Dabang Delhi TTC opened their Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 campaign with a hard-fought 9-6 victory over UP Prometheans in the opening double-header at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Panaji, Goa, on 10 July. Spanish paddler Maria Xiao was the standout performer, delivering in both singles and mixed doubles to steer Delhi through a contest that was far tighter than the final margin suggests.

UP Draw First Blood

UP Prometheans made a confident start when star Indian paddler Manav Thakkar defeated Egypt's Youssef Abdelaziz 2-1 (11-8, 11-5, 10-11), handing his side an early 3-0 lead. The match also marked a historic first — the newly introduced Table Tennis Review (TTR) system was used in India for the first time during this tie, when Thakkar challenged a serve by Abdelaziz for ball visibility/ball hiding. His first two TTR appeals were upheld, allowing him to retain all three allotted unsuccessful reviews. His third appeal, however, was rejected, with the review confirming the ball remained visible as per regulations.

Xiao Levels, Then Leads

Dabang Delhi hit back immediately. Maria Xiao defeated Australia's Yangzi Liu 2-1 (11-6, 11-7, 4-11) to level the tie at 3-3. Xiao then combined with Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in the mixed doubles, where the pair dismantled the Thakkar-Liu combination in straight games 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-5), pushing Delhi into a 6-3 lead.

Sathiyan Seals It

Gnanasekaran extended Delhi's advantage with a composed 2-1 win over Germany's Ricardo Walther (11-8, 11-6, 6-11). Walther showed grit in the third game, winning it 11-6 to earn the Bisleri Shot of the Tie award, but it was too little to alter the outcome. UP's Sayali Wani gave her team a consolation point with a 2-1 win over Divyanshi Bhowmick (9-11, 11-5, 11-10), but Delhi closed out the tie 9-6.

Awards and UTT Juniors Update

For her match-winning contributions across singles and doubles, Maria Xiao was named the ChatGPT Match IQ Player of the Tie. Earlier in the day, the UTT Juniors grassroots competition continued in Goa, with U Mumba TT defeating Dempo Goa Challengers 5-4 and HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades recording a 5-4 triumph over Ahmedabad APL Pipers.

Final Scorecard

Dabang Delhi TTC bt UP Prometheans 9-6
Youssef Abdelaziz lost to Manav Thakkar 1-2 (8-11, 5-11, 11-10)
Maria Xiao bt Yangzi Liu 2-1 (11-6, 11-7, 4-11)
Maria Xiao / G Sathiyan bt Yangzi Liu / Manav Thakkar 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-5)
G Sathiyan bt Ricardo Walther 2-1 (11-8, 11-6, 6-11)
Divyanshi Bhowmick lost to Sayali Wani 1-2 (11-9, 5-11, 10-11)

With the opening win secured, Dabang Delhi will look to build on this momentum as UTT Season 7 progresses in Panaji.