Ankur Bhattacharjee, Yashaswini Ghorpade win CTT titles

Ankur Bhattacharjee and Yashaswini Ghorpade clinched the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively at the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships on Sunday, delivering contrasting finals that underlined India’s strong showing at the event. Bhattacharjee survived a seven-game battle against Payas Jain, while Ghorpade produced a commanding 4-1 win over Sreeja Akula to lift the women’s crown.

The results capped a dominant campaign for India, who won all but one of the gold medals on offer. The only title to slip away was the men’s doubles, where Malaysia’s Shen Qi Wong and Javen Choong defeated India’s Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah in the final.

Men’s singles: Bhattacharjee edges Jain 4-3 after timeout turns decider

The men’s singles final between Bhattacharjee and Jain went the distance, with Bhattacharjee emerging a deserving 4-3 winner in a match defined by momentum swings and a decisive late intervention. The full scoreline read 11-8, 9-11, 7-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-4, 11-9 in Bhattacharjee’s favour.

Bhattacharjee struck first by taking the opening game 11-8, but Jain responded immediately to level the match with an 11-9 second game. Jain then moved ahead by claiming the third 11-7, putting Bhattacharjee under pressure as the contest began to tilt.

Bhattacharjee steadied himself in the fourth game, winning 11-8 to bring the match back to 2-2. However, Jain regained the advantage with a dominant fifth game, taking it 11-4 to move within one game of the title.

Facing the prospect of defeat, Bhattacharjee produced a strong response in the sixth, winning 11-4 to force a deciding seventh game. In the decider, Jain appeared poised to close it out after opening a 7-4 lead. At that moment, Bhattacharjee called a timeout that disrupted his opponent’s rhythm and helped him reset.

The timeout proved pivotal. Bhattacharjee fought back to level at 8-8, then edged ahead 10-9 before sealing the championship 11-9 when Jain’s return drifted long. The comeback in the final game completed a hard-fought win and secured the men’s singles title for Bhattacharjee.

Women’s singles: Ghorpade controls final to beat Akula 4-1

In the women’s singles final, Yashaswini Ghorpade delivered a commanding performance to defeat Sreeja Akula 4-1, winning 11-6, 11-1, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11. Ghorpade set the tone early, dominating the opening two games to race into a 2-0 lead, including an emphatic 11-1 second game that put Akula under immense pressure.

Akula responded admirably in the third game, taking it 11-8 to keep her hopes alive. But Ghorpade quickly regained control in the fourth, winning 11-7 to move within one game of the title.

The fifth game produced the most entertaining contest of the match, with both players matching each other point-for-point in a tense finish. Akula saved two championship points, but Ghorpade held her nerve to convert her third match point, closing out the game 13-11 and sealing the women’s singles championship in style.

Other finals: Malaysia take men’s doubles; India land women’s and mixed doubles

India’s near-clean sweep of gold medals was interrupted only in the men’s doubles final, where Malaysia’s Shen Qi Wong and Javen Choong produced a clinical display to beat Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah in straight games, 11-9, 12-10, 11-7. The report noted the result came contrary to expectations, with the Indian pair described as the world No. 2 combination.

In the women’s doubles final, Sreeja Akula and Syndrela Das won an all-Indian clash, defeating Yashaswini Ghorpade and Divyanshi Bhowmick 3-1 (11-8, 11-13, 11-8, 11-6).

The mixed doubles title went to India’s Manav Thakkar and Taneesha Kotecha, who completed a spirited comeback to beat Malaysia’s Ai Xin Tee and Richard Rui Zhe Yap 3-2. The final finished 11-8, 10-12, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, rounding out a day of finals that showcased India’s overall dominance at the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships.