Piling up titles

Mumbai’s promising paddler Diya Chitale has made a habit of winning titles at young age. The 14-year-old is making waves at the sub-junior circuit and is the reigning National Champion. She is also ranked 26th in the world in U-15 category.

The ninth standard student in Arya Vidya Mandir, Bandra crowned herself in glory again on Saturday by winning the sub-junior girls’ singles title in the 11Even Sports National Ranking (Central Zone) Table Tennis Championships in Indore.

The highly talented Diya showed confidence in the title clash with Munmun Kundu of West Bengal and, without much fuss, walked away with top honours, recording a fluent 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven-game final.

The Santacruz resident, who trains under the legendary former international player, Kamlesh Mehta and India Junior coach, Sachin Shetty at the Khar Gymkhana, came back after dropping the first game to win the next four on the trot and close the match to complete a deserving 6-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-4, 11-9 triumph.

Earlier in the semi-final, Diya blanked Assam’s Trisha Gogoi 4-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-4, 11-9), while Munmun knocked out another Mumbai girl, Mihika Rohira 4-2 (12-14, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6).

“I am happy with her achievements. She is very focused on the table. She attacks from both sides and gives her opponent little chance to squeeze in a point,” Sachin Shetty said.

Recalling how the journey began for Diya, Shetty said that she was gifted from the very beginning. “She was just eight when she first held the racket at Khar Gymkhana for fun. She had no background in table tennis yet she looked like she belonged there,” he added.

Diya is supported by Olympic Gold Quest, with the 2024 Olympic medal prospects in mind. She’s won the cadet girls’ singles silver medal and team gold medal with Anusha Kutumbale in the Belgium Junior and Cadet Open Table Tennis Championship in April.

At the national level she is currently ranked second in the U-15 category. “She plays in less tournaments in India as she is busy most of times training in Germany or playing tournaments overseas. That’s why she is ranked two at the moment in India,” Shetty said.

Diya also became the sole Indian among 10 girls and 10 boys to be selected for the prestigious International Table Tennis Federation Rough Diamonds training program for U-15 category to be held in Otocec, Slovenia at the Slovenian National Table Tennis Training Center from September 25 to October 3, 2017. The Rough Diamonds programme is organised by ITTF Education & Training Program jointly with the Slovenian Table Tennis Association.

“She is the only from India selected for the prestigious ITTF program. The top ten from the world will be a part of this program,” Shetty said, proudly.

Diya will be playing next in the Asian Championship in her category with starts in South Korea later this month.