Latest news with #Eerland
India Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
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+ 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 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 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 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 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.
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
A bit of fun and a whole lot of learning: overseas paddlers revel in UTT's unique aspects
Contrary to the conventional professional table tennis leagues across the globe, Ultimate Table Tennis has adopted a different format. And the overseas players are latching on to it like a paddler to a table. Britt Eerland, the SuperMom Olympian from the Netherlands, is one of them, having made a successful debut for Jaipur Patriots in UTT Season 6. 'In the beginning, I called it Bollywood Table Tennis. It seemed like that, but in the end, we all want to participate and win. When I got an opportunity, I realised how competitive it was,' Eerland told The Hindu, bursting into laughter. Eerland was obviously referring to the razzmatazz that's created to attract television audience. With music blaring during the games and the breaks between five matches, UTT 2025 has continued to witness paddlers displaying their dancing moves during a match. Adriana Diaz, the Puerto Rican who has consistently maintained top-20 World rankings, is one of them. When she made her UTT debut in 2018, she was a promising paddler, way too focused on her game. On her return to UTT this season, she is soaking in all the entertainment around. 'One song that I have loved is desi girl, it's the best song ever. I listen to it every night,' Diaz said, hoping that she will play a part in helping Kolkata ThunderBlades waltz into the semifinals in the team's maiden UTT outing. Besides the lights and sound show, the UTT format is also different from the competitive circle. New dimension Each of the five ties in a match features three games. Contrary to the best-of-three games format elsewhere, it means every game is awarded a point. It has helped Eerland add a new dimension to her game. 'I like challenging myself. I would say I am someone who likes combats, but it means I don't start well. So, I was thinking of soaking in the pressure and starting well in this format,' she said. 'If you lose the first set, you lose a point for your team. I am making a conscious effort to start well. Sometimes it's too much pressure, but you need to feel uncomfortable to grow. So for me to grow, this is a great format'.
