Hosts open campaign strongly at Sama Indoor Sports Complex
The 4th Gujarat State Ranking Table Tennis Tournament, being staged at Vadodara’s Sama Indoor Sports Complex, produced a number of decisive results on the opening day as local paddlers advanced from qualifying into the main draws. The tournament is organised by the Table Tennis Association of Baroda (TTAB) under the aegis of the Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) and is scheduled to continue until 14 August, The Times of India reported.
Ved Panchal was the most emphatic performer among the hosts, sealing his spot in the men’s main draw with a straight-games victory over Bhavnagar’s Ankit Chauhan. Team-mate Manas Dave also progressed after a closely contested 3-2 win against Bhavnagar’s Sagar Makwana.
Across other qualifying ties, players from Ahmedabad, Surat, Anand and Gandhinagar completed their berths into the men’s main event, underscoring the inter-city competition typical of the state circuit.
- Vadodara qualifiers (men): Ved Panchal, Manas Dave
- Other men’s qualifiers: Malav Panchal (Ahmedabad), Anubhav Shah (Surat), Parth Punjabi (Anand), Yug Parmar (Surat), Girish Jha (Ahmedabad), Rohit Jadav (Surat)
- U-17 boys’ qualifiers (Vadodara): Krishay Shah, Dhairya Kadchhi
In the men’s qualifying round, Ahmedabad’s Malav Panchal advanced with a 3-1 win over Bhavnagar’s Param Parmar, while Surat’s Anubhav Shah came from two games down to prevail 3-2 against Bhavnagar’s Saumya Desani. Anand’s Parth Punjabi and Surat’s Yug Parmar recorded 3-0 wins over Gandhinagar’s Maulik Jaiswal and Navsari’s Bhumin Bhandari respectively. Ahmedabad’s Girish Jha and Surat’s Rohit Jadav also made the cut for the men’s main draw, according to The Times of India.
Vadodara’s youth contingent fared well in the U-17 boys’ qualifying section. Krishay Shah defeated Surat’s Khush Agrawal 3-1, while Dhairya Kadchhi edged Bhavnagar’s Krishna Jethwa by the same margin to book places in the age-group main draw.
Other results in the U-17 qualifying stage included Anand’s Het Kamani prevailing 3-2 over Surat’s Ayaan Agrawal, and Surat’s Dipak Sahanee beating Vadodara’s Nevaan Agrawal 3-1. Bhavnagar’s Heet Dankhara and Surat’s Divyesh Shahanee also advanced to the U-17 main draw, the report added.
| Event | Notable qualifiers | Result detail |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s qualifying | Ved Panchal (Vadodara) | Straight-games win over Ankit Chauhan (Bhavnagar) |
| Men’s qualifying | Manas Dave (Vadodara) | 3-2 win over Sagar Makwana (Bhavnagar) |
| U-17 qualifying | Krishay Shah, Dhairya Kadchhi (Vadodara) | Both won their respective ties to join the U-17 main draw |
For Vadodara’s table-tennis community the early progress of home players is a welcome sign as the city looks to consolidate its position in state-level junior and senior circuits. The TTAB’s staging of the event at Sama also provides a platform for local talent to compete against established performers from Surat, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Anand and Navsari.
Organisers and team delegates are expected to reveal the full main-draw lists and match schedule as the tournament moves into the next phase. The presence of multiple qualifiers from Vadodara in both senior and U-17 categories could influence team selection and coaching focus for upcoming state championships and inter-district fixtures.
The competition offers ranking points and tournament experience for players across Gujarat, and city coaches will be tracking performances closely to gauge how Vadodara’s training programmes are translating into results against neighbouring districts, The Times of India reported.
