Table tennis: Second seed Panse ousts Gopal in seven game thriller to win final
In the fifth game Gopal managed to win the last two minutes and took a decisive 3-2 lead, however, the game tired the two out to no end and Gopal ended up surrendering his lead and the title in the bargain
In a match that saw players strive under high pressure and nerves, second-seeded Aryan Panse (17) from Symbiosis College triumphed over fifth seed Adarsh Gopal (16) to win the junior boys final at the Sharada district ranking table tennis tournament 2019.
The scoreline read 11-5, 9-11, 5-11, 11-7, 23-25, 11-6, 11-4 in favour of the 17-year-old.
From the very first game, the top seed looked more energetic of the two, and chased down every single point; often losing his balance in the bargain. When quizzed about constantly falling beside the table during the game, Panse stated, “It was tough as you never know what injury could befall you. When I fell I reassured myself that there was another point to play and I had to focus on it. That’s how I kept myself going.”
After four games of ebbing and flowing, the contest hit its peak in the fifth game, when the two fought for 48 points before Gopal managed to win the last two minutes and took a decisive 3-2 lead. The game tired the two out to no end and it remained to be seen which of the two players would be affected the most by it.
Unfortunately for Gopal, it was the game that swung the pendulum in favour of his opponent. He failed to replicate that kind of intensity for the last couple of games and ended up surrendering his lead and the title in the bargain.