Subhajit Saha and Poulami Ghatak after winning the national ranking table tennis titles at the SAI, Eastern Centre on Tuesday. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Calcutta: Poulami Ghatak defended her crown in style while Shubhajit Saha (senior) lifted the maiden men?s singles title at the East Zone table tennis championships, which concluded at the SAI Eastern Centre on Tuesday.

Both were in supreme form in their respective final and emerged worthy winners. Poulami brutally cut short Nandita Saha?s aspirations with 12-10, 12-10, 11-7, 11-6 performance in the women?s singles summit showdown.

Similarly, Subhajit went on the offensive right from the beginning and never gave seed No. 3 Ranabir Das any breathing space in a clinical 11-7, 11-7, 13-11, 11-9 finish.

?My aim is to become the national champion. I want to keep the momentum going so that the doors to foreign tours get opened up for me,? Subhajit, who is currently playing for an Iranian club, later said.

Poulami, however, trained her eyes on increasing her world ranking points.

Zubin Kumar beat Sayan Pal Roy 11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 8-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5 for the boys? title while K. Shamini lifted the girls? crown disposing of Ashlesha Bodas 11-5, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9.

In the sub-junior boys final, Souvik Kar accounted for Susovan Das 10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9 and Pooja S. Buddha routed Shreya Ghosh 11-2, 11-7, 11-4, 11-5 en route to her sub-junior girls title.

The men?s singles final was supposed to be a battle of nerves, but Subhajit?s strategy of attacking his PSPB teammate paid rich dividends. When it seemed Ranabir was getting into his groove for a fightback, Subhajit was already two game up, thanks to some brilliant cross-court volleys.

Ranabir let a 4-0 point lead slip in the third game with some casual returns. Subhajit seized the opportunity and the game progressed neck and neck till he claimed it 13-11.

The third seed looked desperate in the fourth game and managed to win a few long rallies. But it was too late and Subhajit was sniffing victory when he was serving on 10-8. He conceded one but landed the other too deep for Ranabir to return.

All through the championship, Nandita never lost a game. And she surprised Poulami with a quick 10-8 point lead in the opening game. But she failed to convert any one of them into winner.

In the second game too, Nandita was on 9-all and on serve. But Poulami held her nerve and eventually surged ahead.

In the end, it was the defending champion?s service and her opponent?s weakness in back-handed returns that tilted the match in Poulami?s favour. Never in the final did Nandita manage a winner with a back-handed return.

Earlier in the semi-finals, Arup Basak failed to take advantage of a three-point advantage in the seventh and final game to go down 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 7-11, 12-14 to Ranabir. Subhajit dismissed Sourav Chakraborty 9-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8.

On the distaff, Nandita got rid of second seed Mouma Ghosh 12-10, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 while Poulami proved too hot for Mantu Ghosh in a 13-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 semi-final win.