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The Hindu
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
After winning the Asians, I am more confident of doing well at the World Championships: Divyanshi Bhowmick
Divyanshi Bhowmick is India's finest in her age category, girls' u-15, and second best in u-17. At the International level, the 14-year-old from Mumbai is progressing on the right track to be among the top in the world's charts. After winning the girls' u-15 crown in the Asian youth championships, she bagged another major title in her fledgling career recently by winning the u-19 girls' title in the WTT Youth Contender in Almaty. In fact, Divyanshi has had an outstanding International season in the youth category in 2025. She has won five WTT titles in the u-19, 17 and 15 categories. Divyanshi rocked the senior category when she, as a qualifier, outplayed Giorgia Piccolin of Italy, then ranked 64 in the world, in the first round of the WTT Star Contender in Chennai in March this year. An attacking player on both flanks, Piccolin is a paddler difficult to deal with at the best of times. More so, when a 14-year-old is taking on the Italian. Armed with a long-pimpled rubber on backhand and regular inverted rubber on forehand, Divyanshi turned the tables on the Paris Olympian with a display that had chops, blocks sprinkled with dollops of aggression on the forehand side. The win was no fluke as she continued to make waves, winning the girls' u-15 singles crown in the Asian youth table tennis championships held in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) from June 26 to July 2, beating three top Chinese players on the way. Coached by her father Rahul Bhowmick at Kandivali (Mumbai) and Anshuman Roy (in Bengaluru), Divyanshi is keen to play more senior tournaments on the International circuit and focus on playing more events on the domestic front, hoping to break into the world's top 100 in women's section (she is 194 now) sooner than later. Her immediate goal is to perform well in the World youth championships in u-15 section to be held in Romania from November 23 to 30. 'After winning the Asians, I am more confident of doing well at the World Championships this year' said Divyanshi. Excerpts: How important was the girls' under-15 crown, and how did you prepare for it as the second seed? I had prepared really well for this tournament. We had an India camp before this tournament in Bengaluru. And over there, all the coaches and the head coach, Massimo Costantini, really helped. And being the second seed, I was hoping to play in the final. And to win gold for India after 36 years was really special for me. B. Bhuvaneshwari, the former India paddler, was the first to do so. INDIA'S DIVYANSHI STUNS CHINA'S LIU 🤯 Divyanshi Bhowmick has stunned Liu 4-3 in a thriller way to storm into the Final of U15 at Asian Youth Table Tennis Championship 2025! 💪 INCREDIBLE RUN BY DIVYANSHI! 🇮🇳❤️ — The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) July 1, 2025 You had beaten three Chinese including Zhu Qihui in the final, how was the feeling? I was going step by step. In the quarter-final, I was playing against Huize Yang (China). I was confident as I had beaten her earlier. Yes, I had gone with a plan on what to play. I did discuss with my coach and my dad, and executed it. Even the semi-finals was a really tough one, because the last two times I had lost to her (Ziling Liu). I went one step at a time with every Chinese. In the final against Zhu Qihui, I had confidence that I would beat her because I had defeated her earlier also (WTT Youth Contender in Bangkok). What was the strategy against Zhu? The match was really tough. I did what we had planned but she forced me to change it. However, I adapted to the situation and I won. Beating one Japanese and three Chinese on the way was really special. India lost to Japan in the quarterfinals of the team event which was before the individuals. Did the defeat prod you to do well in singles? In the groups, the whole team played really well. We defeated Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Kyrgyzstan to top the group. But with Japan, seeded third, we couldn't win (losing 1-3). We (India was seeded fifth) all felt sad after the match because we were expecting that we could win. It was quite a close match. I lost the fourth rubber. I got the extra motivation to win the singles event after the defeat to Japan. The last two years (2024-25) have been really good. You won the u-15 and u-17 titles in Vadodara and also reached six finals, four semifinals and six quarterfinals in both the sections.... I feel very happy. Right now, I am ranked World No. 3 in the world in girls' u-15. That gives me huge confidence. I want to grow steadily and do well in the tournaments I compete while also enjoying the experience and working on my weaknesses. And after every tournament, of course, I sit with my coaches and my dad to work on the mistakes which I made and try to overcome them in the next tournament. The last two years have been good. Last year, I missed out on the Asian Championships. And even in the Worlds, I lost in the pre-quarter finals. So, last year, it was okay. But this year, it started really nice with me winning the Asian Championships and doing well on WTT youth tournaments. I have to work harder for the World Championships (to be held in Tokyo) now. Any special training you took before the Asian youth championships? Before the Asian Championship we were in the National camp, with head coach Massimo Costantini helping the team. I focused more on my forehand and the need to attack. Your game revolves around chops and blocks on the backhand and a good attack on the forehand. How do you plan to improve your game awareness further? Along with the chops and blocks, I need to improve my attack. With the long-pimpled rubber, I do practice the twiddling act (twiddling is switching racquet between the long pimple rubber (backhand) and a regular plain rubber on forehand), allowing one