Odisha bagged two silver and two bronze medals in the 11th Sub-junior National Soft Tennis Championship, which was held at Ahmedabad in Gujarat from March 27 to 31, 2018. The two silver medals came in boys’ singles and doubles events, while the two bronze were secured in boys’ team and doubles events.

In the team event, Odisha beat Karnataka 2-0 and Chhattisgarh 2-0 to reach semifinals where they lost to Bihar 0-2 to settle with bronze. In boys’ singles, Ajit Sabar finished runner-up after losing to a Bihar opponent 1-3 in the final. He reached the final, defeating opponents from Punjab 2-0, Delhi 2-0, Gujarat 3-0 and Bihar 3-2.

In boys’ doubles event, Ajit Sabar and Rajat Kumar Raita ended runners-up, going down to opponents from Delhi in the final 2-3. They reached the final with wins over opponents from Maharashtra 3-0, Bihar 3-0, Madhya Pradesh 3-0 and Odisha statemates Baldev Kirsani and Lachhman Minaka 3-2.

Kirsani and Minaka claimed the bronze by reaching semifinals with wins over Uttar Pradesh 3-0, Maharashtra 3-2 and Chhattisgarh 3-0. Odisha Soft Tennis Association fielded the following teams in the Sub-junior National Championship.

ODISHA TEAMS:

BOYS: Ajit Sabar (Captain), Baldev Kisani, Rajat Kumar Raita, Lachhman Minaka, Prakash Chandra Raita, Tarun Kumar Sahoo, Manoj Tadingi, Aryan Brahmin. Manager: Rabindra Hans; Coach: Mohammad Azam.

GIRLS: Kumari Himirika, Karisma Kisan, Monalisa Nayak, Manasi Munda, Pravati Ekka, Sita Hansdah, Ranjita Dharua, Ipsita Pradhani, Asima Minz. Manager: Anusuya Barik; Coach: Bikash Chandra Pattnaik.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Players and officials of Odisha team display their medals at the 11th Sub-junior National Soft Tennis Championship in Ahmedabad on March 31, 2018.