Latest news with #KolkataThunderBlades
Hindustan Times
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Snehit stuns world no. 26 Quadri as Ahmedabad SG Pipers pip Kolkata ThunderBlades
Ahmedabad, Snehit Suravajjula pulled off one of the biggest upsets of Ultimate Table Tennis by sweeping past world no. 26 Aruna Quadri, helping Ahmedabad SG Pipers edge Kolkata ThunderBlades 8-7 here on Tuesday. Despite their narrow victory, Ahmedabad's chances of making the playoffs were dashed. Kolkata will have to wait until the final two ties to discover their fate. The outcome also confirmed that Dempo Goa Challengers and Dabang Delhi TTC have qualified for the playoffs. The evening began with high drama as Ricardo Walther handed Ankur Bhattacharjee his first loss of the season. Ankur started strong, surging to a 7-1 lead in the opener, but Walther mounted a remarkable comeback to take it 11-10. The German veteran followed up with an 11-5 win in the second game, sealing the match and breaking Ankur's unbeaten streak. Ankur salvaged the final game to keep Kolkata in the hunt. Ayhika Mukherjee then edged the first game against Puerto Rican ace Adriana Diaz in the women's singles, but Diaz bounced back strongly to dominate the next two games, closing the decider 11-1 to level the tie. In mixed doubles, Ankur and Diaz held their nerve in crunch moments, taking a tight 2-1 win over Walther and Ayhika. Snehit, still looking for his first win of the season, delivered a sensational 3-0 sweep of Aruna in the fourth match with controlled aggression and fearless forehand play. The Indian came back from 9-10 in the opener and 5-8 in the second, finishing with a flurry to pull of big upset. Scores: ===== Ahmedabad SG Pipers 8-7 Kolkata ThunderBlades Ricardo Walther bt. Ankur Bhattacharjee 2-1 Ayhika Mukherjee lost to Adriana Diaz 1-2 Ricardo Walther/Ayhika Mukherjee lost to Ankur Bhattacharjee/Adriana Diaz 1-2 Snehit Suravajjula bt. Quadri Aruna 3-0 Yashini Sivashankar lost to Selena Selvakumar 1-2 .
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
ThunderBlades lose, face an anxious wait
It was a battle between a side that had to win big to put other teams in contention for the knockouts under pressure and a team that was fighting to avoid the wooden spoon. While Kolkata ThunderBlades crumbled, Ahmedabad SG Pipers ended its Ultimate Table Tennis season with a tag of the party-pooper. Fingers crossed Pipers' 8-7 win means that ThunderBlades have to keep their fingers crossed for the next two league games. With Goa Challengers and Dabang Delhi TTC having sealed a place in the semifinals, ThunderBlades had to win at least nine games to put the other three contenders under real pressure. But Ankur Bhattarcharjee threw away a great start against Germany's Ricardo Walther. Leading 8-1 and 9-4, Ankur took it slightly easy, and the seasoned Walther then exposed his opponent's weakness on the forehand corner to run away with the game and the match. Adriana Diaz then had to beat Ayhika Mukherjee with a 3-0 margin to keep ThunderBlades on course for a semifinal spot. But Ayhika's long-pimples on both sides trapped Diaz in the opening game as the Indian opened up the gap in favour of the Ahmedabad outfit. Leading 5-4 at the end of the mixed doubles, ThunderBlades banked their hopes on Aruna Quadri blanking SFR Snehit, and Selenadeepthi Selvakumar to repeat the feat against debutant Yashini Sivashankar in an all-Tamil Nadu battle. But Snehit turned the tables on Quadri with his aggressive forehand to win 3-0. Yashini gave ThunderBlades the last laugh by winning the third game despite failing to convert three game points in the first. The result: Kolkata ThunderBlades lost to Ahmedabad SG Pipers 7-8 (Ankur Bhattacharjee lost to Ricardo Walther 10-11, 5-11, 11-10; Adriana Diaz bt Ayhika Mukherjee 10-11, 11-8, 11-1; Diaz & Ankur bt Ayhika & Walther 11-10, 8-11, 11-7; Quadri Aruna lost to S.F.R. Snehit 10-11, 9-11, 8-11; Selenadeepthi Selvakumar bt Yashini Sivashankar 11-10, 4-11, 11-10). The standings: Dempo Goa Challengers 44 points (5 matches) Qualified, Dabang Delhi TTC 39 points (4) Q, Kolkata ThunderBlades 36 (5), Jaipur Patriots 32 (4), U Mumba TT 32 (4), Stanley's Chennai Lions 29 (5), PBG Pune Jaguars 28 (4), Ahmedabad SG Pipers 22 (4). Wednesday's match: Jaipur Patriots vs PBG Pune Jaguars (7.30 p.m.).
