Manesar (Haryana), February 2: Maharashtra ‘A’ team produced a sterling performance to topple top seed Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) 3-1 in the women’s team championship semi-final match of the 78th 11Even Sports Senior Nationals at the Manesar Sports Club, here, on Thursday.
They will take on West Bengal, who had finished runners-up in the last edition at Hyderabad, in the final.
In men’s final, however, PSPB ensured their berth and will clash with hosts Haryana who, too, had ended their campaign last year with the silver medal. PSPB and Haryana thrashed Gujarat and West Bengal by an identical 3-0 margins in their semifinals.
In women’s semi-finals, it had all boiled down to that third singles which Maharashtra won. When left-handed Shruti Amrute, a junior player, beat an in-form Mousumi Paul it was all over bar the shouting for PSPB. But then Pooja Sahasrabuddhe, who had given Maharashtra a flying start when she defeated Madhurika Patkar, continued with her good showing to score against the tricky veteran Mouma Das in the fourth rubber to seal Maharashtra’s berth in the final.
However, Pooja who failed to find a place in the PSPB squad and turning out for Maharashtra, had a bad start and yet managed to go 2-0 up with Mouma struggling. But Mouma, with her never-say-die attitude, troubled Pooja with her trademark backhand blocks and flicks. Equally forceful was her forehand scorchers and she made it 2-2 to give PSPB a semblance of a chance.
But Pooja rose to the occasion, flabbergasted Mouma with a few accurate winners and upped the ante to go 8-2 up when Mouma flounderd with her pushes. With just three points away from putting Maharashtra in the final, Pooja’s lost her confidence when Mouma mounted the pressure with six straight points to one by Pooja. At 10-9 Pooja’s forehand did the trick as Mouma’s return was wide and way off the mark much to the relief of Pooja and the Maharashtra team.
For West Bengal, it was rather easy against the Airports Authority of India women. And the 3-0 score line also suggests the domination of the Bengal paddlers, led by Krittwika Sinha Roy, Suthirtha Mukherjee and Anindita Chakraborty. In other words, it will not be easy for Maharashtra, their opponents in final.
Results - Women Semifinals: Maharashtra A bt PSPB 3-1 (Pooja Sahasrabuddhe bt Madhurika Patkar 11-9, 12-10, 11-6, Charvi Kawle lost to Mouma Das 6-11.Maharashtra A bt PSPB 3-1 (Pooja Sahasrabuddhe bt Madhurika Patkar 11-9, 12-10, 11-6, Charvi Kawle lost to Mouma Das 6-11, 3-11, 8-11, Shruti Amrute bt Mousumi Paul 11-7, 11-5, 11-5, Pooja Sahasrabuddhe bt Mouma Das 9-11, 11-5, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9).
West Bengal bt AAI 3-0 (Krittwika Sinha Roy bt Archana Kamath 11-9, 11-8, 11-9, Suthirtha Mukherjee bt Ayhima Mukherjee 11-4, 12-10, 11-5, Anindita Chakraborty bt Frenaz Chipia 5-11, 12-10, 16-14, 111-9).
Men Semifinals: PSPB bt Gujarat 3-0 (Anthony Amalraj bt Ishaan Hingorani 11-6, 11-6, 11-6, G. Sathiyan bt Harsh Sachanandani 11-8, 11-8, 11-8, Sanil Shetty bt Kaushal Bhatt 11-3, 11-5, 12-10).
Haryana bt West Bengal 3-0 (Jubin Kumar bt Arjun Ghosh 12-14, 11-6, 11-3, 12-10, Soumyajit Ghosh bt Anirban Nandi 11-8, 11-9, 11-5, SouravSaha bt Sougata Srkar 5-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7).