to play more aggressively and making the opponent difficult to read the spin of the ball) like Manika Batra, who is my idol. I am yet to master it (twiddling). You did create ripples, by beating a top 100 player in Giorgia Piccolin in the first round of the WTT Star Contender in Chennai early this year. Do you plan to play in more senior events? This year, I am going to try and play more senior events on my own expenses, with the help of my Foundation, Dani Sports. And of course, in the domestic circuit, try to be in the top 10 or even top eight in the women's category. In the domestic season last year, I just played one or two tournaments in my category. This year I am going to play in all of them. At 14 years and 8 months, school plays an important part for Indians especially. How do you juggle academics and professional sports? Studies are important. This year, I have my Std. 10th board exams. So, yes, I am playing my matches and then trying to find time to do online tuition also, because that is mandatory. What was coach Anshuman Roy's impact on your game? I've been training with him for the last two years, but I also train in Mumbai with my dad and whenever I have time, I go to Bengaluru. He has really helped me improve, make those changes and improve my backhand and block and everything. Yasashwini (Ghorpade), one of India's top paddlers, also trains with Anshuman sir. In Mumbai, I train with my dad. I have a robot at my house and many practice partners come to train with me. The robot has been of big use to me. It keeps giving balls at a certain speed, it has helped my consistency. What has been the most memorable win in your career? It was winning the silver medal in the 2023 World youth Championship with my partner Jennifer Verghese in girls' u-15 doubles in Slovenia, and it was a historic victory. And, I became World No. 3 in under-15 singles, I am also now. And the next big moment was winning double gold (clinching the u-15 & u-17 singles title) in the WTT Youth Contender at home (Vadodara) this year. And even defeating Italy's Giorgia Piccolin in the first round of WTT Star Contender in Chennai this year was a great moment. And then playing four games (3-1) with Shin Yubin, who was seeded fourth in the tournament's second round. When I look back, I felt good as I was 10-9 up in the fourth game against Shin Yubin, before I lost. It was special, nevertheless. It gave me a lot of experience. How do you see the future panning out? I need to work harder, especially this year for the ITTF World Youth Championships to be held in Romania from November 23 to 30. After winning the Asians, I am more confident of doing well at the World Championships u-15 category this year. I want to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. How much has Manika Batra been an inspiration for you? She is my idol and I really look up to her game and attitude. I have not got the chance to talk much to her. But by seeing her game, I try to learn as much as I can. Does Divyanshi have friends in the TT circuit? Yes, it is Syndrela Das. We are best friends and also play as a pair in doubles.
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Manush-Diya duo finishes runner-up at WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguacu in Brazil
Manush Shah and Diya Chitale finished runner-up in the mixed doubles event, losing 2-3 (4-11, 11-8, 11-5, 5-11, 2-11) to Japanese qualifiers Satoshi Aida and Honoka Hashimoto in the final at the WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguacu in Brazil on Sunday. It was the second final this season for the top-seeded Indian pair. They had won the title at a WTT Contender event in Tunis earlier this year. Manush also finished runner-up in the men's doubles event with Manav Thakkar, losing to second seeds Benedikt Duda and Dang Qiu of Germany 2-3 (3-11, 11-7, 7-11, 15-13, 5-11) in a 42-minute summit clash. Earlier, Indian paddler Manika Batra bowed out after losing her quarterfinal clash against Hashimoto. Manika lost 0-3 (7-11, 6-11, 7-11) to Hashimoto in a match which lasted 28 minutes. The Indian had beaten South Korea's Kim Nayeong 3-2 to enter the last eight.
The Hindu
03-08-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Manika exits in quarterfinals at WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguacu in Brazil; Top-seeded pair of Manush/Manav loses men's doubles final
Indian paddler Manika Batra bowed out of the WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguacu in Brazil on Saturday after losing her quarterfinal clash against fourth seed Honoka Hashimoto of Japan. Manika lost 0-3 (7-11, 6-11, 7-11) to Hashimoto in a match which lasted 28 minutes. The Indian had beaten South Korea's Kim Nayeong 3-2 to enter the last eight. In the men's doubles final, top-seeded Indian pair of Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar lost a closely contested summit clash. The Shah/Thakkar duo, which finished as runner-up at a WTT Contender event in Skopje in June, lost to second seeds Benedikt Duda and Dang Qiu of Germany 2-3 (3-11, 11-7, 7-11, 15-13, 5-11) in a 42-minute match. Earlier in the competition, the Indians defeated Chinese Taipei's Huang Yan-Cheng and Kuo Guan-Hong 3-2 (5-11, 11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5) in the men's doubles semifinals. They took down Frenchmen Florian Bourrassaud and Lilian Bardet 3-2 (11-6, 2-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-6) in the quarterfinals, and Japanese qualifiers Satoshi Aida and Mizuki Oikawa 3-1 (11-8, 3-11, 11-8, 11-6) in the round of 16. On Sunday, Shah and Diya Chitale will be facing Japanese qualifiers Aida and Honoka Hashimoto in the mixed doubles final. This is the Indian duo's second final, having won the title in Tunis earlier this year. The top seeds, who got a bye in the round of 16, beat Chileans Nicolas Burgos and Paulina Vega 3-0 (11-7, 11-2, 11-7) in the semifinals after defeating Gustavo Gomez and Daniela Ortega 3-1 (11-6, 10-12, 12-10, 11-6) in the quarterfinals.
Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Father's foresight, TT robot behind Divyanshi taking down three Chinese on way to Asian title
It was during the Covid pandemic in 2020 that Divyanshi Bhowmick's father decided to bring a TT table home, hoping his daughter would take the interest in the sport she had shown at school to possibly something more significant. That has turned out to be a worthwhile investment as Divyanshi defeated three Chinese players on the way to winning India's first gold medal in 36 years at the Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships. India last won a gold medal at the Under-15 event in 1989, when the tournament was held in New Delhi. On Tuesday in Tashkent, the paddler from Kandivali in Mumbai defeated China's Zhu Qihi 4-2 in the final to continue her rapid rise in the sport. The gold medal comes a few months after Divyanshi was thrown at the deep end in Chennai, where she made her senior debut at the WTT Star Contender event at the age of 14. In the first round, she defeated World No.64 and Olympian Giorgia Piccolin of Italy. She has also won a doubles silver medal at the 2023 ITTF World Youth Championships, along with WTT Contender Youth titles at U13, U15 and U17 categories. 'It's a very important performance. She has beaten three Chinese players and the player whom she beat in the semifinals (Liu Ziling), had beaten her three times before,' says multiple-time former national champion Kamlesh Mehta, who is now the general secretary of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). 'That player is very strong and also very comfortable with the style of play, the rubber that Bhowmick plays with. That itself speaks volume about her achievement.' Divyanshi's rise (she's ranked 3rd in the world in U15, 14th in U17 and 24th in U19) in the sport started during the lockdown when her father decided to bring a TT table home. Soon she was playing for 4-5 hours everyday with her sister and father. But at her first Nationals, Divyanshi lost early, prompting her father to try and find out what went wrong. He was told that it would take 3-4 years for his daughter to reach an elite level. 'When she lost in qualifying, I asked the coach how we could get better. I was told that it would take a long time and things don't move so fast. I couldn't digest this and took matters in my own hands,' says Rahul Bhowmick. Rahul, who is the regional CEO of ISS Global Forwarding, decided to bring a Power Pong Omega Robot home to help develop Divyanshi's game. 'One of the things that I noticed in the success of Chinese paddlers was their ball control. So, we used the robot to work on specific scenarios where she was having trouble. You can program the robot to a high-spin, high-loop setting and then hit a thousand of such balls in practice. The key was to repeat it time and again until she perfected it,' says Rahul. The very next year, Divyanshi would win the 2021 Nationals. She also benefited from not working full-time under one coach, but shuttling between three different ones to work on different aspects of her game. As if that wasn't enough, her father started sending her to international WTT events hoping that her growth would be accelerated in an environment which included the best players. When the age-group titles started coming, so did the call to be part of the Indian team in 2022. In 2023, the doubles silver at the World Youth Championship followed. 'When we first put her on the international circuit in 2022-23, we must have spent lakhs making her play six tournaments abroad. There were travel and equipment costs with no sponsors. In India, parents have to outlay a lot of funds initially till you become a player in the national set-up,' says Rahul. Late in 2024, Divyanshi was signed up by Dani Sports Foundation, who had been scouting her and some other youth table tennis players since their U13 days. 'A lot of times what happens in the Indian ecosystem is that they play a lot of junior events. At U15 and U19 level, they keep on playing youth events. Our idea is to get some exposure internationally in senior events as well. It's okay if you lose in the first round but understand the psyche of the elite players while you are still a growing youth star,' says Ekansh Gupta, CEO of Ultimate Table Tennis and an advisor at Dani Sports Foundation. At the Asian Youth Championships, that step up to the senior level seemed to have worked in the Indian's favour. Seeded second for the tournament, Divyanshi's crowning moment came when she defeated Liu in a seven-game thriller in the semifinal. Her father said that the win came after India's foreign coach Massimo Costantini strategized with them on how to take down the Chinese paddler. 'Massimo has helped her tremendously at the national camps. He adds value to her coaching. For this Asian Championship, he has been continuously practising with her, giving her inputs and settings for her matches,' adds Rahul.
