Did U Mumba Secure Their First Win Against Ahmedabad? Kolkata ThunderBlades Also Celebrate Their Maiden Victory!

Ahmedabad, June 2 (NationPress) Fueled by exceptional performances from World No. 12 Bernadette Szocs, Lilian Bardet, and Yashaswini Ghorpade, U Mumba TT made a remarkable comeback, achieving a decisive 10-5 victory over their Western rivals Ahmedabad SG Pipers in Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Kolkata ThunderBlades celebrated their league debut with a thrilling 8-7 win against the formidable Stanley’s Chennai Lions, the champions of Season 3.

Under the organization of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, UTT continues to establish itself as a premier platform in professional table tennis.

The match commenced with Bardet maintaining his impressive form, narrowly defeating Snehit Suravajjula 2-1 after a strong start and a tense second game. Yashaswini, making her season debut, showcased her skills with a steady 2-1 victory over Ayhika Mukherjee, dominating the decider with an 11-4 score after building an early lead of 8-0.

The momentum favored Mumbai as Szocs and Akash Pal collaborated to win the mixed doubles 2-1, fending off a brief resurgence from Walther and Ayhika. Akash almost clinched the match with an upset in the fourth encounter, taking the first game against World No. 34 Ricardo Walther before the German player fought back to level the score.

However, Szocs sealed the deal in the final match, sweeping Giorgia Piccolin 3-0 to secure the win. Yashaswini and Szocs earned the Indian and Foreign Player of the Tie awards respectively, while Ayhika was recognized with the Shot of the Tie honor for her impressive forehand drive.

In a stunning display, India’s 18-year-old talent Ankur Bhattacharjee achieved the upset of the night by defeating Olympian and World No. 55 Kirill Gerassimenko 3-0, propelling the debutant Kolkata ThunderBlades to an exhilarating victory over Stanley’s Chennai Lions in their opener.

Ankur showcased his exceptional backhand, landing nine winners in the first game alone. He edged the second game on a Golden Point and asserted his dominance in the third game, earning both the Indian Player of the Tie and Shot of the Tie accolades.

Chennai retaliated with World No. 36 Fan Siqi, who marked her debut with a convincing 3-0 win over Selena Selvakumar. She later teamed up with Payas Jain to secure the mixed doubles, although Kolkata managed to take a game late. Chennai’s hopes dwindled as Aruna Quadri edged Payas 2-1, and Adriana Diaz completed the tie with a 3-0 victory over Poymantee Baisya. Fan was honored as the Foreign Player of the Tie.

Earlier in the UTT Juniors, Sahil Rawat excelled in men’s singles and mixed doubles, leading the Dempo Goa Challengers to a 5-4 victory against Dabang Delhi TTC. Meanwhile, Trishal Surapureddy and Shreya Dhar’s singles victories secured a 5-4 win for Jaipur Patriots over PBG Pune Jaguars.

Results:

1. Kolkata ThunderBlades 8-7 Stanley’s Chennai Lions

Ankur Bhattacharjee bt. Kirill Gerassimenko 3-0 (11-4, 11-10, 11-7)

Selena Selvakumar lost to Fan Siqi 0-3 (8-11, 10-11, 6-11)

Ankur Bhattacharjee/Adriana Diaz lost to Payas Jain/Fan Siqi 1-2 (6-11, 4-11, 11-8)

Quadri Aruna bt. Payas Jain 2-1 (11-3, 8-11, 11-9)

Adriana Diaz bt. Poymantee Baisya 2-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-6)

2. U Mumba TT 10-5 Ahmedabad SG Pipers

Lilian Bardet bt. Snehit Suravajjula 2-1 (11-4, 11-9, 4-11)

Yashaswini Ghorpade bt. Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-4)

Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs bt. Ricardo Walther/Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 (11-4, 10-11, 11-6)

Akash Pal lost to Ricardo Walther 1-2 (11-8, 6-11, 5-11)

Bernadette Szocs bt. Giorgia Piccolin 3-0 (11-4, 11-10, 11-9)