Vighney, Nikhat clinch titles

Hyderabad: Reserve Bank of India’s P Vighney Reddy and Nikhat Banu from Gujarati Seva Mandal (GSM) emerged as the first ever winners of Telangana State Ranking Championship at St Paul’s High School here on Sunday.

Banu was given the Late Smt Satyawati Gupta award while Vighney Reddy received the Vasu (MVSN Prasad) memorial award for their respective title triumphs.

Conducted by St Paul’s Stag Table Tennis Academy as their 16th annual inter-school and inter-institution championships, the four-day event some surprises to the script.

It was more so in the youth boys where V S Hari Krishna from SPSTTA achieved a major milestone for a 15-year-old when he won the Youth boy’s title despite losing the first game 4-11 to Harsh V Lahoti. Raga Nivedita won her maiden State title when she took the sub-junior girls title after defeating GSM player G Pranita 4-1.

Later, Dr T Subramanyeshwar Rao, Director and Head of Surgical Oncology, Indo-American Cancer Research Institute and C R Sasi Kumar, Chief General Manager, State Bank of India, Hyderabad Circle, jointly gave away the prizes.

Chenchu Ramaiah and P Prakash Raju from Telangana State Table Tennis Association (TSTTA), Arjuna awardee, Mir Khasim Ali and principal sponsor, Sarwar Ali Khan, graced the occasion.

Results-All finals-Sub-junior girls: Raga Nivedita (GTTA) bt G Pranita (GSM) 15-13, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8; Junior girls: A Sreeja (GTTA) bt Naina Jaiswal (LBS) 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-4; Junior boys: Harsh V Lahoti (YMCA) bt SFR Snehit (GTTA) 11-10, 11-9, 11-9, 12-10; Youth girls: Naina Jaiswal bt Varuni Jaiswal (GSM) 6-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-5, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9; Youth boys: V S Hari Krishna (SPSTTA) bt Harsh V Lahoti 4-11, 11-5, 11-7, 13-11, 15-13, 11-8; Women: Nikhat Banu (GSM) bt A Sreeja 11-9, 11-5, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9; Men: P Vighney Reddy (RBI) bt Vishal Narayan (LBS) 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9.