UTT 2024: U Mumba edge past Chennai, Delhi triumph Puneri Paltans

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran starred again as Dabang Delhi beat Puneri Paltan Table Tennis 11-4 in Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 today at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.

Friday’s first tie between Chennai Lions and U Mumba served up a thriller, with Maria Xiao ultimately holding firm to see off Mouma Das in a final-match decider.

With her team trailing 5-7, the debuting Mouma won back-to-back games and took the third to a Golden Point, only for Xiao to claim the victory and the tie for U Mumba TT, 8-7.

In a clash between youth and experience, the talented Manav Thakkar staged a superb comeback against Sharath Kamal after suffering an early reversal to carve out a 6-11, 11-8, 11-9 victory.

Thakkar also teamed up with Spanish star Maria Xiao to outclass the Chennai Lions pair of Sharath and Sakura Mori 11-7, 11-10, 11-4 in the mixed doubles match.

With this victory, U Mumba TT jumped to the second spot on the league table with 29 points while Chennai Lions have 19 points.

In the evening match, Sathiyan, starting the tie as usual, defeated his Puneri Paltan counterpart Joao Monteiro 3-0, winning games one and three via Golden Points.

The Dabang Delhi captain set the tone for his team’s rapid win, aiding their climb up the table.

Dabang Delhi's Orawan Paranang continued her fine form in the tie’s first women’s singles.

The Thai paddler, fresh from her win over the previously unbeaten Yangzi Liu, defeated Puneri Paltan Table Tennis’ Natalia Bajor two games to one.

Paranang then partnered with Sathiyan to sweep aside Bajor and Anirban Ghosh, 3-0, in the mixed doubles round, sealing an early win for the team from Delhi.

Diya Chitale later beat Ayhika Mukherjee to enhance Dabang Delhi's win, while Ankur Bhattacharjee provided a rare silver lining for Puneri Paltan with his sweeping win over Andreas Levenko.

Saturday’s first tie will see PBG Bengaluru Smashers take on Ahmedabad SG Pipers, with both teams looking to inch toward the UTT 2024 playoffs.

Tie 2 will feature hosts Chennai Lions playing reigning champions Athlead Goa Challengers. The first tie will commence at 5:00 PM, while the second will start at 7:30 PM onward.

Detailed Scores

Dabang Delhi TTC bt Puneri Paltan Table Tennis 11-4:

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran bt Joao Monteiro 3-0 (11-10, 11-6, 11-10);

Orawan Paranang bt Natalia Bajor 2-1 (11-9, 10-11, 11-7);

Sathiyan/Paranang bt Anirban/Bajor 3-0 (11-6, 11-3, 11-2);

Andreas Levenko lost to Ankur Bhattacharjee 0-3 (10-11, 6-11, 7-11);

Diya Chitale bt Ayhika Mukherjee 3-0 (11-10, 11-6, 11-4)

U Mumba TT bt Chennai Lions 8-7:

Quadri Aruna bt Jules Rolland 2-1 (10-11, 11-9, 11-7);

Sutirtha Mukherjee lost to Sakura Mori 0-3 (8-11, 10-11, 7-11);

Manav/Xiao bt Sharath/Moril 3-0 (11-7, 11-10, 11-4);

Manav Thakkar bt Achanta Sharath Kamal 2-1 (6-11, 11-8, 11-9);

Maria Xiao lost to Mouma Das 1-2 (10-11, 8-11, 11-10)