Ahmedabad, June 4 Harmeet Desai downed seasoned singles player Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in an epic battle between two of India’s top men’s paddlers in a key match of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 here on Wednesday. Yet it was not enough for reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers as they went down 6-9 to Dabang Delhi TTC.
A rematch of last season’s final, the tie opened with 19-year-old Izaac Quek putting Dabang Delhi on the front foot, blanking Tiago Apolonia 3-0 in a generational clash between the league’s youngest and oldest foreign players.
Diya Chitale, then, fought hard against Singapore’s Zeng Jian but couldn’t prevent a straight-game defeat, levelling the tie at 3-3.
Delhi struck back through the experienced duo of Sathiyan and Maria Xiao, who held their nerve in the mixed doubles against Harmeet and Zeng to win 2-1 and regain the lead. However, in a much-anticipated men’s singles match, Harmeet edged Sathiyan 2-1 in a thriller, sealing it 11-9 in the decider, after the two had traded close games.
But it was Xiao who had the final say. The Spanish star dominated her singles rubber against young Sayali Wani, wrapping up a 3-0 win and clinching the tie for Dabang Delhi TTC, who remain unbeaten in Season 6.
For his efforts, Harmeet claimed the Indian Player and the Shot of the Tie honours, while Xiao took home the Foreign Player of the Tie award.
Earlier, at the Dream UTT Juniors, U Mumba TT cruised to a 7-2 win over Ahmedabad SG Pipers, with Prateek Tulsani and Ananya Muralidharan starring in both singles and doubles.
In a tighter contest, Jaipur Patriots edged Stanley’s Chennai Lions 5-4, thanks to a dominant opening by Trishal Surapureddy and a crucial doubles point alongside Shreya Dhar.
Final scores:
Dabang Delhi TTC 9-6 Dempo Goa Challengers
Izaac Quek bt Tiago Apolonia 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-9)
Diya Chitale lost to Zeng Jian 0-3 (9-11, 5-11, 6-11)
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao bt Harmeet Desai/Zeng Jian 2-1 (8-11, 11-5, 11-8)
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran lost to Harmeet Desai 1-2 (11-8, 9-11, 9-11)
Maria Xiao bt Sayali Wani 3-0 (11-3, 11-7, 11-6).
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