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Indian Express
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Power game, ‘recovery' – Yashaswini Ghorpade's learnings from foreign Table Tennis players
Indian upcoming TT player Yashaswini Ghorpade lost 13-11, 11-9, 11-3 to Japanese Miwa Harimoto over the weekend at the US Smash, a top tier tournament internationally. Though she has managed to re-enter the Top 100 this week, and is at World No 99 currently, her title-winning turn at UTT, India's franchise league in June alerted her to challenges of the whole wide world, beyond the domestic bragging rights. U Mumba beat Jaipur Patriots 8-4 in the UTT finals, after Ghorpade had helped yank the team, holding her nerve in the semis. But beyond the euphoria was a stack of lessons learnt, some that got drilled down at the Smash (like a Grand Slam). Ghorpade led the World No 6 Japanese 11-10 and 9-8 in the first two games, and lost her advantage from there, before a drubbing in the third. The 20-year-old youngster had delved into what possibly stops Indians from pressing home their advantage and frittering their leads – something that was seen even with Indian No 64 Sreeja Akula at the Olympics. 'Maybe at that moment, the top players take the opportunity and the lesson is to not play it safe at that juncture,' she had said last month. 'They pounce at the chance.' Ahead of flying out for the circuit, the youngster had also noted another takeaway from watching foreign stars turn out at UTT. 'They tend to have good serves which gives them the upperhand,' Ghoroade said. At the Orleans Arena where the Smash was hosted, the Bangalorean youngster frittered her service opportunities twice when leading on the cusp of taking the games. Though she might be the first of Indians to lean onto an attacking style despite playing with a pimple rubber, the power differential often shows up. 'Top players just have a better technique on their power game,' she would say. The maddening schedule in TT where they will play in Americas, Europe, China and other parts of Asia in quick succession means hard-core training blocks are few and far in between. 'We don't get to train a lot, but I do my strength training, lifting weights, twice a week,' she would add. The UTT triumph though was especially satisfying. 'It's very different from the international circuit. You realise how top paddlers prepare, there's shoots and interviews, and contribute to team as against taking all pressure on yourself,' she said. Matches might be shorter, but they demand focus and afford no breathers. 'In UTT pressure is different. You are not supposed to lose concentration even for a second or momentum changes in 3 sets as against five,' Ghorpade added. 4-7 down in her semis against a higher ranked opponent, she had turned the tables, but there was plenty of catching up to do with the top players. 'What I learnt was that foreign players are very quick. But I also got to see their routine and how they keep focus on match days, as well as recovery sessions. I've realized recovery is most important,' she says, hoping to carry forward these learnings when she is in the cauldron of the circuit. The Bangalorean stumbled into TT at age 7 or 8. 'I used to watch TV and be very lazy. Parents decided they had to do something because I was falling sick often too. We had TT coaching at school so it was easily accessible,' Ghorpade recalls. The pimples carry the usual jeopardy though they can offer surprise value up front. 'I use a pimple rubber on the backhand but it's not easy,' she says. 'It's tough to get control and opponent gets used to the momentum. Then you have to mix things up,' she explains, adding her strengths are patience in rallies and general control on the back hand, even if it takes a lot out of her. How does she unwind? 'Bollywood music,' she ends.
