Sreeja Akula leads Jaipur Patriots to maiden UTT semi-final with 9-6 win
Undefeated Sreeja Akula propelled Jaipur Patriots to their first-ever IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) semi-finals, following their 9–6 victory over PBG Pune Jaguars in the penultimate league-stage game of Season 6 on Wednesday. All ties this season are broadcast live on Star Sports Khel and Star Sports 2 Tamil, and streamed on JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar.With the win, Jaipur Patriots accrued a total of 41 points and climbed to second place in the table, three behind leaders Dempo Goa Challengers. Meanwhile, PBG Pune Jaguars were knocked out of playoff contention, with only one berth remaining ahead of tomorrow's final league-stage match between U Mumba TT and Dabang Delhi TTC.advertisementStaged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, IndianOil UTT continues to grow as a premier professional league. All 23 ties, spread across 16 action-packed days, are taking place at Ahmedabad's EKA Arena, with tickets available exclusively on BookMyShow.
Jeet Chandra kicked things off in thrilling fashion for Jaipur Patriots, countering Anirban Ghosh's attacking style to secure a 2–1 win. Dutchwoman Britt Eerland followed with similar flair, taking the first two games before Pune's Reeth Rishya clinched the third on Golden Point.These tight wins gave Jaipur a crucial buffer heading into the mixed doubles, where Jeet and Eerland recovered from an early 0–1 deficit to take games two and three 11–6, 11–7. Their victory mathematically confirmed Jaipur's spot in the semi-finals, marking their first-ever qualification for the IndianOil UTT final four.advertisementPBG Pune Jaguars' Alvaro Robles responded with a composed 2–1 win over Yashansh Malik in the second men's singles, adding urgency to their playoff hopes. However, Sreeja closed the tie in style and ended Pune's chances of a semi-final berth. Undefeated through all five league-stage matches, she dominated her clash with South Korea's Zion Lee 2–1, sealing Jaipur's 9–6 victory.For their starring roles in Jaipur's win, Jeet Chandra was named Indian Player of the Tie, while Eerland was awarded Foreign Player of the Tie. Zion Lee's spectacular round-the-net shot during her singles match against Sreeja earned her the Shot of the Tie honour.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
43 minutes ago
- Mint
Neeraj learning 'concept of flow', wants Tendulkars 'superpower' to handle challenges
New Delhi, Jun 30 (PTI) Neeraj Chopra says he is "slowly understanding the concept of flow" after his celebrated coach Jan Zelezny advised him to run like an 18-year-old "without any tension" before launching his javelin. The 27-year-old Chopra, a double Olympic medallist, also said he would want to have cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's "superpower" to help him handle challenges with a calm mindset. He said the best advice he has received on and off the field was from Czech legend Zelezny, who also holds the world record in javelin with a throw of 98.48m. "Whenever I throw, I stay very energetic, but he (Zelezny) tells me I need to run in a flow. It shouldn't feel tight - I should run like an 18-year-old kid without any tension. I'm slowly understanding the concept of flow," Chopra told Star Sports and JioHotstar. "I think that in any sport, flow is very important. For example, Roger Federer - he played with such grace and rhythm that it never seemed like he was putting in too much effort. I'm trying to bring that into my training." Asked which cricketer's superpower he would like to have for throwing his javelin, Chopra said, "Sachin Tendulkar. He represented our country so well for so many years and made so many records for us. The way he faced challenges from many great bowlers and still performed exceptionally." "I would want that superpower and try to do the same. It would help me handle challenges that come my way with a calm mindset,' said Chopra who is hosting NC Classic in Bengaluru on July 5, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event. The world champion Indian, who joined the 90m club headed by Zelezny at the Doha Diamond League in May, said the legendary MS Dhoni's 'Helicopter Shot' resembles a javelin throw in terms of power and technique. Asked which cricketer he thinks would be able to throw the javelin, Chopra said, "I have heard that Brett Lee was a javelin thrower. I think he could throw the javelin well, especially when he was in his peak years. "I would like to try javelin with Jasprit Bumrah too and hope he teaches me some bowling skills. While bowling and javelin are both throws, they are very different. I would like to learn from Bumrah.' Asked whether he's superstitious, Chopra said, "I try to stay calm on the day of my event. I don't think too much about it. I just focus on giving my 100%. I try to stay relaxed, eat good food, and rest well.' After throwing 90.23m at the Doha Diamond League for a second place finish on May 16, Chopra won the Paris DL title with an effort of 88.16m. He then won the Golden Spike Ostrava title with a throw of 85.29m on June 24.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Neeraj Chopra wants to have Sachin Tendulkar's superpower of performing in face of adversity
