Ajmer: With the singles entries having touched an unprecedented number, roughly 650, the organisers and the technical officials have had a tough time in completing over 1,000 Stage 1 group matches in the ONGC Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships here today.
For instance, the sub-junior singles had boys divided into 56 groups of three or four with just one from each group qualifying to join the top eight -- Manav Thakkar, Jeeth Chandra, Shaurya Pednekar, Akash Nath, Akash Choudhary, Mishal Dilawar, Neeldeep Das and Snehit who are directly seeded in the main draw.
The situation was more or less repeated in sub-junior girls' category where they were divided into 52 groups with matches going late into the night. Only the group leaders become eligible for the main draw where they will rub shoulders with the eight seeded players, Moumita Dutta, Naina, Abhinaya Ramesh Aishwarya Pathak, Shruti Amrute, Yashini, Koushani Nath and Poulami Das.
In both the sections, the top eight have had an off day thanks to their higher ranking points, accumulated over a period of time, after consistent performance. But their real business will begin once the Stage 2 knockout, best-of-seven matches begin tomorrow.
As for the group winners, a few matches did go the full distance but otherwise they were mostly one-sided affairs in the sub-junior girls' section. It was no different among the boys as the most favoured ones made the grade. The scene in the Cadet Boys and Girls sections will not be clear until the group matches get over tonight.
