Aadya won the girls’ under-11 crown.
Divyanshi Bhowmick — regarded as one of India’s most promising young paddlers — fell short of top honours, going down fighting to second seed Miku Matsushima of Japan in the under-19 girls’ final of the WTT Youth Contender here on Monday.
In a gruelling contest that capped a punishing day for both players — who featured in four knockout matches over a span of seven hours — Matsushima prevailed over Divyanshi 11-6, 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3 in a gruelling 45-minute encounter at the SAMA Indoor Sports Complex.
The Japanese left-hander made a strong start, using her pace and early aggression to race to an 8-3 lead in the second game after winning the opener. Divyanshi, the reigning under-15 Asian champion, initially struggled to cope with Matsushima’s quick-fire exchanges.
However, the Indian teenager responded impressively, rediscovering her rhythm with the long-pimpled rubbers. A seven-point winning streak helped her turn the tables and level the match by converting her second game point. She carried the momentum into the third game, showing greater control and variation to move ahead 2-1.
Divyanshi had an opportunity to close out the contest in the fourth game when she surged to a 6-3 lead. But a couple of missed regulation forehand winners proved costly, allowing Matsushima to claw back and force the match into a decider.
In the fifth game, the Japanese player regained full control, stepping up the aggression and dictating rallies from the outset. Matsushima raced through the decider to seal the title, before consoling a teary-eyed Divyanshi at the net after the handshake.
Rajdeep won the boys’ under-11 title.
The results: Final: Girls: U-19: Miku Matsushima (Jpn) bt Divyanshi Bhowmick 11-6, 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3; U-15: Sreejani Chakraborty bt Tanishka Kalbhairav 8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5; U-11: Aadya Baheti bt Sakshya Santosh 15-13, 11-8, 12-10.
Boys: U-19: Priyanuj Bhattacharyya bt Sarthak Arya 12-10, 11-8, 14-12; U-15: Aditya Das bt Sanjay Jagdish 11-4, 11-9-11-8; U-11: Rajdeep Biswas bt Sharvil Karambelkar 11-8, 11-6, 11-13, 11-4.
Published – January 05, 2026 08:32 pm IST
