23/08/2026
Vivaan rule U-17 to claim the crown
The U-17 boys’ and girls’ finals of the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships 2026 at the Sportz Hub, Kanpur, Uttarpradesh lived up to the occasion, producing the kind of sharp, compact rallies and fluctuating fortunes that make a final worth watching. Both title clashes had plenty of intensity, with the players relying on quick exchanges, smart placement and timely changes of pace rather than allowing the rallies to become prolonged physical battles.
In the Youth U-17 Boys final, Gujarat’s Vivaan Dave overcame Karnataka’s Atharva Nawarange 3-2 in a closely fought five-game contest. Nawarange made the better start, taking the opening game, but Dave quickly found his rhythm and edged two tight games to move ahead. The Karnataka paddler refused to surrender the initiative, levelling the match at 2-2 by taking the fourth game 11-9 and setting up a tense decider.
The final game, however, belonged to Dave. He kept the rallies short and purposeful, looked to take the ball early and gradually pulled away from Nawarange. The Gujarat player maintained his composure when the pressure was highest and closed out the deciding game 11-4 to claim the title after an absorbing battle.
The finals provided an appropriate finale to the U-17 competition, combining smart shot-making, quick rallies and the pressure of deciding points, with both champions showing the composure needed to convert close matches into titles.
In the Boys semifinals, Vivaan overcame Tamil Nadu’s Vishruth Ramakrishnan 3-1 to reach the final. In both matches, Vivaan showed greater control in the crucial stages against Vishruth,
Vivaan advanced to the semifinals after close quarterfinals. Vivaan had to work hard to get past Tamil Nadu’s M. Ashvajith, edging the opening game 14-12 and the second 11-9 before closing out the match 3-0.
RESULTS:
Youth Boys Under-17: Final: Vivaan Dave (Guj) bt Atharva Nawarange (Kar) 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-4.
Semifinals: Vivaan bt Vishruth Ramakrishnan (TN) 11-7, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7;
Quarterfinals: Vivaan bt M. Ashvajith (TN) 14-12, 11-9, 11-2;
