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India Gazette
a day ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
UTT Season 6: Ahmedabad SG Pipers look to bounce back against momentum-carrying Kolkata ThunderBlades
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 9 (ANI): With Ankur Bhattacharjee, Quadri Aruna, and Adriana Diaz all winning their singles rubbers, Kolkata ThunderBlades beat reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers 9-6 in the IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Sunday. Kolkata's victory saw them move into the playoff spots, occupying fourth with 29 points. Goa, with six more game wins on the board, moved level on points with leaders Jaipur Patriots and U Mumba TT, as per UTT. 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. The tie opened with a gripping clash between two of the league's best: Goa captain Harmeet Desai took the opening game 11-10 after a stunning comeback from 4-9 down, but Aruna fought back with relentless aggression to take the next two games and hand Harmeet his first singles loss of the season. Adriana Diaz followed with a dominant 3-0 win over Krittwika Sinha Roy, highlighted by a jaw-dropping defensive rally turned match point winner, which earned her the Shots of the Tie award. Ankur and Diaz kept the momentum alive in the doubles, edging Harmeet and Zeng Jian in a tight 2-1 win, their first of the season as a pair. Ankur returned to the table and showcased his class, coming back from a game down to overwhelm Ronit Bhanja 11-1 in the decider, maintaining his unbeaten start. Though Zeng gave Goa a strong finish with a dominant 3-0 win over Selena Selvakumar--extending her unbeaten record to 4-0--it was not enough to prevent a second defeat. For their efforts, Ankur and Diaz were named the Indian and the Foreign Player of the Tie, respectively. It was double delight for Kolkata ThunderBlades, as they claimed the inaugural title at the Dream UTT Juniors-a joint initiative by UTT and Dream Sports Foundation-earlier in the day, with a 5-2 win over U Mumba TT. Ritvik Gupta started the final with a win in the singles rubber, before combining with Swara Karmakar to help Kolkata into a 4-2 lead. Swara secured the remaining point in her match to seal the title. Kolkata walked away with the INR 2 lakh prize for first place, while U Mumba earned INR 1 lakh as runners-up. Final Scores Kolkata ThunderBlades 9-6 Dempo Goa Challengers Quadri Aruna bt. Harmeet Desai 2-1 (10-11, 11-10, 11-6)Adriana Diaz bt. Krittwika Sinha Roy 3-0 (11-1, 11-4, 11-6)Ankur Bhattacharjee/Adriana Diaz bt. Harmeet Desai/Zeng Jian 2-1 (11-10, 9-11, 11-7)Ankur Bhattacharjee bt. Ronit Bhanja 2-1 (10-11, 11-10, 11-1)Selena Selvakumar lost to Zeng Jian 0-3 (4-11, 6-11, 4-11). (ANI)
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Kolkata ThunderBlades survives another day
The overseas duo of Aruna Quadri and Adriana Diaz were at their sublime best to keep Kolkata ThunderBlades' hopes of making it to the Ultimate Table Tennis semifinal in its debut season alive with a comprehensive win against defending champion Dempo Goa Challengers. While Quadri and Diaz set the pace early on, promising youngster Ankur Bhattacharjee took over by first gelling well with Diaz in the mixed doubles before overcoming Ronit Bhanja in an entertaining duel to give the ThunderBlades a 9-6 win. It was a rare instance of two Indian male paddlers featuring in both the men's singles, since a stomach bug ruled Goa Challengers' veteran Tiago Apolonia out of the tie. But Bhanja did his bit by snatching a game off Bhattacharjee. While both the women's singles ties were one-sided affairs with Indian paddlers from either side barely able to make their respective opponents sweat, Quadri and Challengers' captain Harmeet Desai stretched each other. Desai matched the Nigerian's powerful forehands but ran out of steam in the decider after converting one of the two golden points. The tie of the match was the mixed doubles where Diaz and Bhattacharjee – the expressive duo – surprised Harmeet and Zenj Jian. Bhattacharjee's banana receives and Diaz's powerful forehand winners left the Challengers challenged. The results: Kolkata ThunderBlades bt Dempo Goa Challengers 9-6 (Quadri Aruna bt Harmeet Desai 10-11, 11-10, 11-6; Adriana Diaz bt Krittwika Sinha Roy 11-1, 11-4, 11-6; Diaz & Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Zeng Jian & Desai 11-10, 9-11, 11-7; Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Ronit Bhanja 10-11, 11-10, 11-1; Selenadeepthi Selvakumar lost to Zeng 4-11, 6-11, 4-11). PBG Pune Jaguars lost to Dabang Delhi TTC 4-11 (Alvaro Robles lost to Quek Izaac 5-11, 4-11, 11-4; Taneesha Kotecha lost to Maria Xiao 5-11, 5-11, 11-9; Reeth Rishya & Robles lost to Maria & G. Sathiyan 10-11, 9-11, 11-4; Anirban Ghosh bt Sathiyan 8-11, 3-11, 11-4; Zion Lee lost to Diya Chitale 5-11, 8-11, 8-11). The standings: Dabang Delhi TTC 39 points (4 matches) Qualified, Jaipur Patriots 32 (4), Dempo Goa Challengers 32 (4), U Mumba TT 32 (4), Kolkata ThunderBlades 29 (4), PBG Pune Jaguars 28 (4), Stanley's Chennai Lions 24 (4), Ahmedabad SG Pipers 22 (4). Monday's match: Stanley's Chennai Lions vs Dempo Goa Challengers (7.30 pm).