India Gazette
09-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
UTT Season 6: Ahmedabad SG Pipers look to bounce back against momentum-carrying Kolkata ThunderBlades
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 9 (ANI): With Ankur Bhattacharjee, Quadri Aruna, and Adriana Diaz all winning their singles rubbers, Kolkata ThunderBlades beat reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers 9-6 in the IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Sunday. Kolkata's victory saw them move into the playoff spots, occupying fourth with 29 points. Goa, with six more game wins on the board, moved level on points with leaders Jaipur Patriots and U Mumba TT, as per 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. All 23 ties, over 16 action-packed days, will take place at Ahmedabad's EKA Arena. The tie opened with a gripping clash between two of the league's best: Goa captain Harmeet Desai took the opening game 11-10 after a stunning comeback from 4-9 down, but Aruna fought back with relentless aggression to take the next two games and hand Harmeet his first singles loss of the season. Adriana Diaz followed with a dominant 3-0 win over Krittwika Sinha Roy, highlighted by a jaw-dropping defensive rally turned match point winner, which earned her the Shots of the Tie award. Ankur and Diaz kept the momentum alive in the doubles, edging Harmeet and Zeng Jian in a tight 2-1 win, their first of the season as a pair. Ankur returned to the table and showcased his class, coming back from a game down to overwhelm Ronit Bhanja 11-1 in the decider, maintaining his unbeaten start. Though Zeng gave Goa a strong finish with a dominant 3-0 win over Selena Selvakumar--extending her unbeaten record to 4-0--it was not enough to prevent a second defeat. For their efforts, Ankur and Diaz were named the Indian and the Foreign Player of the Tie, respectively. It was double delight for Kolkata ThunderBlades, as they claimed the inaugural title at the Dream UTT Juniors-a joint initiative by UTT and Dream Sports Foundation-earlier in the day, with a 5-2 win over U Mumba TT. Ritvik Gupta started the final with a win in the singles rubber, before combining with Swara Karmakar to help Kolkata into a 4-2 lead. Swara secured the remaining point in her match to seal the title. Kolkata walked away with the INR 2 lakh prize for first place, while U Mumba earned INR 1 lakh as runners-up. Final Scores Kolkata ThunderBlades 9-6 Dempo Goa Challengers Quadri Aruna bt. Harmeet Desai 2-1 (10-11, 11-10, 11-6)Adriana Diaz bt. Krittwika Sinha Roy 3-0 (11-1, 11-4, 11-6)Ankur Bhattacharjee/Adriana Diaz bt. Harmeet Desai/Zeng Jian 2-1 (11-10, 9-11, 11-7)Ankur Bhattacharjee bt. Ronit Bhanja 2-1 (10-11, 11-10, 11-1)Selena Selvakumar lost to Zeng Jian 0-3 (4-11, 6-11, 4-11). (ANI)
Hindustan Times
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Dabang Delhi stretch unbeaten run with win over PBG Pune Jaguars
Ahmedabad, Table-toppers Dabang Delhi TTC extended their unbeaten run in the Ultimate Table Tennis with an 11-4 win over PBG Pune Jaguars here on Sunday. Earlier, Kolkata ThunderBlades reignited their playoff hopes with a 9-6 victory over reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers. Dabang Delhi started the final double header of the season strongly as Izaac Quek outclassed Alvaro Robles in the opening two games before the Spaniard pulled one back. Maria Xiao followed up with another 2-1 win against Taneesha Kotecha on her UTT debut despite the Pune youngster impressing with a gritty final game comeback. