Ahmedabad: Unseeded Aravalli paddler Dhyey Jani produced one of the biggest performances of the tournament by storming into the quarterfinals of the men’s section at the 1st Gujarat State Ranking Table Tennis Tournament 2026 at Veer Savarkar Sport Complex in Naranpura on Saturday. In a nerve-wracking contest, Dhyey defeated fifth seed Ayaz Murad of Surat.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.Displaying an attacking style of play, Dhyey brought an end to Ayaz’s campaign with a hard-fought 14-12, 5-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8 victory in the pre-quarterfinals. Another Aravalli player Janmejay Patel continued his strong run, defeating Ahmedabad’s Soham Bhattacharya 11-8, 11-7, 12-14, 11-8 to enter the last eight.Local favourites, 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.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.Meanwhile, 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.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.
