Latest news with #DiyaChitale
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)
India Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Diya Chitale: The tiny titan of Indian table tennis dreams
It's easy to miss Diya Chitale in a crowd. Standing at 4 ft 11 inches tall, the diminutive 22-year-old moves with clinical economy — not a breath wasted, not a step more than necessary. You could walk past her without a second inside a table tennis court, she transforms. Chitale becomes a force of nature. She doesn't back down from a fight. You jeer her, she answers with a cold stare and an even colder forehand. You rile her up, and she just might feed off it — and hand you a Thunderbolts found that out the hard way. In a recent Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) match against Dabang Delhi, Chitale trailed 3-7. What followed was an eight-point blitz that left 19-year-old Ananya Chande stunned and the crowd silenced. Chitale thanked the pro-Kolkata crowd post-match for fuelling her comeback.'I think the drums really helped us until the end. Thank you for the drums,' said Diya in the post-match interview with the official broadcaster, referring to the arrangements done by the opponent down to injuries is part of the journey. Rising back from it is what defines you. Restarting with unstoppable energy @WTT Star Contender Chennai. Diya Chitale (@DiyaChitaleTT) March 25, 2025The Mumbaikar is one of the standout names in India's new wave of table tennis stars. She and her partner Manush Shah are currently ranked 11th in the world in mixed doubles and recently won the WTT Contender Tunis 2025. In a thrilling final, the third-seeded duo edged past Japan's second-seeded pair of Sora Matsushima and Olympic medallist Miwa rise has come at the right time for Indian table tennis. India qualified for the team events at the 2024 Paris Olympics for the first time since the sport was introduced in 1988. The country sent its largest-ever contingent — eight players — and saw its most iconic paddler, Achanta Sharath Kamal, honoured as India's sort of recognition can go a long way for the athletes who aspire to be future Olympians and that seems to hold true for Diya Chitale, who is hell-bent on ending the country's medal drought in the competition.'Table tennis has really been on the rise in the past few years, you know, like Manika winning the gold at the Commonwealth Games. Sreeja is doing really well. So I think everything is really moving in the right direction for Indian table tennis,' Chitale told India Today in an exclusive interaction in Ahmedabad, where she is currently playing Ultimate Table Tennis, India's premier table tennis UTT, which is now in its 6th edition, has allowed Indian players a platform to play against some of the biggest talents in the world, under the umbrella of franchises. Chitale, representing Dabang Delhi, is the tournament's most expensive Indian player. Retained for Rs 14.1 lakh tokens, she's repaid that investment by helping Delhi storm into the believes India's best shot at Olympic gold lies in mixed doubles, especially with more medal events opening up in LA 2028. And the way India is closing the gap, she says, the time is now.'I think in doubles is one aspect where I see if you have a big, big chance in winning a medal for India at the Olympics, because that is now a separate event,' Diya said.'And also, over the past few years, if you've seen, we have been beating, you know, top-ranked players and we are getting there. I mean, first, like previously, if you see, I think the gap was quite a lot, but I think slowly we are bridging the gap and it's getting better with time,' she being just 22, Chitale approaches the game — and life — with startling discipline. Asked about her daily schedule, Chitale stresses training, recovery, and diet, one that can only be accomplished by uncompromising discipline. Diya Chitale (PTI Photo) advertisementIt might be by coincidence that she's come to the interview with a jacket that has 'Virat' written on it. Her obsessive regimen and steely mindset mirror the cricketer she admires. There are more parallels. On the field of play, just like Kohli, she doesn't hold back. She shrieks. She stares down opponents. She gets into the game — and into their heads.'I think when I have a break time or some time off, then typically maybe Sundays, then normally catch up on some sleep, I think that's the first thing I do. But yeah, I also like my friends and cousins, like they live