Latest news with #DabangDelhiTTC
The Hindu
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Yashansh revels in Patriots' pink jersey
In the Ultimate Table Tennis season-opener between Dabang Delhi TTC and Jaipur Patriots – on the last day of May – the Delhi outfit had emerged victorious with an overwhelming margin of 11-4. Cut to Friday night and the Patriots not only settled the scores with the last year's finalist – and the only team to make it to the knockouts in each of UTT's six seasons – but also turned around its own fortunes after a disastrous debut season in 2024. No doubt Sreeja Akula will be credited for edging past Diya Chitale in an edge-of-the seat deciding match between the top two Indian paddlers, but it was Yashansh Malik – the lanky paddler from Delhi – who ensured the tie remained alive and Sreeja could afford to lose a game against Diya. Had it not been for Yashansh continuing his winning streak against seasoned G. Sathiyan, the decider may not have been enforced. When Yashansh – who had to warm the bench in the season-opener, took to the table, Dabang Delhi was leading 5-4. Captain Sathiyan – despite having lost the two last face-offs against Yashansh – was expected to take Delhi to safety. 'I watched the last match and decided to try out something different this time around. Today's was a crazy match, I am glad it went our way,' Yashansh said after the match. In the team championship battle between the duo at the National Championship in Surat in January, Yashansh had proven to be too quick for Sathiyan, getting past his rival's defence at will. On Friday, while the defensive wall of Sathiyan was at its best, Yashansh, the youngster, changed his strategy midway through the match. Instead of trying to take chances with powerful winners, Yashansh slowed the game down in the second game and surprised Sathiyan. The fact that Yashansh wiped out a 10-7 deficit in the first and 7-4 in the second to win both the games underlines that he was the more consistent of the two on the day. It will be interesting to see if the Patriots' stick with Yashansh as the Indian men's singles player over the bespectacled Jeet Chandra.
India Today
14-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Jaipur Patriots edge Dabang Delhi to reach first-ever UTT Grand Final
Indian ace Sreeja Akula maintained her unbeaten run, while rising star Yashansh Malik stunned Sathiyan Gnanasekaran as Jaipur Patriots reached the IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 Grand Final with a thrilling 8-7 win over Dabang Delhi TTC. All ties this season are broadcast live on Star Sports Khel and Star Sports 2 Tamil, and streamed on pulled off the biggest upset of the night with a 2-1 win over Delhi skipper Sathiyan, while Sreeja wrapped up the victory with a narrow victory against Diya Chitale in the final game of the tie. Jaipur Patriots will now play the winner of the second semi-final between Dempo Goa Challengers and U Mumba TT in the final on June 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, over 16 action-packed days, will take place at Ahmedabad's EKA Arena, with tickets available only on BookMyShow. Jaipur Patriots drew first blood in the semi-final, as Kanak Jha turned the tables on Izaac Quek with a 2-1 win, avenging his opening-day defeat. Quek controlled the early pace to take the first game 11-7, but Jha edged a tense second game on Golden Point with a forehand winner, before powering through the quickly drew level through Maria Xiao, who overcame a strong start from the in-form Britt Eerland to win 2-1, before the Delhi duo of Sathiyan and Xiao beat Jeet Chandra and Eerland, extending their perfect mixed doubles run to edge their team ahead on the kept Jaipur Patriots in the fight. After saving three game points in the opener to win on Golden Point, the youngster came from behind again in the second game to clinch it 11-9, marking his first win in IndianOil UTT. Sathiyan responded with an 11-6 win in the third, leaving the tie level at 6-6 heading into the final a high-stakes decider, Sreeja took the opening game 11-9 despite Diya clawing back from 1-5 down. With Dabang Delhi TTC's hopes on the line, Diya responded with a strong 11-6 win in Game 2. The final game was a nail-biter, with both paddlers locked at 8-8 before Sreeja sealed it with a blazing forehand winner, sending Jaipur to their first-ever IndianOil UTT final.
News18
13-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
Sreeja-Yashansh Shine As Jaipur Patriots Defeat Dabang Delhi To Reach UTT Season 6 Final
Sreeja Akula and Yashansh Malik led Jaipur Patriots to an 8-7 victory over Dabang Delhi TTC, reaching the UTT Season 6 Grand Final.
