Table Tennis: Teenager Diya Chitale wins U-19 title in Peru

MUMBAI: India's teenage rising table tennis star Diya Chitale won the gold medal in the U-19 Girls' singles event of the WTT Youth Contender Lima 2022, beating Colombia's Juhana Lozada 3-0 in the final.

The Mumbai-based Diya scored an authoritative win against Juliana Lozada 11-6, 11-2, 11-5 in 31 minutes at the Villa Deportiva Nacional, Lima, Peru, on Saturday.

The 19-year-old Diya Chitale, was dominant from the opening round and progressed to the winner's podium without dropping a game.

The high point of her success was her fluent victory against Laura Watanabe of Brazil, the current South American Youth Champion in the quarterfinals. Diya completed a quick 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 win in a little over 30 minutes. In the penultimate round, Diya defeated Brianna Burgos of Puerto Rico 11-5, 11-2, 11-5.

"I feel really great, this is the first time that I've won a WTT event, so it is very good for my career and I feel very happy. I prepared very well. I focused on each match and had also analysed my opponents that is why I played so well," a jubilant Diya was quoted as saying in a release on Sunday. IANS

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