Latest news with #Krittwika
The Hindu
15-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Harmeet supports wife Krittwika to the hilt after heartbreaking loss
Krittwika Sinha Roy had to win only one of the three games against Yashaswini Ghorpade to make it a hat-trick of Ultimate Table Tennis final appearance for Dempo Goa Challengers. After losing the first two games, she trailed 10-6 in the third. Krittwika then staged a superb turnaround, supported by a couple of lucky net-calls, she saved four match-points and enforced the golden point. But when she hit a backhand top-spin long, it resulted in agony and ecstasy — the two siblings in a sporting arena — being experienced at the EKA Arena on Saturday night. While Yashaswini was surrounded by her U Mumba TT teammates and management for completing a thrilling comeback, Krittwika was inconsolable — with all her teammates trying to calm her down. It was at this very moment that Harmeet Desai had to switch from the role of Goa Challengers' captain into a caring husband to wipe her tears. Minutes later, though, Harmeet, the pro, was on display. 'She is bound to feel it but I just had to remind her that had it not been for her contribution, we would have possibly not been in the semifinals. Despite not playing all the matches, she won us six crucial points, including the win over Fan Siqi,' Harmeet said. Krittwika's 0-3 loss in the fifth and final rubber was the exact reversal of the 3-0 scoreline that Harmeet started the semifinal with, by rolling over Frenchman Lilian Bardet. The loss also ended Goa Challengers' quest of registering a hat-trick of UTT titles. But Harmeet reminded everyone that he and his teammates had every reason to hold their head high. 'I am extremely proud of the way we have fought and conquered various hurdles in UTT 2025,' Harmeet said. 'After the auction, many would have thought ours wasn't the best team on paper. I am glad that we managed to prove everyone wrong and came within a point of being in another final. It wasn't to be, but we will come back stronger next year.'
The Hindu
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
U Mumba pulls off a Houdini, sneaks into the summit clash
Never had a team made a comeback after trailing 4-7 in an Ultimate Table Tennis knockout match. And never had U Mumba TT been able to breach the semifinal barrier in the first five editions. Both the firsts were achieved on Saturday, courtesy P.B. Abhinandh and Yashaswini Ghorpade – two of the most emerging paddlers on the Indian table tennis horizon. With his back against the wall and trailing 0-2 against Vitor Ishiy, Abhinandh finally found an answer to Ishiy's serve and stretched the match into the deciding tie. Yashaswini – the Bengaluru girl – then held her nerves and blanked Krittwika Sinha Roy 3-0 on the last point of the match. After closing out the first two games, Yashaswini raced to a 10-6 lead, Krittwika finally getting trapped into Yashaswini's long-pimpled backhand. But Krittwika then had a four-point spree. But the golden point saw Krittwika finally hit her backhand long to let the U Mumba camp burst into a wild bout of celebration. Earlier, captain Harmeet Desai couldn't have gotten the Challengers off to a better start than a clean slate against Lilian Bardet. Despite Bardet having been his bogey player in UTT in the past, Harmeet went all out with his forehand winners to not let Bardet get into his game. But Bernadette Szocs – the highest ranked paddler in UTT at No. 12 in women's – brought Goa back in the game by inflicting the first defeat on Zeng Jian. When Szocs and Akash Pal – the doubles specialist who came up with stunning forehand side-spins close to his body – reduced the deficit to 4-5, U Mumbai was back in the match. Ishiy – the replacement player who came in for Tiago Apolonia towards the end of the league stage – then put Goa on the cusp of a win. But then started the great escape! The result: U Mumba TT bt Dempo Goa Challengers 8-7 (Lilian Bardet lost to Harmeet Desai 8-11, 4-11, 10-11; Bernadette Szocs bt Zeng Jian 11-5, 11-9, 7-11; Szocs & Akash Pal bt Zeng & Desai 11-8, 11-8, 9-11; P.B. Abhinandh lost to Vitor Ishiy 6-11, 4-11, 11-9; Yashaswini Ghorpade bt Krittwika Sinha Roy 11-9, 11-9, 11-10).
