Tirupati :
The first AP State-Ranking Table Tennis Tournament (APSRTTT) began on a grand note with a large number of sports enthusiasts from across the state taking part in the competitions at Srinivasa Sports Complex (SSC) here Friday.
Being one of the prestigious events and first state-level table tennis competition in truncated AP, the APSRTTT gained a lot of importance in the contemporary sports world. The debut tournament, to be conducted for three days, was almost a big hit, as more than 200 candidates from both coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions registered their names. These 200 sportspersons will compete at five levels i.e, cadets (Under-12), sub-juniors (U-14), juniors (U-17), youth (up to 21 years) and men and women (above 21 years). Every candidate will compete in an 11-point game in men and women’s category, separately.
On the first day, quarter finals comprising seven rounds for all the age groups and semi-finals for the contestants belonging to cadets’ category was conducted. The winners will get a cash prize of `1 lakh, said APSRTTT tournament director Venkat Malapaka.
For the first time ever in the history of table tennis tournament, eco-friendly balls were used in the game, promoting the importance of environment. “We used 40+ non-celluloid plastic white balls in the game. This will disseminate and help recognise the importance of environment in the present global warming conditions. Meanwhile, the cash prize announced can add more contestants to the game, making them more competitive to participate at global level sports,” he felt.
In the semi-final round, R Adi Lakshmi from Vijayawada won against her opponent Soumya from Visakhapatnam with 11-9, 8-11, 11-6 and 11-7. “Since morning, I was very much excited to step into the ground and hit the ball. The ambience of the tournament had built a competitive spirit in me. Though the competition with my opponent was not so tough in the beginning, the later rounds were like tug-of-war. However, it feels great to win,” 11-year-old Lakshmi told Express.
In the inaugural ceremony, TTD chairman C Krishna Murthy said that the divided Andhra Pradesh had the capability to host the international and national level sports competitions, towards which government was making all elaborate measures keeping this in view.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / June 27th, 2015