Sharada district ranking table tennis: Mulye triumphs over Jain in first round of sub-junior event

In the second round, the unseeded player began the stronger of the two and held a considerable lead over his opponent midway through.

Second seed Neel Mulye began his campaign with a tricky 11-6, 12-10, 11-13, 11-8 victory over Sanath Jain in the sub-junior (under-15) boys category at the Sharada district ranking table tennis tournament 2019 held at the Sharada sports centre in Karve Nagar on Tuesday.

Second seed Neel Mulye began his campaign with a tricky 11-6, 12-10, 11-13, 11-8 victory over Sanath Jain in the sub-junior (under-15) boys category at the Sharada district ranking table tennis tournament 2019 held at the Sharada sports centre in Karve Nagar on Tuesday. (RAHUL RAUT/HT PHOTO)

Mulye started the contest dominating his opponent and attacking his serve. Jain, the more defensive player of the two, was quickly pushed on the backfoot for the majority of the first game. After being down 8-3, he shifted to an attacking style of play, but it was too little too late as he ended up surrendering the first.

In the second round, the unseeded player began the stronger of the two and held a considerable lead over his opponent midway through. However, Mulye’s skill saw him weather the storm and win the second game by a 10-12 scoreline.

Jain managed to edge the third game 13-11 but failed to carry his momentum into the fourth as Mulye continued to exploit his opponent’s backhand to win the fourth game 11-8 and seal a spot into the next round of the tournament.