Latest news with #IndianOilUltimateTableTennis
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
UTT Season 6: U Mumba notch first win vs Ahmedabad SG Pipers; Ankur Bhattacharjee leads Kolkata ThunderBlades
U Mumba TT bounced back in style, claiming a commanding 10-5 win over Western rivals Ahmedabad SG Pipers in IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Monday, driven by standout performances from World No. 12 Bernadette Szocs, Lilian Bardet, and Yashaswini Ghorpade. In the earlier tie, Kolkata ThunderBlades registered an 8-7 win on their league debut against Season 3 champions Stanley's Chennai Lions. The tie opened with Bardet continuing his strong form, edging Snehit Suravajjula 2-1 after dominating the first game and holding firm in a tense second. Yashaswini, making her first appearance of the season, then delivered a composed 2-1 win over Ayhika Mukherjee, storming through the decider 11-4 after building an 8-0 lead. The momentum stayed with Mumbai as Szocs and Akash Pal teamed up to win the mixed doubles 2-1, holding off a brief comeback from Walther and Ayhika. Akash nearly sealed the tie with an upset in the fourth match, taking the first game against World No. 34 Ricardo Walther before the German rallied to level the score. But Szocs shut the door in the final clash, sweeping Giorgia Piccolin 3-0 to clinch the tie. Yashaswini and Szocs claimed the Indian and the Foreign Player of the Tie awards, respectively, while Ayhika took home the Shot of the Tie honour for a smashing forehand drive in her singles contest. India's 18-year-old prodigy Ankur Bhattacharjee produced the upset of the night, blanking Olympian and World No. 55 Kirill Gerassimenko 3-0 to power debutants Kolkata ThunderBlades to a thrilling win over Stanley's Chennai Lions in their IndianOil UTT Season 6 opener. Ankur's backhand was in full flow, delivering nine winners in Game 1 alone. He edged the second on Golden Point and sealed the third with authority, earning both Indian Player of the Tie and Shot of the Tie honours. Chennai hit back through World No. 36 Fan Siqi, the league's highest-valued player, who marked her debut with a 3-0 win over Selena Selvakumar. She then teamed up with Payas Jain to take the mixed doubles, though Kolkata snatched a game late. Chennai's hopes faded as Aruna Quadri edged Payas 2-1, and Adriana Diaz sealed the tie with a 3-0 win over Poymantee Baisya. Fan was named Foreign Player of the Tie. Earlier, at the Dream UTT Juniors—by IndianOil UTT and Dream Sports Foundation—Sahil Rawat excelled in men's singles and mixed doubles, leading Dempo Goa Challengers to a 5-4 victory over Dabang Delhi TTC. Meanwhile, Trishal Surapureddy and Shreya Dhar's singles wins secured a 5-4 victory for Jaipur Patriots against PBG Pune Jaguars.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
UTT Season 6: Reeth Rishya, Anirban Ghosh star in PBG Pune Jaguars comeback win vs U Mumba
Indian stalwarts Reeth Rishya Tennison and Anirban Ghosh starred as PBG Pune Jaguars came from behind to defeat Maharashtra rivals U Mumba TT 9-6 in the IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Sunday. International stars Lilian Bardet and Bernadette Szocs kicked things off positively for U Mumba with wins in their respective matches, helping their team into an early 4-2 lead. Bardet took little time to secure an 11-1 victory in Game 1 of the first match against IndianOil UTT favourite Alvaro Robles, before dominating Game 2 with an 11-4 win. However, Robles crucially pulled one back for PBG Pune Jaguars, keeping them within touching distance of their opponents in a league where every game counts. Meanwhile, Szocs extended her perfect head-to-head record across all competitions against Season 6 debutant Dina Meshref, staging a dramatic comeback by saving three match points in Game 2 before going on to win the match 2-1. But the momentum shifted dramatically when Anirban stepped up for Pune. First, he partnered with Meshref to win a nervy mixed doubles battle 2-1, clinching it with the Golden Point. Then, he edged Akash Pal 2-1 in a gritty singles contest to level the tie at 6-6. In the decider, the experienced Reeth dominated against Swastika Ghosh 3-0, sealing a memorable 9-6 win for Pune. Reeth was named Indian Player of the Tie, while Szocs earned Foreign Player of the Tie. Akash took home the Shot of the Tie prize. Earlier at the Dream UTT Juniors—a joint initiative by IndianOil UTT and Dream Sports Foundation—Dempo Goa Challengers edged Stanley's Chennai Lions 5-4, powered by a flawless 3-0 win from Sahil Rawat and a crucial mixed doubles win. In the second tie, Jaipur Patriots sealed a 6-3 victory over Ahmedabad SG Pipers, with Shreya Dhar starring in both singles and doubles alongside Trishal Surapureddy.
