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Gururaj and Diya steal the limelight

Dubai - Gururaj Patil won the under 15 boys division while Diya Thakkar won the under 15 girls crown.

Al Wasl Club near Latifa Hospital was the opening centre stage when the World Table Tennis Day celebrations took off in Dubai during the weekend.
Over 200 players from clubs and academies across the UAE competed in the five divisions - under 15 boys, under 15 girls, men's open, women's open, and over-40 mixed.
After several hours of intense competition in the World Table Tennis Day Tournament, the winners in each age group were presented with their trophies.
Gururaj Patil won the under 15 boys division while Diya Thakkar won the under 15 girls crown. Aishwarya Chockalingam lifted the women's open title and Sujit M Krishnan  won the men's open. The over 40 category was won by Anil Sadhvani. 
An ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) initiative, supported by Dubai Sports Council, the UAE Table Tennis Association and Ping Pong Dubai, World Table Tennis Day will continue on Wednesday 6 with a Corporate Challenge which will be held in the Atrium at DIFC. Entry is free and is open to all, from novices to competitive players. Players can register online in advance: http://pingpongdubai.net/pre-registration. On the day, registration will commence at 6pm and the knockout competition in the men's and women's singles will commence at 6.30pm.
"Today's tournament was a great success, it is fantastic to see players from all across the UAE come together for this event. Table tennis is making great strides in the UAE, and bringing together players from the individual clubs and academies is another important step in the development of the sport here," UAE Badminton and Table Tennis Association technical director, and organiser of Friday's event, Mohsen Eldemerdash, said.
"Our competitors ranged in age from 9 years to 63 years old, showing that table tennis is truly a sport for all. Next, we are looking forward to April 6 when there will be even more opportunities for people to be involved."