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Xiao then continued their unbeaten mixed doubles run, edging Robles and Reeth Rishya 2-1 to give Delhi firm control. Sathiyan followed up with a 2-1 win over Anirban Ghosh to seal the tie, before Diya Chitale wrapped up the night with a commanding 3-0 sweep over South Korea's Zion Lee, collecting the Indian Player of the Tie award in the process. Xiao claimed the Foreign Player of the Tie honour, while Anirban walked away with another Shot of the Tie distinction. Earlier, with Ankur Bhattacharjee, Quadri Aruna, and Adriana Diaz winning their respective singles rubbers, Kolkata ThunderBlades pulled off a win over Dempo Goa Challengers. Aruna handed Harmeet Desai his first singles loss of the season in a thriller, while Diaz followed up with a ruthless 3-0 sweep of Krittwika Sinha Roy, capped by a show-stopping rally that earned her Shot of the Tie. Ankur and Diaz then edged out Harmeet and Zeng Jian in doubles for their first win as a pair. Ankur returned to defeat Ronit Bhanja in the decider, staying unbeaten this season. Zeng closed the tie with a 3-0 win for Goa, adding crucial points on the board. Ankur and Diaz were named Indian and Foreign Players of the Tie.
The Hindu
08-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Kolkata ThunderBlades survives another day
The overseas duo of Aruna Quadri and Adriana Diaz were at their sublime best to keep Kolkata ThunderBlades' hopes of making it to the Ultimate Table Tennis semifinal in its debut season alive with a comprehensive win against defending champion Dempo Goa Challengers. While Quadri and Diaz set the pace early on, promising youngster Ankur Bhattacharjee took over by first gelling well with Diaz in the mixed doubles before overcoming Ronit Bhanja in an entertaining duel to give the ThunderBlades a 9-6 win. It was a rare instance of two Indian male paddlers featuring in both the men's singles, since a stomach bug ruled Goa Challengers' veteran Tiago Apolonia out of the tie. But Bhanja did his bit by snatching a game off Bhattacharjee. While both the women's singles ties were one-sided affairs with Indian paddlers from either side barely able to make their respective opponents sweat, Quadri and Challengers' captain Harmeet Desai stretched each other. Desai matched the Nigerian's powerful forehands but ran out of steam in the decider after converting one of the two golden points. The tie of the match was the mixed doubles where Diaz and Bhattacharjee – the expressive duo – surprised Harmeet and Zenj Jian. Bhattacharjee's banana receives and Diaz's powerful forehand winners left the Challengers challenged. The results: Kolkata ThunderBlades bt Dempo Goa Challengers 9-6 (Quadri Aruna bt Harmeet Desai 10-11, 11-10, 11-6; Adriana Diaz bt Krittwika Sinha Roy 11-1, 11-4, 11-6; Diaz & Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Zeng Jian & Desai 11-10, 9-11, 11-7; Ankur Bhattacharjee bt Ronit Bhanja 10-11, 11-10, 11-1; Selenadeepthi Selvakumar lost to Zeng 4-11, 6-11, 4-11). PBG Pune Jaguars lost to Dabang Delhi TTC 4-11 (Alvaro Robles lost to Quek Izaac 5-11, 4-11, 11-4; Taneesha Kotecha lost to Maria Xiao 5-11, 5-11, 11-9; Reeth Rishya & Robles lost to Maria & G. Sathiyan 10-11, 9-11, 11-4; Anirban Ghosh bt Sathiyan 8-11, 3-11, 11-4; Zion Lee lost to Diya Chitale 5-11, 8-11, 8-11). The standings: Dabang Delhi TTC 39 points (4 matches) Qualified, Jaipur Patriots 32 (4), Dempo Goa Challengers 32 (4), U Mumba TT 32 (4), Kolkata ThunderBlades 29 (4), PBG Pune Jaguars 28 (4), Stanley's Chennai Lions 24 (4), Ahmedabad SG Pipers 22 (4). Monday's match: Stanley's Chennai Lions vs Dempo Goa Challengers (7.30 pm).
