Latest news with #HarmeetDesai
United News of India
16 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
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Sport
- Business Standard
Harmeet Desai eyes 2026 Asian Games, begins preparations with UTT
Two-time CWG champion Harmeet Desai is focussed on a podium finish at next year's Asian Games in Japan and will use the sixth season of Ultimate Table Tennis, which will feature many accomplished players, to kick-start his preparations for the continent event. Desai, currently ranked 66th in the world, bagged gold medals in men's team event at the 2018 Gold Coast and 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. He also has a bronze medal in men's doubles at Gold Coast and a bronze at the men's team event in 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. "I don't like to predict so much. I am just taking it step by step, at the moment I am just focussing on UTT," Desai, who will be turning out for two-time champions Goa Challengers in the eight-team UTT, told PTI. "Definitely more important tournaments are coming. Next is Slovenia WTT tournament, Asian Games is also lined up next year so my focus is on to that as of now. "The UTT is a great platform to start my preparations for the Asian Games as many world champions, Asian champions and Olympians are participating in the event," he added. Goa Challengers are two-time defending champions, having won the title in 2023 and 2024 and are eyeing a hat-trick of crowns. He feels the league has changed the face of the sport in India. It began in 2017 but because of COVID two seasons didn't happen. "If you see the graph of Indian table tennis it has risen a lot. We used to be ranked around No.30 in the world but now we came up to top-10 in the recent past," Desai said. "In the last Olympics both the teams qualified for the very first time. We have been winning medals at the Asian Championships, Commonwealth Games. So many players have entered into top-100 in world rankings. "The juniors have been really doing well. Senior women team got into top-25 in the world rankings. These kind of things never happened before, so all credit goes to UTT because it gave us exposure to learn from foreign players, foreign coaches," he added. Desai, who is from Surat, is excited to play in his home state, which is hosting the tournament for the first time. "It's first UTT season in Gujarat, my home state, so I am really excited to perform before home fans. So it's a big opportunity to inspire youngsters who are taking table tennis as a future prospect. "It will great platform youngsters of Gujarat to watch international players, including 32 Olympians," he noted. The sixth season of UTT will be held at the EKA Arena here from May 31 till June 15.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Goa Challengers begins its quest for hat-trick of titles
When Harmeet Desai led the Dempo Goa Challengers to a terrific triumph in Chennai last September, the team scripted history by becoming the first team to win two titles, and that too back-to-back, in Ultimate Table Tennis. As the franchise-based table tennis league returns for its sixth edition, Challengers would be gunning to register a hat-trick of triumphs. Challengers would begin their quest by taking on Ahmedabad SG Pipers, who will hope to see Amdavadis turn up to support it despite the IPL frenzy in town for the next four days. Pipers had a topsy-turvy campaign to its campaign in the last edition. Despite receiving a setback in Manika Batra's late pull-out due to a conspicuous injury, Pipers would be banking on Ayhika Mukherjee to grab the opportunity and Ricardo Walther to absorb the pressure against Harmeet & Co. 'To win it twice was thrilling last year. A hat-trick of titles — that too in my home state — will be an incredible achievement. We know how challenging and competitive UTT is, but we are confident Goa Challengers can repeat history,' Harmeet told The Hindu on Friday. Manika's injury has increased the list of prominent Indian absentees. A. Sharath Kamal hung up his boots in March while Manush Shah, the defending men's singles National champion, and Manav Thakkar have preferred their pro commitments over UTT. The leading Indians' absence, though, will mean rising stars like Payas Jain, Akash Pal and SFR Snehit will have an opportunity to prove their mettle under pressure. The fact that Fan Siqi will become the first Chinese paddler in the UTT arena when she dons the Chennai Lions' yellows indicates the growing acceptance of the league in the global arena. Saturday's fixtures: Jaipur Patriots vs. Dabang Delhi T.T.C. (5 p.m.); Ahmedabad SG Pipers vs. Dempo Goa Challengers (7.30 p.m.)
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Business Standard
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
IndianOil UTT, JioStar sign 3-year broadcast deal to boost Table Tennis
IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) has inked a landmark three-year agreement with JioStar, one of India's top sports broadcasters, in a strategic move to enhance the sport's visibility and popularity nationwide. As the Official Broadcast and Streaming Partner, JioStar will deliver exclusive, live multilingual coverage of UTT matches on both television and digital platforms through 2027. Leveraging JioStar's expansive network, Season 6 of IndianOil UTT will be broadcast to a broader audience via multiple channels. Viewers can catch the opening matches live on Star Sports 2, Star Sports Khel, and Star Sports Tamil, while the high-energy contests will also be available for streaming in English, Hindi, and Tamil on JioHotstar. This collaboration goes beyond broadcasting—it's a major step in shaping the future of table tennis in India. The league will spotlight emerging Indian talents such as Diya Chitale, Payas Jain, Ankur Bhattacharjee, and Yashaswini Ghorpade, alongside global stars including Olympians Aruna Quadri, Alvaro Robles, Bernadette Szocs, and Adriana Diaz, as well as China's Fan Siqi. The lineup also features Indian stalwarts like Manika Batra, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Harmeet Desai, and Sreeja Akula, ensuring a captivating season of high-level competition. Organized under the supervision of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, IndianOil UTT has quickly established itself as a premier international table tennis league. In 2024, the league attracted 20 million viewers across TV and OTT, marking a 1.3x growth from the previous year. The new multi-season partnership with JioStar is expected to accelerate this upward trajectory, driving further engagement and development of the sport in India. "Indian table tennis has taken great strides in recent years. IndianOil UTT's mission has always been to create a top-tier platform for Indian talent. This new partnership with JioStar for the next three seasons will strengthen our reach, engage new fans, and lay the foundation for a stronger ecosystem for the next generation of players." Ahead of the new season, IndianOil UTT and JioStar will begin pre-season coverage from May 12, giving fans an exclusive preview of team lineups and player profiles. With support from JioHotstar and Star Sports, the build-up to Season 6 aims to reach fans on a national scale, matching the league's growing ambition. Season 6 of IndianOil UTT will feature 48 elite players across eight franchises: Ahmedabad SG Pipers, Chennai Lions, Dabang Delhi TTC, Dempo Goa Challengers TT, Jaipur Patriots, Kolkata ThunderBlades, PBG Pune Jaguars, and U Mumba TT. The reigning champions, Dempo Goa Challengers, led by Harmeet Desai, are aiming to secure a historic third consecutive title this year.
