Pipers out of top-four contention.

The result: Dabang Delhi TTC bt Ahmedabad APL Pipers 9-6 (Youssef Abdelaziz bt Adrien Rassenfosse 11-6, 5-11, 11-10; Maria Xiao lost to Sofia Polcanova 2-11, 11-9, 10-11; G. Sathiyan & Maria bt Payas Jain & Polcanova 11-7, 9-11, 11-4; Sathiyan bt Payas 11-10, 11-8, 11-7; Sutirtha Mukherjee lost to Manika Batra 5-11, 3-11, 11-9).

The standings: Dempo Goa Challengers 46 points (5 ties), Ahmedabad APL Pipers 45 (6), U Mumba TT 41 (5), HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades 41 (5), Dabang Delhi TTC 36 (5), PBG Pune Jaguars 34 (5), UP Prometheans 27 (5).