CHENNAI: Hosts Tamil Nadu, who secured a third-place finish last year, were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Hockey India Senior Men National Championship by Uttar Pradesh, losing 1-3 on Wednesday. Uttar Pradesh's Chandan Singh opened the scoring in the third minute with a powerful drag-flick from a penalty corner, leaving Tamil Nadu goalkeeper Sentamizh Arasu diving in vain. Six minutes later, Tamil Nadu struck back to level the score.

Capitalizing on a rare slip in Uttar Pradesh’s defense, Karthi Selvam sprinted past Manish Yadav from midfield, dodged three defenders, and penetrated the nine-yard circle, but his shot was saved. S Shanmugavel quickly pounced on the rebound, slotting it into the net to bring Tamil Nadu level. Shortly afterward, Karthi had a prime opportunity with an open goal but couldn’t control the pass, letting the ball roll wide. Uttar Pradesh reclaimed the lead in the 18th minute when Rajkumar Pal tapped in a straightforward finish.

After the halftime break, Tamil Nadu’s performance dipped, with players pushing forward recklessly in search of an equalizer but struggling to create meaningful chances. In contrast, Uttar Pradesh maintained composure, displaying coordinated plays and planned attacks, which ultimately paid off as Shivam Anand and Rajkumar combined down the right flank, setting up an unmarked Lalit Kumar Upadhyay for a clean finish.

Tamil Nadu’s five penalty corner opportunities went unconverted, with drag-flicker BP Somanna struggling to get past the first rusher. Tamil Nadu coach Charles Dixon admitted the team had to work on its weaknesses: “We missed chances in the first half and got too hurried in the second, leading to errors. We’re looking to bring in younger players and make some changes before the National Games,” he said.

In other matches, defending champions Punjab were defeated by Manipur in a shootout after a 3-3 regulation-time draw. Punjab equalized through Ravneet Singh in the final minutes, but Manipur’s goalkeeper Dhanraj Singh saved two shootout attempts to secure a 4-3 victory. Haryana and Odisha also advanced to the semifinals, winning their respective matches against Maharashtra and Karnataka.