India Today
30-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
The Thunderblades story: How a former player is trying to revive Kolkata's table tennis scene
The Thunderblades story: How a former player is trying to revive Kolkata's table tennis sceneThe sound of two loud dhols echoed through EKA Arena in Ahmedabad every time the Kolkata Thunderblades won a point at the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) league. Rajat Kumar and Ketan Jain, the owner duo of the franchise, led the celebrations with reverberating cheers from the stands. The small indoor stadium, with the capacity of 800 people, responded with equal energy, thumping, chanting, rallying behind the the turnout, you'd never guess that this was the franchise's debut season. Ankur Bhattacharjee, the local boy, the young sensation of the team, revelled in the chants, playing an exceptional first season. Thunderblades, while they finished just outside of the top 4, took a lot of positives from their maiden run. The team, through the Ultimate Table Tennis competition, at least gave something back to Kolkata, a city that loved the sport dearly through the 2000s and this story isn't about Ankur. This is about someone who could've been Ankur, had life panned out Kumar, the part owner of Kolkata Thunderblades, was a former national-level table tennis player. Rajat, who now owns his own company, MVikas Group, told India Today in an exclusive interview about how he loved the sport, was forced to walk away from it, and then returned after a long hiatus of 15 played table tennis along with Ketan since 1995. Both of us have represented Delhi at the national level,' Rajat told India Today in an exclusive conversation. 'We always had that connection with the sport. That's what motivated us to get back in, first as sponsors for U Mumba, and now as team owners.'Their entry was part chance, part destiny. When Puneri Paltan backed out of UTT this year, Rajat and Ketan pounced on the opportunity. They bought the new franchise. And the Thunderblades were OF KOLKATA THUNDERBLADESAt the time that Rajat played table tennis, there was no way to sustain one's livelihood just through the sport, bar the elite players, of course. So, once he saw that the road was coming to an end, Rajat got into the academic side and completed his CA degree."There were not many opportunities at that time. You could open an academy, you could trade in equipment, but nothing more than that. Today, you have foreign and national leagues. Both my parents were from government service, so for me, simply playing TT was not an option," Rajat Rajat's practice flourished, he got into other things. He called back his brother who was working at Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and started their own firm, dealing in industrial products and government despite the success that his CA career and entrepreneurship brought, table tennis stayed at the back of his the opportunity arrived, Rajat got together with Ketan and bought the new franchise in UTT. In business terms, it made little sense. As per his own admission, they are not going to make any money out of this team in the next 10 years."Me and Ketan, we balance out each other. I bring the calm, he brings the dhols. I sit and bite my nails, he cheers the team, shouts loudly. This aspect has worked in building this team as well," Rajat there's no illusion here. Rajat knows this isn't a money-making venture, at least not yet.'I don't think I'll see a return for 7–10 years,' he said bluntly. 'But if we get an Olympic medal? That changes everything. Look at what happens in India when you win a medal. The government wakes up, sponsors come in, everyone wants to be associated.'He's got an eye on India's rising core: Diya Chitale, Manav Thakkar, and Manush Shah, who are ready to support the already established stars, Manika Batra and Sathiyan this group peaks at the right time, Rajat believes they can push India onto the Olympic podium.'And if that happens,' he said, 'we're good to go.'Still, he's aware of the risk.'Yes, we are losing money,' he admitted. 'But we'll accept that loss if it means the sport is growing. It's worth it.'UTT'S UNIQUE MODELRajat reveals that he was also drawn towards UTT because of the unique model that it follows. UTT, which is a franchise tournament like the IPL, doesn't follow the IPL model to the letter. Though teams, auctions, and city branding exist, the model is centralised. Players are contracted by the league and not by individual franchises. The auctions are more symbolic, done with tokens, not money, to maintain excitement while the league handles logistics and salaries.'The best part?' Rajat said. 