“I am hopeful of qualifying in the singles and the doubles — me and Sharath. It could be tough to qualify in the team event, since just six teams will qualify from Asia, said Subhajit, speaking to Sportline. Subhajit lost a tough seven-game battle in the quarter finals to Anirban Nandi today being held here, but this is merely a blip on the radar.

The player from Siliguri is satisfied with the way he is playing at the moment. “I am being positive, and I’m playing an attacking game. I have been playing a lot of tournaments, I played the German, French and Polish Opens, and I had qualified into the German Open main draw. Playing all over the world definitely helps. It has been hectic, but i will be taking a week’s break soon. My immediate target is doing well in this month’s nationals, it is being held in my hometown — Siliguri,” he smiles.

While the support for the local hero in the north-eastern city will be substantial, there is another who is eyeing success there. Mouma Das, like Subhajit is the top seed in her category at the North Zone national ranking tournament here, and she too has big aspirations. Mouma is currently ranked 215 in the world and she admits she needs to work on her fitness and consistency . “I have been playing in Europe, and I have had a few good matches... I stretched the world no 40 to the limit, but I need to be more consistent. Every player has ups and downs, and luck is also a big factor. Right now, I am not thinking much about the Olympics... it’s the pre-Olympic qualification meet that is occupying my mind more,” said Mouma.

Both Beijing aspirants will attend the camp prior to the World Championships in China this February, which will be held in either Ajmer or Patiala.

Nandi fights to win over Saha
After his straightforward pre-quarter final victory over Omkar Torgalkar earlier on Tuesday, top seed Subhajit Saha was probably not expecting the challenge unseeded Anirban Nandi posed in their last-eight at the North Zone Ranking table tennis clash in the evening. It was the underdog who triumphed in this tense encounter. The 6-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 14-12, 11-4 scoreline in favour of Nandi, though, proved it was a match in which each point was fiercely fought. Earlier, Nandi had disposed of eighth seed Jignesh Jaiswal of Gujarat in another long game. His 7-11, 11-9, 2-11, 11-8, 14-12, 6-11, 11-9 victory may have been tiring, but he was ready for everything the top seed threw at him.

R Abhishek, who had taken out second seed Soumyadeep Roy on Monday, fell to Zubin Kumar 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 5-11, 4-11, 8-11. Abhishek, the top seed in the youth boys category, failed to find a way past Sanil Shetty, losing 11-8, 6-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5, 7-1.