State TT back in action tomorrow

First phase of State Championships 2020 gets underway in Gandhidham

Gandhidham, Jan.28 : After a break of more than a year, state paddlers will be in action as Gujarat State Championships 2020 gets underway at Gandhidham on Friday. The three-day event will feature Cadet (boys and girls), Sub-Junior (boys and girls) and Senior (Men and Women). This is the first of the two-phase championships.

The tournament organised by Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) with the support of Kachchh District Table Tennis Association at the KDTTA Indoor stadium will be held under the strict guidelines of the state government due to Covid-19 situation. GSTTA has received more than 200 entries.

All the matches of the respective category will be played in a single day. The first day, January 29, shall witness all the rounds of the Cadet Boys and Girls section, including the finals. It will be followed by the Sub-Junior category on January 30. The Men and Women paddlers will display their skills on Sunday (January 31).

GSTTA has decided to have round robin league matches before the knockouts start in Cadet boys and girls sections, so that a player will have a chance of a comeback if the first match is lost.

Selectors will be keeping a close eye on Men’s and Women’s matches with less than 15 days left for the Senior National Championships 2020 at Panchkula, Haryana.

Baroda’s Manush Shah and local boy Ishaan Hingorani will start as favourites. But there is very little margin of error. It will be their first competitive game for them. In the Women’s section, Surat’s Frenaz Chipia will be eyeing yet another dominance against the young brigade comprising her citymate Filzah Fatema Kadri and Kausha Bhairapure of Ahmedabad.