Ahmedabad: Driven by standout performances from World No. 12 Bernadette Szocs, Lilian Bardet, and Yashaswini Ghorpade, U Mumba TT bounced back in style, claiming a commanding 10-5 win over Western rivals Ahmedabad SG Pipers in Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Monday.
In the earlier tie, Kolkata ThunderBlades registered an 8-7 win on their league debut against Season 3 champions Stanley’s Chennai Lions.
Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, UTT continues to grow as a premier professional league.
The tie opened with Bardet continuing his strong form, edging Snehit Suravajjula 2-1 after dominating the first game and holding firm in a tense second. Yashaswini, making her first appearance of the season, then delivered a composed 2-1 win over Ayhika Mukherjee, storming through the decider 11-4 after building an 8-0 lead.
The momentum stayed with Mumbai as Szocs and Akash Pal teamed up to win the mixed doubles 2-1, holding off a brief comeback from Walther and Ayhika. Akash nearly sealed the tie with an upset in the fourth match, taking the first game against World No. 34 Ricardo Walther before the German rallied to level the score.
But Szocs shut the door in the final clash, sweeping Giorgia Piccolin 3-0 to clinch the tie. Yashaswini and Szocs claimed the Indian and the Foreign Player of the Tie awards, respectively, while Ayhika took home the Shot of the Tie honour for a smashing forehand drive in her singles contest.
India’s 18-year-old prodigy Ankur Bhattacharjee produced the upset of the night, blanking Olympian and World No. 55 Kirill Gerassimenko 3-0 to power debutants Kolkata ThunderBlades to a thrilling win over Stanley’s Chennai Lions in their IndianOil UTT Season 6 opener.
Ankur’s backhand was in full flow, delivering nine winners in Game 1 alone. He edged the second on Golden Point and sealed the third with authority, earning both Indian Player of the Tie and Shot of the Tie honours.
Chennai hit back through World No. 36 Fan Siqi, the league’s highest-valued player, who marked her debut with a 3-0 win over Selena Selvakumar. She then teamed up with Payas Jain to take the mixed doubles, though Kolkata snatched a game late. Chennai’s hopes faded as Aruna Quadri edged Payas 2-1, and Adriana Diaz sealed the tie with a 3-0 win over Poymantee Baisya. Fan was named Foreign Player of the Tie.
Earlier, at the UTT Juniors, Sahil Rawat excelled in men’s singles and mixed doubles, leading Dempo Goa Challengers to a 5-4 victory over Dabang Delhi TTC. Meanwhile, Trishal Surapureddy and Shreya Dhar’s singles wins secured a 5-4 victory for Jaipur Patriots against PBG Pune Jaguars.
Results:
1. Kolkata ThunderBlades 8-7 Stanley’s Chennai Lions
Ankur Bhattacharjee bt. Kirill Gerassimenko 3-0 (11-4, 11-10, 11-7)
Selena Selvakumar lost to Fan Siqi 0-3 (8-11, 10-11, 6-11)
Ankur Bhattacharjee/Adriana Diaz lost to Payas Jain/Fan Siqi 1-2 (6-11, 4-11, 11-8)
Quadri Aruna bt. Payas Jain 2-1 (11-3, 8-11, 11-9)
Adriana Diaz bt. Poymantee Baisya 2-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-6)
2. U Mumba TT 10-5 Ahmedabad SG Pipers
Lilian Bardet bt. Snehit Suravajjula 2-1 (11-4, 11-9, 4-11)
Yashaswini Ghorpade bt. Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-4)
Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs bt. Ricardo Walther/Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 (11-4, 10-11, 11-6)
Akash Pal lost to Ricardo Walther 1-2 (11-8, 6-11, 5-11)
Bernadette Szocs bt. Giorgia Piccolin 3-0 (11-4, 11-10, 11-9)
(IANS)