The Hindu
13-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Sreeja, Yashansh steer Patriots into the final
It couldn't get any closer. A battle of attrition that was stretched right down the wire saw Jaipur Patriots stun Dabang Delhi TTC and enter the final of the Ultimate Table Tennis season six. After a gruelling battle of 160 minutes, the longest match of the tournament so far, riding on Sreeja Akula avenging her National championship final loss against Diya Chitale in what was the deciding game of the semifinal, the Patriots edged past the most consistent outfit in UTT 8-7 and enter its maiden final. The match started with an all-overseas singles ties in men's and women's singles. None of the singles ended up being an entertaining affair to the largest turnout at the EKA Arena over the last two weeks, with hardly any long rallies at play. But with the teams tied at three points apiece, in a race to eight points format for the knockout, the semifinal was wide open. Britt Eerland and Jeet Chandra proved to be a surprisingly competitive combination for Maria Xioao and G. Sathiyan. Had Jeet not attempted too many flashy winners and instead focussed on keeping the ball in play, the Patriots may have surged ahead with all-Indian singles affairs remaining. Yashansh Malik then stuck to his recent superior track record against G. Sathiyan. Rather than attempting to breach the defensive wall of Sathiyan, Yashansh slowed the game down, and creating surprising angles at crunch moments. Trailing 10-7 in the first game, Yashansh had a four-point streak to close out the match. When Sathiyan snatched the last game, it meant the finalist was going to be decided on the basis of the repeat of the National Championship women's singles final. Familiar foes that Diya and Sreeja are, it boiled down to Diya's ability to keep her attack going and passing Sreeja through the forehand corner. While Sreeja held her fort and forced Diya into errors in the decider, a forehand top-spin winner on the turn at 10-9 sealed the deal for the Patriots. The result: Jaipur Patriots bt Dabang Delhi TTC 8-7 (Kanak Jha bt Quek Izaac 7-11, 11-10, 11-3; Britt Eerland lost to Maria Xiao 6-11, 11-6, 8-11; Eerland & Jeet Chandra lost to Maria & G. Sathiyan 11-8, 9-11, 10-11; Yashansh Malik bt G. Sathiyan 11-10, 11-9, 6-11; Sreeja Akula bt Diya Chitale 11-9, 6-11, 11-9). Saturday's semifinal: Dempo Goa Challengers vs U Mumba TT (7.30 p.m.).
India Gazette
13-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
UTT season 6: U Mumba qualify for semi-finals, end Dabang Delhi's unbeaten streak
Ahmedabad (Gujarat)[India], June 13 (ANI): U Mumba TT secured the fourth and final semi-final spot with a 10-5 win over Dabang Delhi TTC in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Thursday. While the defeat ended Delhi's four-tie winning run, the Season 2 champions still finished top of the league table with 44 points. Both teams wore black armbands and observed a minute's silence before kick-off to pay respect to the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash tragedy. Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, UTT continues to grow as a premier professional league. All 23 ties, over 16 action-packed days, will take place at Ahmedabad's EKA Arena. Lilian Bardet gave U Mumba TT the perfect start, defeating Sathiyan Gnanasekaran 2-1 in the opening singles rubber. After edging a close first game 11-10, Bardet dropped the second 4-11 but responded strongly with an 11-4 win in the decider. Bernadette Szocs followed it up with a 2-1 win over Diya Chitale. Chitale took the first game 11-3, but Szocs levelled with a narrow 11-10 Golden Point win and closed out the match 11-8. The momentum carried into the mixed doubles, where Szocs partnered Akash Pal to beat Izaac Quek and Diya Chitale in the opening game, confirming U Mumba's place in the semifinals. Delhi, however, bounced back, winning the remaining two games and, subsequently, the match. Abhinandh PB added two more points for U Mumba with a 2-1 win over Singapore's Izaac Quek. Abhinandh, in his first appearance of the season, started strong, taking the first two games, before Izaac pulled one back with an 11-7 win, enough to take Dabang Delhi to the top of the table. In the final rubber, Yashaswini Ghorpade defeated her World Youth Championships 2023 teammate Suhana Saini 3-0, winning two tight games on Golden Point before closing the match 11-3. Szocs picked up the double honours of the Foreign Player and Shot of the Tie, while Yashaswini was named the Indian Player of the Tie. Dabang Delhi will now face Jaipur Patriots in the first semi-final, while reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers will take on U Mumba TT in the second. The winners of the respective ties will compete in the Grand Finale on June 15. Final Scores U Mumba TT 10-5 Dabang Delhi TTC Lilian Bardet beat Sathiyan Gnanasekaran 2-1 (11-10, 4-11, 11-4) Bernadette Szocs beat Diya Chitale 2-1 (3-11, 11-10, 11-8) Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs lost to Izaak Quek/Diya Chitale 1-2 (11-5, 7-11, 5-11) Abhinandh PB beat Izaac Quek 2-1 (11-4, 11-9, 7-11) Yashaswini Ghorpade beat Suhana Saini 3-0 (11-10, 11-10, 11-3). (ANI)
