Ahmedabad: Unseeded paddler Dhyey Jani from Aravalli produced one of the tournament's biggest performances by storming into the men's singles quarterfinals at the 1st Gujarat State Ranking Table Tennis Tournament 2026 on Saturday. The thrilling contest took place at the Veer Savarkar Sport Complex in Naranpura.
In a nerve-wracking pre-quarterfinal match, Dhyey defeated fifth seed Ayaz Murad of Surat with a hard-fought 14-12, 5-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8 victory. Displaying an attacking style of play, Dhyey ended Ayaz's campaign in the tournament.
The tournament is being organized by the Table Tennis Association of Ahmedabad (TTAA) under the aegis of the Gujarat State Table Tennis Association, with support from the Sports Authority of Gujarat.
Other Notable Performances
Another Aravalli player, Janmejay Patel, continued his strong run by defeating Ahmedabad's Soham Bhattacharya 11-8, 11-7, 12-14, 11-8 to enter the last eight.
Local favorites Dhairya Parmar and Abhilash Raval also booked their quarterfinal berths with convincing victories. Dhairya defeated Vadodara's Ved Panchal in straight games, while Abhilash overcame fellow Ahmedabad player Himansh Dahiya in four games.
Nutanshu Dayama's Impressive Campaign
Surat's Nutanshu Dayama emerged as another highlight of the men's competition. After causing a major upset in the round of 64 by defeating top seed Pratham Madlani (Vadodara) 11-5, 11-8, 11-7, Nutanshu continued his impressive campaign by beating Bhavnagar's Jagdish Makwana in the pre-quarterfinal.
Junior Categories
In the junior categories, top seeds maintained their dominance. Ahmedabad's Malav Panchal and Himansh Dahiya advanced in the U-19 boys section, where all eight seeded players progressed to the quarterfinals. The U-17 boys category also witnessed all top-eight seeded players moving ahead, showcasing the depth of young table tennis talent in Gujarat.
Women's Section
With Surat's Frenaz Chipia pulling out of the competition due to injury, Ahmedabad's Pratha Pawar got the top billing in the women's section. Filzafatema Kadri (Surat), Namna Jayswal (Bhavnagar), and Oishiki Joardar (Ahmedabad) complete the top-4 seeds list.
