Did Harmeet Lead Goa Challengers to Victory in UTT Season 6?

Ahmedabad, May 31 (NationPress) The two-time reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers celebrated their first victory of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 through a determined team effort, with Harmeet Desai shining in the spotlight after defeating World No. 34 Ricardo Walther with a score of 2-1 in the men’s singles. Earlier in the day, Dabang Delhi TTC secured a commanding 11-4 victory against Jaipur Patriots, thanks to the performances of Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Diya Chitale.

Harmeet rebounded from a slow start to clinch a tense second game of Match 4 with an 11-10 score, then dominated the deciding game with an 11-3 finish, leading the defending champions to a winning start.

Under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and backed by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, the IndianOil UTT continues to establish itself as a premier professional league.

All 23 ties will unfold over 16 thrilling days at Ahmedabad’s EKA Arena, with broadcasts on Star Sports Khel and Star Sports Tamil, as well as live streaming on JioHotstar for fans nationwide.

Five-time Olympian Tiago Apolonia, the oldest player in the league, set the stage for Goa Challengers with two consecutive 11-6 victories against Snehit Suravajjula, breaking from 5-5 deadlocks in both matches.

Snehit managed to score a point for the home team with a Golden Point win in the third game. Krittwika Sinha Roy then contributed another 2-1 victory for the defending champions, bouncing back from an early loss to Ayhika Mukherjee with strong finishes of 11-8 and 11-9.

The mixed doubles pairing of Ayhika and newcomer Ricardo Walther brought Ahmedabad SG Pipers back into contention with a 2-1 victory over Harmeet and Zeng Jian, but Harmeet's impressive win over Walther ensured that the champions entered the final match in the lead.

In a clash of newcomers, Singapore’s Zeng secured a win for Dempo Goa Challengers, dominating Italy’s Giorgia Piccolin with a 3-0 scoreline of 11-7, 11-7, 11-5.

In the day’s opening match, Dabang Delhi TTC began their campaign with a strong 11-4 victory against Jaipur Patriots. Sathiyan, returning for his sixth consecutive season with Delhi, swept past Jeet Chandra 3-0, while Diya Chitale, the highest-valued Indian player in the IndianOil UTT auction, secured a sharp 2-1 win against World No. 43 Britt Eerland.

Earlier in this tie, 19-year-old Izaac Quek gave Dabang Delhi a significant advantage by defeating three-time Olympian Kanak Jha 2-1. Jaipur Patriots responded through Sreeja Akula, who narrowly beat Maria Xiao in a tense match, clinching her 2-1 victory with the first Golden Point of the season. However, in the mixed doubles, Delhi’s Sathiyan and Maria clicked seamlessly, controlling the set and leading to a clean sweep in the final two matches.

Sathiyan and Harmeet were recognized as the Indian Players of the Tie for their respective matches, while Maria Xiao and Zeng Jian received the Foreign Player of the Tie honors. The Shot of the Tie awards went to Maria and Ayhika Mukherjee for their remarkable performances.

In the Dream UTT Juniors, both Maharashtra teams secured narrow 5-4 victories. U Mumba TT edged out Stanley’s Chennai Lions thanks to key wins from Prateek Tulsani and Ananya Muralidharan, while PBG Pune Jaguars triumphed over Kolkata ThunderBlades with a powerful doubles display by Atharva Nawarange and Tushti Sood.

Final scores:

Dempo Goa Challengers 10-5 Ahmedabad SG Pipers

Tiago Apolonia bt. Snehit Suravajjula 2-1 (11-6, 11-6, 10-11)

Krittwika Sinha Roy bt. Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 (4-11, 11-8, 11-9)

Harmeet Desai/Zeng Jian lost to Ricardo Walther/Ayhika Mukherjee 1-2 (9-11, 10-11, 11-10)

Harmeet Desai bt. Ricardo Walther 2-1 (6-11, 11-10, 11-3)

Zeng Jian bt. Giorgia Piccolin 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-5)

Dabang Delhi TTC 11-4 Jaipur Patriots

Izaac Quek bt. Kanak Jha 2-1 (5-11, 11-5, 11-9)

Maria Xiao lost to Sreeja Akula 1-2 (11-4, 9-11, 10-11)

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao bt. Kanak Jha/Sreeja Akula 3-0 (11-6, 11-10, 11-6)

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran bt. Jeet Chandra 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-6)

Diya Chitale bt. Britt Eerland 2-1 (11-8, 11-7, 8-11)