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India Gazette
20 hours ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
UTT Season 6: PBG Pune Jaguars beat Kolkata ThunderBlades 10-5; Dabang Delhi TTC get revenge over Dempo Goa Challengers in final rematch
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 5 (ANI): PBG Pune Jaguars delivered a clinical, all-round performance to defeat Kolkata ThunderBlades 10-5, while Dabang Delhi TTC held their nerve in a blockbuster rematch of the 2024 final, edging past defending champions Dempo Goa Challengers 9-6 on Thursday. Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, Ultimate Table Tennis (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, as per the UTT press release. In a pulsating clash between international heavyweights and UTT stalwarts, Alvaro Robles edged Quadri Aruna to give PBG Pune Jaguars the ideal start, clinching all three games on Golden Points for his first singles win of the season. Remarkably, it marked the first time this rare feat has occurred twice in the same UTT campaign. Dina Meshref then held her nerve in a tight 2-1 win over Adriana Diaz, sealing her maiden league victory before pairing with Anirban Ghosh to secure the mixed doubles 2-1, handing Pune early control of the tie. Kolkata ThunderBlades hit back through young star Ankur Bhattacharjee, who took down Anirban with sharp, crowd-pleasing play in the second men's singles. Crucially, though, Anirban snatched the final game to deny Ankur a full sweep--an important point that kept Pune ahead and denied Kolkata from leveling the tie. Reeth Rishya then closed the door on any hopes of a comeback, sweeping Selena Selvakumar 3-0 to seal the tie. Meshref was awarded the Foreign Player of the Tie, while Diaz claimed the Shot of the Tie. Reeth claimed the Indian Player of the Tie honour. In the day's first match, Harmeet Desai edged Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in a gripping three-game showdown between two of India's finest, but it wasn't enough as Dabang Delhi TTC sealed their second win of the season, this time over reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers in a rematch of last year's final. Izaac Quek opened with a clinical 3-0 win over Tiago Apolonia for Delhi, while Zeng Jian hit back for Goa by sweeping Diya Chitale. Delhi regained the lead through Sathiyan and Maria Xiao's composed doubles win, but Harmeet's 2-1 victory over Sathiyan levelled things again. In the decider, Xiao rose to the occasion, dominating Sayali Wani 3-0 to clinch the tie. Harmeet was named Indian Player and Shot of the Tie winner, while Xiao claimed Foreign Player of the Tie honours. 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. Final Scores Match 1 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) Match 2 PBG Pune Jaguars 10-5 Kolkata ThunderBlades Alvaro Robles bt. Quadri Aruna 2-1 (10-11, 11-10, 11-10)Dina Meshref bt. Adriana Diaz 2-1 (11-8, 1-11, 11-10)Anirban Ghosh/Dina Meshref bt. Ankur Bhattacharjee/Adriana Diaz 2-1 (11-9, 11-9, 7-11)Anirban Ghosh lost to Ankur Bhattacharjee 1-2 (8-11, 7-11, 11-8)Reeth Rishya bt. Selena Selvakumar 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-8). (ANI)
United News of India
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- United News of India
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
The Hindu
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Izaac and Maria shine, Dabang exacts revenge against Challengers
Riding on a sterling show by Quek Izaac up front and Maria Xiao in the last rubber, Dabang Delhi TTC avenged last year's final loss against defending champion Goa Challengers in the sixth edition of Ultimate Table Tennis. The 9-6 victory at the EKA Arena on Wednesday not only brought a smile to captain G. Sathiyan's face — despite being beaten by arch rival Harmeet Desai in his singles affair — but also catapulted the Delhi outfit to the top of the standings. Izaac – the Singaporean teenager – set the tone for Dabang by overcoming veteran Tiago Apolonia, the five-time Olympian, in the first match. Despite being ranked much lower than the Portugal paddler, Izaac's raw power and quick reflexes helped him win all three games in the battle between the youngest and oldest overseas participants of the season. Zeng Jian – Izaac's fellow Singaporean – then brought parity to the scoreline by handing Dabang's Diya Chitale a lesson in consistently finishing off rallies. Sathiyan and Maria then teamed up to defeat Harmeet and Zeng before Harmeet levelled the scoreline at six games apiece after trailing 1-0. Harmeet upped the ante and increased his pace substantially to force Sathiyan into errors at key moments. But Maria, the Spaniard, cruised past UTT debutant Sayali Wani — who was preferred ahead of Krittwika Sinha Roy — in the deciding rubber to extend Dabang's points tally to 19. Later, Reeth Rishya's clean slate in the last women's singles helped PBG Pune Jaguars outplay Kolkata ThunderBlades 10-5 in the night match and join Dabang Delhi as joint leaders in the points table. The results: Dabang Delhi TTC bt Dempo Goa Challengers 9-6 (Quek Izaac bt Tiago Apolonia 11-8, 11-9, 11-9; Diya Chitale lost to Zeng Jian 9-11, 5-11, 6-11; Maria Xiao & G. Sathiyan bt Zeng & Harmeet Desai 8-11, 11-5, 11-8; Sathiyan lost to Harmeet 11-8, 9-11, 9-11; Maria bt Sayali Wani 11-3, 11-7, 11-6). PBG Pune Jaguars bt Kolkata ThunderBlades 10-5 (Alvaro Robles bt Quadri Aruna 10-11, 11-10, 11-10; Dina Meshref bt Adriana Diaz 11-8, 1-11, 11-10; Dina & Anirban Ghosh bt Diaz & Ankur Bhattacharjee 11-9, 11-9, 7-11; Anirban lost to Ankur 8-11, 7-11, 11-8; Reeth Rishya bt Selenadeepthi Selvakumar 11-9, 11-8, 11-8). Thursday's fixtures: Jaipur Patriots vs U Mumba TT (5 p.m.); Stanley's Chennai Lions vs Ahmedabad SG Pipers (7.30 p.m.).
India Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Dabang Delhi crush Jaipur Patriots 11-4 to begin UTT 2025 campaign
Former champions Dabang Delhi TTC started their campaign on a positive note by outplaying Jaipur Patriots 11-4 in the opening match of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) here Izaac of Singapore came from a game down to beat American Kanak Jha 2-1 (5-11 11-5 11-9) in the first men's singles match to hand 2018 champions Dabang Delhi the international Sreeja Akula brought Jaipur Patriots back with a 2-1 (4-11 11-9 11-10) win over Maria Xiao of Spain in women's Olympian Sathiyan Gnanasekaran then joined forces with Xiao for Dabang Delhi and defeated the pair of Jha and Akula 3-0 (11-6 11-10 11-6) in the mixed doubles was on fire then, scoring an easy 3-0 (11-6 11-7 11-6) win over Jeet Chandra in the reverse men's Chitale took looked in good touch and was quick with both her forehand and backhand shots. She used top spin serves and powerful forehand smashed to prevail over Netherland's Britt Eerland to hand Dabang Delhi an easy win and confident the league stage of UTT league, a game is won when a player scores first 11 points, with a golden point used deciding games that are tied at 10-10.A team wins a tie by winning the most games. In the league stage, a team wins a tie by winning at least eight out of the 15 total games.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Contrasting victories for Goa Challengers and Dabang Delhi
Defending champion Goa Challengers and last year's finalist Dabang Delhi TTC began their Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6 campaign with wins in contrasting fashion on the opening day at the EKA Arena here on Saturday. Goa Challengers — with Gujarati captain Harmeet Desai and his better half Krittwika Sinha Roy — was stretched to the hilt by 2024 semifinalist Ahmedabad SG Pipers. The tie was open till the last last rubber when Zeng Jian closed it out by pipping Giorgia Piccolin to set up a 10-5 win. Dabang Delhi rode on captain G. Sathiyan's exploits to outplay Jaipur Patriots 11-4. Sathiyan didn't concede a single game in his six matches, including the mixed doubles with southpaw Maria Xiao as his partner. Had Diya Chitale — the National women's champion — not squandered a 7-2 lead in the last league and kept a clean slate, the Delhi squad would have equalled the joint-highest margin of result record. In a late match, Harmeet and Krittwika had impressive outings in singles. Harmeet saved a match point in the second game against the seasoned German Ricardo Walther before running away with the decider. Krittwika used her experience against Ayhika Mukherjee to put Challengers in charge. The results: Dabang Delhi TTC bt Jaipur Patriots 11-4 (Izaac Quek bt Kanak Jha 5-11, 11-5, 11-9; Maria Xiao lost to Sreeja Akula 11-4, 9-11, 10-11; G. Sathiyan & Maria Xiao bt Jha & Sreeja 11-6, 11-10, 11-6; Sathiyan bt Jeet Chandra 11-6, 11-7, 11-6; Diya Chitale bt Britt Eerland 11-8, 11-7, 8-11). Dempo Goa Challengers bt Ahmedabad SG Pipers 10-5 (Tiago Apolonia bt SFR Snehit 11-6, 11-6, 10-11; Krittwika Sinha Roy bt Ayhika Mukherjee 4-11, 11-8, 11-9; Zeng Jian & Harmeet Desai lost to Ayhika & Ricardo Walther 9-11, 10-11, 11-10; Harmeet bt Riccardo Walther 6-11, 11-10, 11-3; Zeng bt Giorgio Piccolin 11-7, 11-7, 11-5). Sunday's fixture: U Mumba TT vs PBG Pune Jaguars (5 p.m.)
