Paddlers Strike Gold
New Delhi
India celebrated a golden moment in table tennis after Ananya Muralidharan and Divyanshi Bhowmick captured the Under-15 Girls’ Doubles title at the WTT Youth Star Contender in Skopje, North Macedonia.
The young duo displayed remarkable grit in the final, edging past China’s Zhao Wangqi and Liu Ziling 3-2 in a thrilling contest. The scores—11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 6-11, 14-12—highlighted the intensity of the battle. Saving crucial match points in the decider, the Indians kept calm under pressure and struck with bold attacking strokes to seal the gold.
Earlier, in the semifinals, Ananya and Divyanshi defeated compatriots Riana Bhoota and Ankolika Chakravarty 3-1 (11-2, 10-12, 11-3, 11-6). Riana and Ankolika later settled for bronze, adding to India’s medal tally.
The tournament turned into a successful outing for Indian players with six medals overall. P.B. Abhinand secured silver in the Under-19 Boys’ Singles, falling to Japan’s Iwaida Shunto in straight sets (6-11, 7-11, 8-11). Ritvik Gupta also claimed silver in the Under-15 Boys’ Singles, losing a hard-fought final against Korea’s Lee Seungsoo (8-11, 5-11, 8-11).
India’s success extended to doubles as well. Abhinand paired with Syndrela Das to claim bronze in the Under-19 Mixed Doubles. Meanwhile, Ritvik Gupta and Sahil Rawat also won bronze in the Under-15 Boys’ Doubles.
The spirited show in Skopje showcased India’s growing strength in youth table tennis. With six medals, including a memorable gold, the campaign marked another step forward for India’s young stars on the global stage.