Telangana girls beat Maharashtra 'A' to bag their maiden crown with a 3-1 win while Maharashtra boys outplayed Delhi 3-0 in the finals of the 76th Junior National and Youth Table Tennis Championships at the SDV Centenary Auditorium here today.
If Maharashtra had taken quite a long period to win a junior boys' team title, having won it way back in the nineties, credit should go to the Telangana girls who celebrated success in their first attempt.
Ravindra Kotiyan was the difference between Maharashtra and Delhi while the little girl Sreeja Akula, part of the four-member Indian team for the World Junior Championships in Shanghai, was the star player for Telangana to shape the victory.
Sreeja not only won both her singles but also combined well to win the doubles. She had to be given massage for her pain in the elbow but played a stellar role after being down 0-2 in the match against Payal Bohra. That win gave a boost to her confidence to a higher level and from there she never looked back.
Results:
Junior Boys: Team Final: Maharashtra A bt Delhi 3-0
Semifinals: Delhi bt West Bengal 3-1; Maharashtra A bt PSPBA 3-2
Junior Girls: Team Final: Telangana bt Maharashtra A 3-1
Semifinals: Maharashtra A bt Maharashtra B 3-1; Telangana bt Kerala 3-2.
