Ahmedabad, June 4 (IANS) Harmeet Desai downed seasoned singles player Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in an epic battle between two of India’s top men’s paddlers in a key match of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 here on Wednesday. Yet it was not enough for reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers as they went down 6-9 to Dabang Delhi TTC.
A rematch of last season’s final, the tie opened with 19-year-old Izaac Quek putting Dabang Delhi on the front foot, blanking Tiago Apolonia 3-0 in a generational clash between the league’s youngest and oldest foreign players.
Diya Chitale, then, fought hard against Singapore’s Zeng Jian but couldn’t prevent a straight-game defeat, levelling the tie at 3-3.
Delhi struck back through the experienced duo of Sathiyan and Maria Xiao, who held their nerve in the mixed doubles against Harmeet and Zeng to win 2-1 and regain the lead. However, in a much-anticipated men’s singles match, Harmeet edged Sathiyan 2-1 in a thriller, sealing it 11-9 in the decider, after the two had traded close games.
But it was Xiao who had the final say. The Spanish star dominated her singles rubber against young Sayali Wani, wrapping up a 3-0 win and clinching the tie for Dabang Delhi TTC, who remain unbeaten in Season 6.
For his efforts, Harmeet claimed the Indian Player and the Shot of the Tie honours, while Xiao took home the Foreign Player of the Tie award.
Earlier, at the Dream UTT Juniors, U Mumba TT cruised to a 7-2 win over Ahmedabad SG Pipers, with Prateek Tulsani and Ananya Muralidharan starring in both singles and doubles.
In a tighter contest, Jaipur Patriots edged Stanley’s Chennai Lions 5-4, thanks to a dominant opening by Trishal Surapureddy and a crucial doubles point alongside Shreya Dhar.
Final scores:
Dabang Delhi TTC 9-6 Dempo Goa Challengers
Izaac Quek bt Tiago Apolonia 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-9)
Diya Chitale lost to Zeng Jian 0-3 (9-11, 5-11, 6-11)
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao bt Harmeet Desai/Zeng Jian 2-1 (8-11, 11-5, 11-8)
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran lost to Harmeet Desai 1-2 (11-8, 9-11, 9-11)
Maria Xiao bt Sayali Wani 3-0 (11-3, 11-7, 11-6).
–IANS
bsk/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.