PANJIM: Goa’s Cadets boys Team spearheaded by India Number 2 ranked Shantesh Mapsekar stormed into the quarter-finals by registering a thumping 3-0 win over North Bengal, in the 79th Cadet and Sub-Junior Nationals & Inter-State Table Tennis Championships being held at the SP Mukherjee Stadium, Taleigao, on Friday.
The championship witnessed enthralling matches with the other host teams, Cadets girls, Sub Junior boys and Sub Junior girls, all qualifying for the knock-out stage by winning their round 3 league matches. However, they could not progress further as they lost to higher ranked opponents.
In the pre-quarterfinals, Goa lost 3-0 to Gujarat in cadet girls, 3-0 to Maharashtra A in Sub Junior Boys and 3-0 to Telengana in Sub Junior girls. In Cadets boys pre-quarterfinals, Goa’s Aarav Aiyar gave the host team a 1-0 lead after defeating Soumyadeep Neogi 3-2 (11-9, 11-3, 7-11, 10-12, 11-8). Shantesh Mapsekar made it 2-0 for Goa by beating Saikat Sutradhar 3–1 (11-13, 11-5, 11-7, 11-4). Shantesh and Aarav then teamed up for the hosts after coming back from a 2 set deficit to beat Soumyadeep Neogi / Saikat Sutradhar 3 – 2 (7-11, 11-13, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3).