pretty close. So then we just hang out, maybe play some board games, card games,' Diya said.'Honestly, there's not so much time. But yeah, it's just when it's time, not really thinking about table tennis and all and just, I like watching movies, series, so maybe something like that or like I said, just play some games or just hang out here,' she about the last film she watched, she draws a blank. That level of focus leaves little room for anything outside her Olympic tunnel very self-motivated. Like, I think from the first step on my parents never really had to push me to go for training, even since I was very young, I think I have been a very self-motivated athlete, I would say,' Diya Chitale COACH, RIGHT TIMESelf-motivation takes you far — but in sport, the right coach can take you further. Chitale credits her rise to an early spark and timely guidance from Sachin Shetty. Her first TT experience was on family vacations as a child. It was only when she won a silver medal in the U12 nationals that her family got serious about the sport.'I was a very active child, and on vacations, I would play TT as a hobby. When I won bronze in my first district tournament as a child, the journey started from there. I won the silver medal in U12 in national championships, that is when I got serious,' Chitale recalled.'My coach Sachin Shetty, I think he was the mastermind behind all of this'Sachin's advice was blunt: if you want to win medals, not just represent India, you have to think outside the box. That meant training abroad, playing more international matches, and rebuilding her changing landscape of Indian sports has also been a wind beneath the wings of the young athlete. Since Neeraj Chopra's historic gold at the Tokyo Olympics, both the Indian public and the government have risen. Diya states that she is currently in the TOPS developmental scheme, which has been of massive help in her journey.'I've really seen the change through the years and I feel now other people also know players, other than cricket. If you are someone who is PV Sindhu, of course they know. You are someone who is Neeraj Chopra, of course they know now. So I think this is something that has really been changing and people are watching other sports also a lot nowadays. So, of course, to reach the level of cricket, it will, of course, take some time, I think. But I think it's just getting better with time,' Diya STANDS TO CENTRE STAGEOne part of the increase of awareness has to be attributed to the Ultimate Table Tennis competition, which started in 2017. For any aspiring athlete, it is important to see their heroes on TV, and more importantly, it is crucial for them to get a feel of the crowd, to soak in the energy. Diya Chitale reveals that she was in the stands during the first season of the tournament and absolutely loved her experience in is perhaps important in the development of her character on the court as well, which interacts with the crowd, feeds off them and lifts them up with her every passing played for the first time in the competition in 2023 - with her hometown team U Mumba. It was a disastrous season for her, where she failed to win a single match. But she swears that it taught her how to deal with pressure, with to 2025, she is the most expensive player in the auction and also one of the biggest players in the Indian circuit.'UTT started in 2017 and at that time, also, I was following everything very keenly. I was also actually in the stands, you know, I was there for the matches. In 2023, I finally got a chance. I was drafted into U Mumba and I got a chance to play. But yeah, my first season was not very good. I did not win a single match. I think the atmosphere here that they have created is totally different, like the pressure in these kinds of situations is on a different level, you know?' she Diya got up to leave, a wry smile flashed across her face. The 45-minute interview had eaten into her meticulously planned day — but she didn't seem if small deviations still bother her, she chuckled. She's learning to let go, she said. Learning not to grip her goals too tightly.'The more you hang on to something and the more pressure you put on it that, okay, I have to do this, I have to do this, the further it gets away. So this is something that I really learned over the past one, two years. So I think this is like what I have tried to change is just to put in everyday work and yeah, when it comes, it comes. If not, I will try one more time,' Chitale concluded.
