UTT Season 6: PBG Pune Jaguars comeback to beat rivals U Mumba TT 9-6
Indian stalwarts Reeth Rishya Tennison and Anirban Ghosh starred as PBG Pune Jaguars came from behind to defeat Maharashtra rivals U Mumba TT 9-6 in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Sunday.
Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), UTT continues to grow as a premier professional league. All 23 ties, over 16 action-packed days, will take place at Ahmedabad's EKA Arena.
International stars Lilian Bardet and Bernadette Szocs kicked things off positively for U Mumba with wins in their respective matches, helping their team into an early 4-2 lead.
Bardet took little time to secure an 11-1 victory in Game 1 of the first match against IndianOil UTT favourite Alvaro Robles, before dominating Game 2 with an 11-4 win. However, Robles crucially pulled one back for PBG Pune Jaguars, keeping them within touching distance of their opponents in a league where every game counts. Meanwhile, Szocs extended her perfect head-to-head record across all competitions against Season 6 debutant Dina Meshref, staging a dramatic comeback by saving three match points in Game 2 before going on to win the match 2-1.
But the momentum shifted dramatically when Anirban stepped up for Pune. First, he partnered with Meshref to win a nervy mixed doubles battle 2-1, clinching it with the Golden Point. Then, he edged Akash Pal 2-1 in a gritty singles contest to level the tie at 6-6. In the decider, the experienced Reeth dominated against Swastika Ghosh 3-0, sealing a memorable 9-6 win for Pune.
Reeth was named Indian Player of the Tie, while Szocs earned Foreign Player of the Tie. Akash took home the Shot of the Tie prize.
Earlier at the Dream UTT Juniors, Dempo Goa Challengers edged Stanley's Chennai Lions 5-4, powered by a flawless 3-0 win from Sahil Rawat and a crucial mixed doubles win. In the second tie, Jaipur Patriots sealed a 6-3 victory over Ahmedabad SG Pipers, with Shreya Dhar starring in both singles and doubles alongside Trishal Surapureddy.
Final Scores
PBG Pune Jaguars 9-6 U Mumba TT
Alvaro Robles lost to Lilian Bardet 1-2 (1-11, 4-11, 11-8)
Dina Meshref lost to Bernadette Szocs 1-2 (11-5, 10-11, 9-11)
Anirban Ghosh/Dina Meshref bt. Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs 2-1 (7-11, 11-7, 11-10)
Anirban Ghosh bt. Akash Pal 2-1 (11-6, 10-11, 11-8)
Reeth Rishya Tennison bt. Swastika Ghosh 3-0 (11-9, 11-10, 11-6)
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