Bengaluru, June 30: Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra said that he would want to have Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar's superpower of performing exceptionally despite facing challenges. Neeraj, who recently won the Paris Diamond League and Ostrava Golden Spike meet, is creating history with the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic javelin throw competition, a World Athletics 'A' category event, first of it's kind to take place in India, scheduled to be held on July 5 at the Sree Kanteerva Stadium in Bengaluru. Speaking to Start Sports, when asked which cricketer's superpower he would like to have for throwing the javelin, the reigning world champion named Tendulkar. 'Sachin Tendulkar. He represented our country so well for so many years and made so many records for us. The way he faced challenges from many great bowlers and still performed exceptionally — I would want that superpower and try to do the same. It would help me handle challenges that come my way with a calm mindset," said Chopra to Star Sports. The 27-year-old javelin star further said he thinks Australia fast bowling great Brett Lee, who used to throw Javelin before he found his calling in cricket, and Indian spearhead Jasprit Bumrah would be able to throw the javelin well. 'I have heard that Brett Lee was a javelin thrower. I think he could throw the javelin well, especially when he was in his peak years. I would like to try javelin with Jasprit Bumrah too and hope he teaches me some bowling skills. While bowling and javelin are both throws, they are very different. I would like to learn from Bumrah," he added. Chopra added that former India captain MS Dhoni's famous 'Helicopter Shot' resembles a javelin throw in terms of power and technique. Speaking about being superstitious during the game, he said, "I try to stay calm on the day of my event. I don't think too much about it. I just focus on giving my 100 per cent. I try to stay relaxed, eat good food, and rest well." The javelin ace signed off by sharing the best advice he's received on and off the field. 'It came from my coach Jan Zelezny, who also holds the world record in javelin with a throw of 98.48 metres. Whenever I throw, I stay very energetic, but he tells me I need to run in a flow. It shouldn't feel tight — I should run like an 18-year-old kid without any tension. "I'm slowly understanding the concept of flow. I think that in any sport, flow is very important. For example, Roger Federer — he played with such grace and rhythm that it never seemed like he was putting in too much effort. I'm trying to bring that into my training," he concluded. --IANS bc/
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
IND vs ENG Test: ‘Chosen twice' – Rishabh Pant shares emotional message on India's T20 World Cup win anniversary
Rishabh Pant posted an emotional message on his Instagram. A year on since their historic triumph in Barbados in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa, India's wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has recalled a heartfelt message about how life gave him a second chance. "Not many know what it feels like to be chosen twice — once by life, once by death," read one of Pant's Instagram stories. In his first tournament back in India colours after being out for nearly 14 months due to his injury setback from a road accident, Pant had failed to light up the final with the bat, bagging a duck. But Pant was instrumental in orchestrating a stoppage in play by signalling to his injured knee when South Africa needed 26 runs in four overs with six wickets in hand. Reflecting on the incident, Pant had previously told Star Sports: 'I was actually thinking what to do because the momentum had suddenly shifted (in South Africa's favour), they had scored plenty of runs in 2-3 overs, so I was thinking when that moment would come when we would win the World Cup final. 'I was asking the physio to take time. When Rohit bhai asked if my knee was fine, I said, 'Bhaiya, bas acting kar raha tha' (I was acting all this while). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Sometimes you have to do these types of things in matches. I'm not saying it works every time, but it does work sometimes, and if it works at that kind of moment, then nothing like it,' he added. Meanwhile, India's title-winning captain Rohit Sharma thought that Pant was in pain. "I genuinely thought that something had happened to him. After the accident he had, I thought he was just trying to… But actually, it was just to stop the game a little bit,' Rohit told Star Sports. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
