Hyderabad: Hyderabad paddler and State No.1 S. Fidel R. Snehit advanced to the semifinals in the sub-junior boys category at the National Ranking Table Tennis Championships (North Zone), being held at the Hansraj Model School in New Delhi.
Unseeded Snehit, who trains at the Global Table Tennis Academy (GTTA) in Hyderabad, overcame more fancied opponents to make it to the last four stage of the tournament.
Ranked No.4 in India when he was a cadet player in 2011, Snehit defeated the former cadet No.1 Akash Nath of West Bengal, who is currently ranked No.6 in the sub-junior category, 3-0 (18-16, 117, 11-9) in the quarterfinals held on the weekend.
Earlier, in the pre-quarterfinals, Snehit defeated No.3 Akash Choudhary, also of West Bengal 3-2. After losing the first game, Snehit fought his way back to topple his higher-ranked opponent. Praising Snehit's composure and fighting spirit, his coach Somnath Ghosh said: “He was 5-7 down in the decider but he fought back well. When the score was 9-9, Snehit displayed superb composure. He got a lucky point in the end to win the match.“
In the semifinals, Snehit will face India No.1 Manav Thakkar of Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB). The other semifinal will be fought between two West Bengal players -Jeet Chandra and Ronit Bhanja.
Snehit, captain of the Andhra Pradesh sub-junior team, will be representing the state in the junior and youth categories of the forthcoming nationals as well.