'We don't have to worry about the operational side. That allows us to focus on building a team culture, a brand, and fan engagement.'This model, according to Rajat, is what's kept UTT alive through six seasons, when leagues in badminton, tennis, and even kabaddi have faltered or BACK TO KOLKATAFor Rajat, owning a table tennis team was never going to be just about the had to be about giving back. Especially to the city of was a table tennis stronghold in the 2000s. The sport thrived in schools, clubs, and para-athletic meets. But slowly, it faded from what the Thunderblades are trying to and his team want to start outreach programs. They want to organise small tournaments across West Bengal. The idea is to identify talent, help them get drafted into UTT, and eventually support their journey into the professional circuit.'If we can sponsor a few kids at 13 or 14, give them what we didn't have, that's a win,' Rajat FACE OF THE CITYFor now, Ankur Bhattacharjee is their in the top 100 in the world, Ankur is expected to break into the top 50 by the end of the year. He plays with flair, backed by a city desperate for a sporting identity beyond football and cricket.'This year, we've got Ankur in our team. He's only 19 and already the third-best player in India,' Rajat said. 'In 4–5 years, you'll hear his name everywhere.'advertisementBUILDING THE EXPERIENCEThe owners of the team also want to better the viewing experience for fans in whatever tournaments they are organising. At the UTT, they arranged for food packets and juices for all the fans who came to watch Kolkata's matches. This is an initiative that they have taken out of their own pockets, and they plan to keep doing that to attract crowds to the stadiums.'If fans are coming to support your team, you take care of them. Give them a memory,' Rajat said. 'You watch these games at dinner time, people come from far. You want them to feel like they were part of something.'He knows this is rare. Even in cricket and football, fans often get ignored.'I think we'll connect with local academies too. But this kind of outreach, it needs to be done centrally. One owner can't do everything.'BEYOND UTTThe Thunderblades don't want to disappear once the UTT season says the goal is to build a year-round presence, connect with state associations, sponsor tournaments, partner with local coaches. And most importantly, identify kids who can't afford to play but have the talent.'The kids we find can interact with our team, sit with them, learn from them. That kind of exposure changes your mindset,' Rajat said. 'I want Kolkata to grow. I want TT to be great in this city again.'And if one of those kids becomes the next Ankur Bhattacharjee?Then maybe, just maybe, the long bet will pay off.- Ends
The Hindu
23-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Ultimate action and a golden show by young Indian paddlers
Twenty-three exciting matches. Sixteen days of power-packed action. Eight teams going all guns blazing. Two nail-biting semifinals. And a new champion — U Mumba TT. That's how the sixth edition of Ultimate Table Tennis — the franchise-based table tennis league that's getting bigger and better with every passing season ever since its post-pandemic return in 2023 — can be summed up. While the Amdavadis, traditionally more interested in the business of sport than enjoying live sport, hardly thronged to the EKA Arena, those who did returned with memories worth cherishing. After following the tournament, the paddlers, the coaching staff and the organisers from close quarters over 17 days in Ahmedabad, here is how the tournament panned out. UTT or UMTT Being a young sibling of the U Mumba outfit in the Pro Kabaddi League arena, a lot was expected of the U Mumba paddlers. But just like its kabaddi counterpart, which last won a title nine seasons ago, the five editions saw the table tennis lot earn the tag of 'underachievers.' The team led by Bernadette Szocs — the Romanian who entered UTT as the highest-ranked paddler this season — shed the tag in style. After the first-ever player auction in UTT, where U Mumba was the first to complete its squad of six players, a lot of eyebrows were raised over its choices, especially with regard to Indian male paddlers. But Szocs — with meticulous planning by coaches John Murphy and Jay Modak, assisted by Nishant Kulkarni — got the best out of every single individual to wipe off the 'under' from its tag and lead the team to glory. In fact, besides being the champion, U Mumba ended up being the only team to give at least one match to each of the six players in the squad. Having heavily relied on youngsters — with all four Indians in Akash Pal, P.B. Abhinandh, Yashaswini Ghorpade and Swastika Ghosh being either in teens or the early 20s — U Mumba banked on their zest. And Lilian Bardet, the Frenchman who was Szocs' teammate in UTT 2024, brought in the maturity of an overseas paddler to form a perfect combination that went all the way. While Szocs upped the ante when it mattered, in the big final against Jaipur Patriots, it was Yashaswini — the Bengalurean with Maharashtrian roots — that lived up to the table tennis legacy of her surname. If her becoming the first paddler to stun Fan Siqi, who became only the second Chinese paddler to be part of UTT, was an achievement in itself, Yashaswini went one step ahead in the semifinal. Trailing 7-5 against senior Krittwika Sinha Roy, she displayed exemplary control over