Hindustan Times
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
UTT Season 6: U Mumba qualify for semis, end Dabang Delhi's unbeaten streak
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. 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. U Mumba TT 10-5 Dabang Delhi TTC Lilian Bardet bt. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran 2-1 (11-10, 4-11, 11-4) Bernadette Szocs bt. 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 bt. Izaac Quek 2-1 (11-4, 11-9, 7-11) Yashaswini Ghorpade bt. Suhana Saini 3-0 (11-10, 11-10, 11-3)
News18
07-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
Diya Chitale Guides Dabang Delhi To Close Win In UTT Season 6
Last Updated: Diya Chitale led Dabang Delhi to an 8-7 win over Kolkata ThunderBlades in UTT Season 6. Dempo Goa Challengers also beat PBG Pune Jaguars. Diya Chitale achieved a decisive victory over Ananya Chande in the final match, helping Dabang Delhi narrowly defeat Kolkata ThunderBlades in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Friday. Earlier, reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers won against PBG Pune Jaguars, driven by exceptional performances from power couple Harmeet Desai and Krittwika Sinha Roy. Delhi's triumph over Kolkata elevated them to the top of the standings, while Goa climbed to second place after their win. The match between Dabang Delhi and Kolkata ThunderBlades kicked off with a contest between two standout youngsters. Ankur Bhattacharjee continued his unbeaten streak by narrowly defeating Singapore's Izaac Quek 2-1 in a thrilling match, securing the decider on Golden Point after splitting the initial games. Puerto Rico's Adriana Diaz then gave Kolkata an early lead with a 2-1 singles victory over Maria Xiao. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Maria Xiao retaliated for Delhi in mixed doubles, achieving a polished 2-1 victory and maintaining their unbeaten record this season. However, Kolkata's Aruna Quadri regained the lead with a strong win over Sathiyan in a heavyweight clash. advetisement With the match finely balanced, Diya Chitale demonstrated maturity with a 3-0 sweep over debutant Ananya, guiding Delhi to an exciting 8-7 victory. In the earlier encounter, Dempo Goa Challengers captain Harmeet continued his singles winning streak to three with a close 2-1 win over Alvaro Robles, while Krittwika returned to the lineup with a 2-1 victory over debutant Zion Lee. The duo of Harmeet and Zeng Jian cruised through mixed doubles, and Zeng subsequently handed Reeth Rishya her first loss of the season, culminating in Goa's dominant performance. Anirban Ghosh fought valiantly for Pune, securing two games for his team. (With PTI Inputs) About the Author Cricketnext Staff First Published: June 07, 2025, 08:26 IST
India Gazette
30-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Ahmedabad gears up for UTT Season 6 opener: Dabang Delhi to face Jaipur Patriots
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], May 30 (ANI): Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6 will begin on May 31 and feature top Indian and international stars in action. The opening day will see Dabang Delhi TTC face Jaipur Patriots, followed by Dempo Goa Challengers taking on debutants Ahmedabad SG Pipers. The league will feature 23 ties over 16 action-packed days, culminating in the Grand Finale on June 15. The season will be hosted at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad. One of the league's most compelling stories is Diya Chitale, India's top-ranked national female player, who returns this season as its highest-valued Indian athlete, just years after watching the action as a fan in the stands. 'I was in the stands watching the action very keenly when the first season of UTT took place. Ever since the league started, I have been very excited about it, and always wanted to play in it. I got my chance in 2023, and it has been so exciting. Every year, I look forward to when it's going to happen,' said Diya, who will again represent Dabang Delhi in the league, as quoted from a press release by UTT. 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. This season will feature 48 players from 14 countries, including 16 Olympians, highlighting the tournament's strong international presence. This year's opening serves up a special storyline for defending champion Harmeet Desai, who will represent the Dempo Goa Challengers in his home state of Gujarat for the first time in UTT history. 