Harmeet Desai and Ayhika Mukherjee won the men's and women's singles titles as hosts India finished a decisive victory, asserting all the seven gold awards on offer at the 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships here Monday.
Harmeet, 26, beat most loved G Sathiyan 4-3 (9-11 6 11-5 11-8 17-15 7 11-9 out of a hard-battled last to guarantee the men's singles title.
After being down 0-2 at first, Harmeet made a valiant come back to outmaneuver Sathiyan in a Marathon seven-game challenge.
Prior in the day, Anthony Amalraj and Manav Thakkar asserted the men's pairs gold by staggering top seeds Sathiyan and Sharath Kamal 3-1 (8 11-6 13-11 12-10).
In women's singles, Ayhika won her maiden gold in the titles, whipping previous national champion Madurika Patkar 4-0 (11-6 11-4 11-9 19-17).
Pooja Sahasrabudhe and Krittwika Sinha Roy defeated compatriots Sreeja Akula and Mousumi Paul 3-1 (11-9 11-8 9-11 12-10) to guarantee the women's pairs crown.
Curiously, no paddler could recreate their gold-winning execution on different occasions.
The control of home paddlers could be measured from the way that all finals Monday highlighted just the Indians.
Indian paddlers topped the medals tally with seven gold, five silver, and three bronze. England (2 silver, 3 bronze) was second ahead of Singapore (6 bronze), Malaysia and Nigeria (1 bronze each).
Results:
Men Singles:
Final: Harmeet Desai beat G Sathiyan 9-11 6 11-5 11-8 17-15 7 11-9.
Semi-Finals: G Sathiyan beat Thomas Jarvis (ENG) 16-14 11-6 11-7
11-9; Harmeet Desai beat Pang Yu En Koen (SGP) 10-12 11-3 11-6 11-6
11-2.
Women's Singles:
Final: Ayhika Mukherjee beat Madhurika Patkar 11-6 11-4 11-9 19-17.
Semi-Finals: Ayhika Mukherjee beat Ho Tin-Tin (ENG) 11-6 11-6 7-11. 11-4 11-4; Madhurika Patkar beat Sreeja Akula 11-8 11 9 11-8 14-12.
Men Doubles:
Final: An Amalraj and Manav Thakkar beat A Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan 8 11-6 13-11 12-10.
Semi-Finals: A. Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan beat Pang Yu En Koen and Chua Shao Han Josh (SGP) 12-10 11-4 14-12; An Amalraj and Manav Thakkar beat Samuel Walker and Thomas Jarvis (ENG) 11-9 8 11-6 11-5.
Women's Doubles:
Final: Pooja Sahasrabudhe and Krtittwika Sinha Roy beat Sreeja Akula and Mousumi Paul 11-9 11-8 9-11 12-10.
Semi-Final: Pooja Sahasrabudhe and Krtittwika Sinha Roy beat Goi Rui Xuan and Wong Xin Ru (SGP) 11-7 12-10 11-9; Sreeja Akula and Mousumi Paul beat Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee 11-8 11-8 11-6.
Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships: Harmeet Desai, Ayhika Mukherjee win men's and women's titles as India claim 7 golds
