Diya Chitale wins women's singles title at National C'ships; aims for Olympic medal

“To be honest I was in tears,” Parag Chitale, Diya’s father, told The Bridge soon after the match. “If you start with this again [questions on the winning moment], I’ll go back to my tearful self," he added.

Diya, 21, came from behind to beat India’s highest-ranked paddler Sreeja Akula 4-3 in a nail-biting clash to win her first-ever singles senior national title. She has previously won five national titles across age group categories in the event, but none in senior women's singles.

“Winning them [the junior titles], I knew I wanted the senior title badly,” said Diya. “But when you think about it so much it goes further away," she added.

“It still has to sink in. I am very happy that I could become the national champion. Honestly, it’s a feeling of relief that all the hard work is paying off,” she said.

Hard work is something Diya has never compromised on right from a young age. She was drawn to the sport at the age of seven – a time when she could barely reach the height of the table – during a family vacation.

Upon return to Mumbai, she joined the famed Khar Gymkhana for “evening activity” thrice a week.

However, within a month coach Gandeep Bhiwandkar wanted her to train six days a week, which the parents duly obliged to. A year later, she started winning medals at district-level tournaments in Mumbai.

The biggest turning point in her career came a few years later when she won the singles silver and team gold at the 2014 National U-12 C’ships in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. This was almost a year after she started training under Sachin Shetty – the elder brother of former national champion Sanil Shetty.

Sachin, credited with Diya’s rapid rise through the ranks, has been in Diya’s corner since. He was on the floor on Sunday as she took down a higher-ranked Sreeja.

She has also been helped by Peter Engel – the former India coach – over the years, during her annual four-month stint with him in either Germany or Luxembourg.

Off late, Diya has also roped in South Korean Shin Min Sung on the advice of Sachin to better elevate her game.

Improved game

The improvement in Diya’s game was evident in Surat. Despite trailing 0-2 in the final, she clawed her way back into the contest. She forced Sreeja to the back, rendering her trademark ferocious forehands ineffective.

Having conceded the opening two games 10-12, 8-11, she won the next 13-11 to stay in contention. This was after a mid-match jersey change after two games.

When questioned, if the jersey brought about a change in fortunes, Diya added with a chuckle: “It was really, really sweaty. Maybe that [change in jersey] paid off.”

She carried forward the momentum, winning the next two games 12-10, 11-8 to take the lead for the first time in the match.

Sreeja, a familiar foe

Though Sreeja soon neutralised with an 11-9 win in the sixth game, Diya had things under control. She eventually clinched the title, winning the final game 11-9, as the Olympian hit a forehand into the net.

“We have played a lot of matches against each other,” said Diya.

“I knew I had to work hard for every point. We know each other’s game inside out. It was just about who handled the pressure better in the end,” she added.

Interestingly, Diya had combined with Sreeja to win the women’s doubles title for the Reserve Bank of India at the event just the day before.

For the Chitale’s and Sachin Shetty, the national title was a long time coming. With support from the Olympic Gold Quest, they’ve spent years aiding Diya level up.

The newly minted national champion, however, is not done yet.

“The ultimate aim is to win an Olympic medal,” Diya said.