'This is the first time we are playing in Gujarat, that too in Ahmedabad, and I am delighted by it. I am from Gujarat, I was born and brought up here, and so I hope to enjoy a lot of support. This will be a good opportunity for the youngsters, too, where they can interact and learn from international players,' Harmeet said. Making her league debut, Chinese paddler Fan Siqi is the highest-valued player this season, after securing a winning bid of 19.7 lakh tokens in the first-ever UTT auction from Season 3 champions Stanley's Chennai Lions. Speaking on the unique gender-inclusive nature of the league, one of the only such competitions in the world, Fan said: 'I feel that both the men's and women's players play a very important role in the team events. I myself try to do the best I can and focus on every moment.' The league also puts the spotlight on youth, with 25 Indian players under the age of 25 featuring this season. Among them are promising names like Ankur Bhattacharjee, Payas Jain, Abhinandh PB, Taneesha Kotecha, Sayali Wani, and Yashaswini Ghorpade, all eager to leave their mark on the big stage. Reflecting on the league's growing impact, Yashaswini said: 'UTT has built a strong foundation for Indian table tennis. We are rapidly rising in the world rankings, and the rest of the nations have started seeing us as a contender. It's a big achievement and a huge step forward for Indian TT.' The international presence in UTT this year sees paddlers from 14 nations outside India, including Germany, Italy, China, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Kazakhstan, Egypt, and more-a global mix that reinforces its status as a destination league for elite players. Adriana Diaz, a trailblazer for Latin American table tennis and the second top-ranked player in UTT Season 6, now with debutants Kolkata ThunderBlades, returns to India with high expectations. 'It's going to be a lot of fun. There are new players, especially Fan Siqi and Dina Meshref, and many Indian players. It's going to be tough, but every time in India is fun and I hope I can enjoy myself,' said the Puerto Rican star. Several high-profile international paddlers are making their UTT debuts this year, including Egypt's Dina Meshref, Germany's Ricardo Walther, and the USA's Kanak Jha. Egyptian ace Meshref, who joins PBG Pune Jaguars, talked glowingly of the league, based on other players' testimonials: 'I've heard a lot about UTT from other players--and all of those good things! I heard it's a one-of-a-kind experience. I am sure any new experience will benefit me, and I am excited about it.' Germany's Ricardo Walther, representing Ahmedabad SG Pipers, said: 'It's a bit different, but I try to play my own game. I know it's a bit shorter, I have only three games, so I need to be there from the beginning with full focus. All the sets are important, even the mixed doubles is important, we don't play it so often in Germany, but we practice it a lot here. UTT Season 6 Schedule May 31: Jaipur Patriots v Dabang Delhi 31: Ahmedabad SG Pipers v Dempo Goa ChallengersJune 1: U Mumba TT v PBG Pune JaguarsJune 2: Stanley's Chennai Lions v Kolkata ThunderBladesJune 2: U Mumba TT v Ahmedabad SG PipersJune 3: Jaipur Patriots v Stanley's Chennai LionsJune 4: Dabang Delhi T.T.C. v Dempo Goa ChallengersJune 4: PBG Pune Jaguars v Kolkata ThunderBladesJune 5: Jaipur Patriots v U Mumba TTJune 5: Stanley's Chennai Lions v Ahmedabad SG PipersJune 6: PBG Pune Jaguars v Dempo Goa ChallengersJune 6: Dabang Delhi T.T.C. v Kolkata ThunderBladesJune 7: Jaipur Patriots v Ahmedabad SG PipersJune 7: U Mumba TT v Stanley's Chennai LionsJune 8: Dempo Goa Challengers v Kolkata ThunderBladesJune 8: Dabang Delhi T.T.C. v PBG Pune JaguarsJune 9: Stanley's Chennai Lions v Dempo Goa ChallengersJune 10: Ahmedabad SG Pipers v Kolkata ThunderBladesJune 11: Jaipur Patriots v PBG Pune JaguarsJune 12: U Mumba TT v Dabang Delhi 13: Team 1 v Team 4June 14: Team 2 v Team 3June 15: SF1 Winner v SF2 Winner UTT Season 6 Teams Ahmedabad SG Pipers: Ayhika Mukhejree, Ricardo Walther (Germany), Snehit Suravajjula, Giorgia Piccolin (Italy), Divyansh Srivastava, Yashini Sivashankar Stanley's Chennai Lions: Fan Siqi (China), Kirill Gerassimenko (Kazakhstan), Payas Jain, Sudhanshu Grover, Poymantee Baisya, Nikhat Banu Dabang Delhi TTC: Diya Chitale, Maria Xiao (Spain), Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Quek Izaac (Singapore), Suhana Saini, Sourav Saha Dempo Goa Challengers: Zeng Jian (Singapore), Harmeet Desai, Tiago Apolonia (Portugal), Ronit Bhanja, Krittwika Sinha Roy, Sayali Wani Jaipur Patriots: Britt Eerland (Netherlands), Kanak Jha (USA), Sreeja Akula, Jeet Chandra, Pritha Vartikar, Yashansh Malik Kolkata ThunderBlades: Adriana Diaz (Puerto Rico), Aruna Quadri (Nigeria), Ankur Bhattacharjee, Selena Selvakumar, Ananya Chande, Deepit Patil PBG Pune Jaguars: Alvaro Robles (Spain), Dina Meshref (Egypt), Taneesha Kotecha, Anirban Ghosh, Reeth Rishya, Mudit Dani U Mumba TT: Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Lilian Bardet (France), Yashaswini Ghorpade, Swastika Ghosh, Akash Pal, Abhinandh PB. (ANI)
