Team Herald
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FATORDA: The U-11 Boys final will be a showdown between top seed Ishaan Colaso and second seed Ashank Dalvi, both producing commanding displays of spin, speed and control at the MCC All-Goa Major Ranking Table Tennis Tournament 2025, at the Multipurpose Stadium, Fatorda.
Ishaan was at his fluent best, mixing forehand top-spins with clever placement to outplay Kedar Nair 3-0 in the semi-final, having earlier dispatched Kavin Hasija in straight games.
Ashank, too, was clinical, unleashing sharp backhand drives and aggressive rallies to overcome Aarish Shaikh 3-1 in a high-energy last-four clash, after blanking Prem Chopdekar 3-0 in the quarter-final. Aarish’s attacking intent saw him brush aside Vardhan Verlekar 3-0 earlier in the quarter-final, while Kedar kept his cool to subdue Cladwyn Miranda 3-1.
Elsewhere, the U-13 boys qualifiers produced their share of fast-paced rallies and deft touches.
Youngsters Noel Kurian, Nirvan Prabhu, Kedar Nair, Nathan D’Souza, Arha Sahakari, Adhiraj Badave, Nathaniel Lorenco and Aarish Shaikh all punched their tickets to the main draw with gritty wins, setting the stage for a series of intriguing contests ahead.
