UPES wins epic Table Tennis finale, crowned champions

By Vanisha Rajesh Singh

The air was thick with anticipation as the players of OP Jindal and UPES stepped onto the table tennis court at Bennett University's Sportikon. The stakes were high, the competition was brutal, and the crowd was roaring with enthusiasm. The stage was set for a very dramatic and edgy finale, and the players were determined to leave their mark in the history of the game.

The first round of singles saw Jindal's Prajwal GS go head-to-head with Aditya Dogriyal from UPES. Prajwal won all three sets with ease, scoring 11-5 in each set. His powerful shots and well-placed serves proved too much for Aditya to handle, and the crowd was thoroughly impressed with Prajwal's performance.

However, the second round saw a complete turnaround in fortunes for UPES. Madhav Bhadia played for UPES against Aaryan Siwach from Jindal. The scores for the three rounds were 11-5, 11-3, and 11-4 in favour of UPES, making it a complete whitewash for Jindal. Madhav's aggressive play style and swift movements across the court caught Aaryan off guard, and the crowd was amazed at Madhav's skill.

The doubles round was a closely contested match, with Jindal's Dhruv Daga and Prajwal GS facing UPES's Samarth Sharma and Dogriyal. The crowd was on the edge of their seats as both teams traded blows, and each point was crucial. However, despite a valiant effort from Jindal, UPES emerged victorious, winning all three sets with scores of 11-7, 13-11, and 11-9. Set 2 was particularly intense, with Samarth Sharma's exceptional play proving decisive.

The fourth round of singles was the most unpredictable and longest round of the match, with Prajwal and Bhadia going against each other. The two players had very different playing styles, as Prajwal had a unique strategy of tapping his foot loudly while serving to distract and intimidate his opponent, a tactic that seemed to be working well against Madhav's aggressive style of play. The crowd was eagerly waiting for the end score as this round was going to decide the winner. Madhav, however, managed to maintain his focus and composure despite Prajwal's strategy and won the round for UPES with a score of 11-8, 13-15, 5-11, 16-14, 16-18 in a thrilling neck-and-neck struggle. The audience erupted in cheers as Madhav sealed the victory for UPES.

After the match, Prajwal GS expressed, "We put in our utmost effort, however, UPES played exceptionally well, and they truly deserve the victory. My warmest congratulations to them." Meanwhile, Madhav Bhadia commented, "Honestly, it was a rollercoaster of emotions out there. Prajwal put up a great fight, and we knew we had to stay focused and play our hearts out to come out on top.”

The UPES team members were brimming with joy, leaping and hugging each other in celebration of their hard-won victory. The final match of the table tennis tournament at Sportikon was nothing short of phenomenal, with the players putting in their all to emerge victorious. Ankan Chakraborty, the captain of Bennett's Table Tennis team, couldn't agree more, describing the match as one of the best he had witnessed during the fest.
(The writer is a Semester II student of BA (Journalism and Mass Communication) programme.)