Kolkata : India’s Anargaya Manjunath won the first major international title for her this season when she defeated Hungary’s Dorottya Tolygyes 3-2 (11-6, 7-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6) to lift the under-17 Girls singles trophy in the final of the WTT Youth Contender Belgrade
on Wednesday.
Incidentally, this was the first crown that came her way abroad in nearly 30 months.
Anargaya posted a relatively easy 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 12-10) triumph over her Swede rival Nomin Baasan in the semi-final.
But the title clash proved a tough one as her Hungarian opponent kept coming back at the Indian every time Anargaya went into the lead. However, the Bengaluru teenager demonstrated her prowess and determination in the decider, sewing it up in style, Table Tennis Federation of India secretary general Arun Kumar Banerjee said in a statement.
Anargaya admitted that she felt lucky to have won the crown. “It was my first international outing in a long time, around two and a half years. I played the decider with full confidence, and few of her unforced errors also played a part,” said the Indian.
However, Anargaya could not go beyond the pre-quarterfinals in the Under-19 singles as she went down to Matilda Hansson of Sweden 2-3 (11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 12-14, 7-11). Compatriot Karuna Gajendran also bowed out in the last-16 stages 2-3 (11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 6-11, 9-11) to Rebecca Muskantor, also from Sweden.
But another Indian, Swastika Ghosh, will return home with a bronze medal. The Mumbai girl, however, failed to go beyond the semi-final stage, losing the match to Rebecca in straight games. The Swede, the eventual title-winner, defeated the Indian 11-6, 11-4, 11-7.
