Surat (Gujarat) [India], November 11: Indomitable Frenaz Chipia is back on the table as she will look to maintain her dominance in the Women’s table tennis in the State at the Tapti Valley International School 4th Gujarat State Ranking Table Tennis Tournament 2021 that is being organised by the Surat District Table Tennis Association under the aegis of Gujarat State Table Tennis Association from November 12 to 14 at the Tapti Valley International School in Olpad, Surat.
While local girl Frenaz will be an overwhelming favourite for the Women’s title, the big question will be whether an array of talented youngsters, including Surat’s Filzah Fatema Kadri, can pose a challenge to Frenaz in the tournament.
Filzah, who had won the Women’s title in Rajkot in the absence of Frenaz, will no doubt be an overwhelming favourite in the Junior Girls’ (U-19) category, where she has a hefty 70-point lead over her nearest challenger, Bhavnagar’s Namna Jayswal.
Ahmedabad’s Nidhi Prajapati and Pratha Pawar will renew their rivalry for the Junior Girls’ (U-17) title, but they will also keep a tab on Surat’s Milli Tanna and Arnee Parmar.
Meanwhile, in the Men’s draw, Kachchh’s Ishaan Hingorani will be keen to keep the momentum going after breaking his duck in the Rajkot. But with Baroda’s Jalay Mehta keen to turn the clock back and the likes of Ahmedabad’s Chitrax Bhatt and Akshit Savla along with promising local boy Shlok Bajaj waiting to grab any opportunity, Ishaan will need to stop blowing hot and cold.
While Chitrax will be keen to maintain his U-19 stranglehold, Burhanuddin Malubhai will have a battle in hand in fending off teammate Shlok in the U-17 category.
“As we are coming towards the end of our season, I am expecting the competition will get tougher with each of our talented players who will be keen to make a mark. I am excited and hopeful that the Surat tournament will see some close contests with hosts of players capable of making a challenge to the title,†GSTTA president Mr Vipul Mittra, IAS, said.
“Surat will be our only second full-fledged tournament this season where we will have all the categories playing together. The venue is well equipped to handle the challenge of hosting 393 who are expected to take part in the tournament. We are ready for another successful tournament that can not only boost the morale of the players but also give them the confidence for the national meets,†GSTTA chairman Mr. Milind Torawane, IAS, said.
