Chennai, Aug 24 (PTI) Indian paddler Sathiyan Gnanasekaran recorded a sensational come-from-behind win over world No. 20 Quadri Aruna but his efforts went in vain as Delhi Dabang went down 6-9 to U Mumba in the fifth season of Ultimate Table Tennis here on Saturday.
Later in the day, captain Manush Shah led debutants Ahmedabad SG Pipers to a fine 10-5 win over reigning champions Athlead Goa Challenger.
Shah was simply sensational as he shocked two-time Olympian Mihai Bobocica 2-1 in their singles match after partnering with Bernadette Szocs to achieve the same scoreline in the mixed doubles match.
Ahmedabad SG Pipers flew off the blocks, courtesy an outstanding display from Frenchman Lilian Bardet, who beat Harmeet Desai 3-0 in the first men’s singles match.
Szocs followed in her teammate’s footsteps, bouncing back from her loss against Ayhika Mukherjee with a sweeping victory over young Yashaswini Ghorpade in the first women’s singles match of the tie.
The mixed doubles followed next, where the pair of Shah and Szocs outfoxed Harmeet and Yangzi Liu for a 2-1 win, handing the tie to the Season 5 debutants.
Following Manush’s win over Bobocica, Reeth Rishya found herself in a position to make history for Ahmedabad by securing the biggest margin of victory in a tie. However, Liu denied Reeth the team record by continuing her unbeaten streak that stretches back to the start of the previous season.
Earlier, Sathiyan produced a gallant show as he registered his first win over Aruna but despite his exploits, Delhi couldn’t outwit Mumba, who rode on Manav Thakkar and Sutirtha Mukherjee’s performance to emerge victorious at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.
Sathiyan found it difficult to get a foothold in his first game of the season and trailed 0-7 right at the start against Aruna, the highest-ranked male player in the tournament.
Aruna took the game easily, but the Indian Olympian bounced back with a sturdy defence and assertive smashes in games 2 and 3, winning by twin 11-9 scorelines to claim the match.
However, Sutirtha wrested back control of the tie for her team U Mumba TT in the first women’s singles match, beating youngster Diya Chitale in three straight games.
Sathiyan then returned to the table for the mixed doubles alongside partner Orawan Paranag but the duo couldn’t surpass the combination of Manav Thakkar and Spaniard Maria Xiao.
Despite their limited interaction so far, Manav and Xiao showed impeccable coordination to claim the match, putting their team on the cusp of a historic win.
Manav then faced off against debutant Andreas Levenko in the tie’s second men’s singles match and rapidly raced into a 2-0 lead, heaving U Mumba TT over the line and helping them register their first win over Dabang Delhi.
Paranang later beat Xiao in the second women’s singles match to limit the damage for the team from Delhi.
Dabang Delhi are scheduled to play hosts Chennai Lions, while U Mumba TT are set to face Jaipur Patriots on Sunday.
Scores: Ahmedabad SG Pipers bt Athlead Goa Challengers 10-5: Lilian Bardet bt Harmeet Desai 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-6); Bernadette Szocs bt Yashaswini Ghorpade 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-3); Manush/Szocs bt Harmeet/Liu 2-1 (4-11, 11-10, 11-9); Manush Shah bt Mihai Bobocica 2-1 (11-7, 11-7, 10-11); Reeth Rishya lost to Yangzi Liu 0-3 (6-11, 5-11, 5-11) U Mumba TT bt Dabang Delhi TTC 9-6: Quadri Aruna lost to Sathiyan G. 1-2 (11-4, 9-11, 9-11); Sutirtha Mukherjee bt Diya Chitale 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-4); Manav/Xiao bt Sathiyan/Orawan 2-1 (11-8, 11-9, 8-11); Manav Thakkar bt Andreas Levenko 2-1 (11-5, 11-4, 7-11); Maria Xiao lost to Orawan Paranag 1-2 (11-10, 9-11, 5-11).
Source: PTI News
