UTT Season 6: U Mumba TT secure first-ever title, beat Jaipur Patriots
Wins for Lilian Bardet and Bernadette Szocs gave U Mumba an early lead, before Szocs and Akash Pal swept the mixed doubles 3-0 to take them to the brink. Teenager Abhinandh PB sealed the title with a clutch game win in the fourth match. Although Yashaswini Ghorpade did not feature in the final, her standout semi-final display epitomised U Mumba's collective strength this season--hallmarks of a campaign expertly managed from the dugout by coaches John Murphy and Jay Modak, as per a press release from UTT.
For their performances in the final, Akash and Szocs were named the Indian and Foreign Player of the Final, respectively, while Jeet Chandra claimed the Shot of the Final.
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. Over 16 action-packed days, all 23 ties took place at Ahmedabad's EKA Arena.
Bardet set the tone for U Mumba with a gritty comeback against Kanak Jha in the opening rubber, turning a one-game deficit into a 2-1 win. That momentum carried into a marquee clash between the league's top-ranked player, Szocs and India's highest-ranked paddler on the international circuit, Sreeja Akula. Szocs showcased elite defence and composure under pressure to claim a hard-fought 2-1 victory, handing Sreeja her first loss of the season.
Szocs returned alongside Akash to dominate the mixed doubles, cruising past Jeet and Britt Eerland in straight games. With each game increasingly one-sided, the U Mumba duo went from 5-5 to 11-5 in the second game and closed out the third with the same scoreline.
With the tie on the line, Jeet kept Jaipur Patriots alive with a composed start in Match 4, winning the first two games against U Mumba's Abhinandh. But the 17-year-old U Mumba paddler held his nerve in a tense third game; locked at 6-6, Abhinandh surged ahead 10-8 before sealing it 11-8, clinching U Mumba TT's first-ever UTT title with an 8-4 overall win.
Dempo Goa Challengers' skipper Harmeet Desai and U Mumba TT captain Bernadette Szocs were named the Male and Female MVPs of UTT Season 6, respectively, for their standout performances, while the 'Shot of the League' went to Adriana Diaz for her stunning winner against Krittwika Sinha Roy in Kolkata ThunderBlades' league stage tie against Goa.
The Grand Finale was graced by several dignitaries and distinguished guests, including UTT Co-Promoters Vita Dani and Niraj Bajaj. Also in attendance were TTFI Secretary General Kamlesh Mehta and Arjuna awardee Monalisa Mehta, along with ITTF Group CEO Steve Dainton and ITTF Foundation Director Leandro Olvech. IndianOil, the title sponsors, were represented by senior officials, including Sanjib Behera and Ashok Jain. The evening also saw participation from Rakesh Khanna, Sameer Koticha, and Kiran Bir Sethi, with each guest playing a ceremonial role in honouring the season's standout performers.
Final Scores
U Mumba TT 8-4 Jaipur Patriots
Lilian Bardet bt. Kanak Jha 2-1 (4-11, 11-5, 11-7)Bernadette Szocs bt. Sreeja Akula 2-1 (11-9, 10-11, 11-5)Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs bt. Jeet Chandra/Britt Eerland 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-5)Abhinandh PB lost to Jeet Chandra 1-2 (5-11, 8-11, 11-8). (ANI)
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