UTT: Harmeet Desai downs Sathiyan G in epic battle
Ahmedabad, June 4 (UNI) Harmeet Desai downed Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in an epic battle between two of India's top men's paddlers, yet it wasn't enough for reigning champions Dempo
Goa Challengers, who went down 6-9 against Dabang Delhi TTC in the Ultimate Table Tennis
(UTT) Season 6.
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. All 23 ties, over 16 action-packed days, will take place at Ahmedabad's EKA Arena.
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-games 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—a joint initiative by UTT and Dream Sports Foundation—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.
With the season now underway, all ties will be broadcast on Star Sports Khel and Star Sports 2 Tamil, and streamed live on JioHotstar for fans across the country.
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).
UNI BM
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