A teens seamless transitions

PB Abhinandh has had a breakthrough year so far. In addition to bagging national-level titles, the teenager also helped U Mumba win the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) title in Ahmedabad in June. Recently, he has added another title to his illustrious year, winning the mens title in the 7th Tamil Nadu Table Tennis Association (TNTTA) State Ranking Table Tennis tournament held at the Hall of Table Tennis, JN Stadium. The teenager seemed to have taken the transition from age-group competition to senior competition without a hitch. The TNTTAs continuous efforts can be credited for his growth. The state association regularly conducts state ranking tournaments in various age groups as well as for seniors. Tournaments like these will help them prepare for national championships and ranking tournaments. AV Vidyasagar, secretary of the TNTTA, is pleased with the turnout of the players for the tournaments. The quality of competition in these meets is good, and it also serves as a good preparation ground for various national meets, petroleum board meets, and the table tennis leagues. We have included a veteran category and also a corporate segment in the state ranking meets in order to help players across various age groups to enjoy the sport. We have also introduced an award for Best Academy to encourage the coaches who put in a lot of hard work to train the players, Vidyasagar said. Abhinandh has worked hard with his coach to win this title. The elated player said, The tournament was pretty tough from the first round; it was challenging. Representing the Chennai Achievers, he said the game between his club-mate Sriram S was a tough one. However, he also thinks that he does not take any player lightly. Its not just one player, every player whom I faced was tough, and I managed to get through them in the state ranking meet. I take one match at a time and never take any player for granted. On a given day anyone can beat anyone. But what helps me is consistency, and I try to maintain that, said Abhinandh. He trains under coach Subin Kumar MB at the Chennai Achievers Professional Table Tennis academy. I have won a total of three titles this season as I didnt participate in many state ranking tournaments due to international tournaments, he said. Other wins for Abhinandh this year includes beating Izaaac Quek from Singapore in a UTT match in June and winning gold in the WTT Youth Contender in Berlin. He also won a silver medal in the WTT Youth Star Contender in Skopje, North Macedonia.