Patna: Holders Delhi have been drawn to meet Kerala in the pre-quarterfinals of the women's team section in the senior national table tennis championships at the Patliputra Sports Complex, here.
Chandigarh have the arduous task of scaling the peak against PSPB, the No.2 seeded team in the competition, while the Airport Authority of India, which topped Group F, will take on Rajasthan in the last-16 stage.
Tamil Nadu will run into Odisha, while Maharashtra A are slated to take on Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat will meet Maharashtra B in the other knock-out matches.
Though Gujarat took the top perch in group E, there was a tough battle between Assam and Punjab to decide the second spot from the group.
Assam defeated Punjab 3-2 to romp home with Mahasweta Batsallya shouldering the team's burden. She won both her singles to see her team through.
As for the men's team matches, a clear picture in half a dozen groups will emerge only after the set of fourth round matches. However, there is hardly any doubt about the qualifications of top teams.
Teams like PSPB, West Bengal, Gujarat, RSPB and North Bengal, to name a few, are virtually through to the second stage matches even as they await their opponents from other groups.
There was, however, a surprise in the form of Mizoram, comprising PSPB Academy players, Lalrin Puia and Lalhunlua, who have been making right waves. The team from the northeast beat Andhra Pradesh 3-1 in the first round and is very much in line to make the grade.
