UTT 2024: Paltans defeat Ahmedabad, Bengaluru run riot against Chennai

Chennai: Puneri Paltans and Bengaluru Smashers kickstarted their UTT campaigns with comfortable wins over Ahmedabad Pipers and Chennai Lions respectively, on day two here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, on Friday.

Starting the doubleheader, Puneri Paltans defeated debutants Ahmedabad Pipers 10-5, thanks to the brilliance of Ayhika Mukherjee and debutant teenager Ankur Bhattacharjee.

Chennai Lions meekly succumbed to the Bengaluru Smashers, losing 11-4 with the tie done in just 10 games across the matches.

Ayhika and Ankur bring the heat for Paltans

Opening the day's match, Manush Shah produced a brilliant 2-1 victory over Puneri Paltan's skipper Joao Monteiro, despite going 0-1 down in the first game, setting the tone for Ahmedabad.

Ayhika Mukherjee then went up against world no.13 Bernadette Szocs. Szocs could not answer Ayhika's onslaught, who produced a brilliant display, defeating the Romanian 3-0.

Following that was the mixed doubles encounter.

After going a game down, the Ahmedabad pairing of Manush and Szocs won the subsequent two games against the Paltan duo Joao and Ayhika.

The fourth game saw the debutant, seventeen-year-old Ankur Bhattacharjee go up against Lilian Bardet, and the teenager brought the roof down with his aggressive approach, tearing through the Frenchman's defense and winning 3-0 in a commanding fashion.

With that win, Puneri Paltans sealed the tie and the last game added the icing on the proverbial cake for the Paltans, with Natalia Bajor securing a 2-1 win over Reeth Rishya.

Speaking to the reporters after the game, Manush Shah talked about putting this game behind and coming back strongly.

"A lot of learnings from today. We need to come back stronger. Tomorrow, we play Goa Challengers. We need to recover mentally and physically. We will meet with the coaches and discuss how to do things better and talk about changes in strategy. We are looking forward to tomorrow."

Disappointing show by Chennai Lions

In the evening, the southern derby, featuring Chennai Lions and Bengaluru Smashers, saw the Bengaluru run riot, comfortably winning 11-4 against the local team.

Alvaro Robles, the skipper of Bengaluru, kicked things off with a 2-1 win over Jules Rolland of Chennai. It was followed by another 2-1 win to Bengaluru, this time Lily Zhang emerging victorious against Poymantee Baisya.

The mixed doubles saw a thrilling three-game encounter between Chennai's Sharath Kamal and Sakura Mori and Bengaluru's Lily Zhang and Anthony Amalraj. The Bengaluru duo prevailed in the end, winning all three games and handing Chennai a 3-0 sweep.

This was followed by another 3-0 victory for Bengaluru, with Jeet Chandra of Bengaluru producing a brilliant performance against veteran Sharath Kamal. The final game offered Chennai some consolation, with Sakura Mori registering an impressive 2-1 victory over ace paddler Manika Batra.

Talking to the media after the game, Jeet Chandra was ecstatic about his victory against Sharath Kamal.

"It is a great feeling. Beating him (Sharath Kamal) in Chennai is much better. We are just getting started. Alvaro played brilliantly against Rolland. Lily also gave us a good start. The doubles match was also amazing with Amalraj and Lily. Everyone played superbly, even Manika, who unfortunately couldn't win her match," Jeet said.

Detailed Scores

Puneri Paltan Table Tennis bt Ahmedabad SG Pipers 10-5:

Joao Monteiro lost to Manush Shah 1-2 (11-5, 7-11, 6-11);

Ayhika Mukherjee bt Bernadette Szocs 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-6);

Monteiro/Ayhika lost to Manush/Szocs 1-2 (11-7, 3-11, 7-11);

Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Lilian Bardet 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-8);

Natalia Bajor bt Reeth Rishya (7-11, 11-8, 11-5)

PBG Bengaluru Smashers bt Chennai Lions 11-4:

Alvaro Robles bt Jules Rolland 2-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-6);

Lily Zhang bt Poymantee Baisya 2-1 (9-11, 11-8, 11-3);

Amalraj/Zhang bt Sharath/Mori 3-0 (11-10, 11-9, 11-8);

Jeet Chandra bt Achanta Sharath Kamal 3-0 (11-6, 11-10, 11-9);

Manika Batra lost to Sakura Mori 1-2 (11-5, 5-11, 10-11)