her long-pimpled backhand to win all three games, with the third off the 59th golden point of the season, and helped U Mumba enter its maiden final. With Yashaswini playing a major role in ending Goa Challengers' title defence, it was clear that the tournament will have a new champion. And U Mumba ensured that it didn't have to wait longer to carve its name on the glittering trophy. New kids on the block For most of the last three seasons, ever since UTT switched from an eight to six-member squad format, promising Indian paddlers had to warm the bench on match days. They would be happy to be a part of the entourage and learn by training with seasoned pros, with very little — or virtually none — game-time. Season six witnessed a welcome change on that front as eight Indian paddlers made their UTT debuts over the fortnight. They were Akash Pal, Abhinandh and Swastika Ghosh (U Mumba), Divyansh Srivastava (Ahmedabad SG Pipers), Sayali Wani (Dempo Goa Challengers), Ananya Chande (Kolkata ThunderBlades), Taneesha Kotecha (PBG Pune Jaguars) and Payas Jain (Chennai Lions). The fact that most of these eight paddlers — barring Swastika, Divyansh and Ananya — had spent at least a season in UTT earlier speaks about the desperation and the desire of teams to try out new talent on the big stage. It also indicates the rising quality of young Indian talent. 'It's a great sign for Indian table tennis. The more young talent on display at UTT, the better it is. The youngsters are right up there when it comes to skills, are confident irrespective of the opponents and are fearless in their approach. It's a great sign for the future,' said Sachin Shetty, the Jaipur Patriots coach. Top Indian paddlers MIA While the promising youngsters were making a splash and some of the top global paddlers were in action, the absence of India's star paddlers was a bit of a dampener for UTT. Three of the top Indians — Manav Thakkar and the new National men's champion Manush Shah along with Commonwealth Games queen Manika Batra — did not feature in the season. With A. Sharath Kamal having hung up his boots after a glittering career, Manush and Manav — a Barodian and a Surti — could have drawn a local crowd in their home state. But both opted against registering for the auction. While the Indian table tennis corridors are abuzz with multiple theories for the bespectacled duo's decision to skip UTT 2025, the UTT organisers clarified that was only due to the clash of the tournament schedule with the duo's commitments in European leagues. Manika, on the other hand, pulled out at the last-minute due to an injury after featuring in the World Championship towards the end of the last month. It jeopardised Ahmedabad SG Pipers' season, although the lanky paddler did turn up to support the team for its inaugural match. 'It's critical for all the top Indian players to feature in UTT. It helps them raise their stature and also the tournament's,' said Sweden's Tobias Bergman, the Kolkata ThunderBlades coach. 'In my home country, and all over Europe, there is a lot of interest about UTT and if the top European players get to compete with the best from India, it will be an ideal scenario.' The fact that the trio featured in a WTT event during the UTT's latter stages also did not send a right signal to the table tennis fraternity. It will hopefully be taken care of in the seasons to come. Amending the format Despite the final qualification spot being sealed on the last day, for a league like UTT that's still trying to attract interest from general sport fans, a simpler format would augur well. At the moment, the eight teams play five league matches. Not only is it confusing for a fan trying to keep pace with the line-ups, it also creates a not-so-ideal situation for the franchises, both in terms of form and fixtures. No doubt an all-play-all format will mean there will be 28 league games instead of the existing 20, but with double-headers on most days, the three-week tournament window can be respected. While the idea can be food for thought, John Murphy, coach of U Mumba, had another suggestion. 'Instead of following the set sequence of men's singles, women's singles, mixed doubles, reverse men's singles and reverse women's singles, the team winning the toss should be allowed to choose whether to start with a male or female player,' Murphy said. 'For a team like us with Bernadette Szocs, we'd want her to open the tie. It could also prevent the final singles from always being a women's match.' If implemented, the tournament will add another dimension to the planning of the teams and may keep most matches alive till the end. Vitamin M A franchise league is nothing but a commercial product. For most non-cricket sports leagues in India, it results in the owners and the promoters bleeding to death. UTT is an exception, since it's backed by co-promoters who are passionate about the sport and not all interested in making money through the league. 'Let the franchise owners break even first. And making money is not the only objective of UTT' seems to be the motto of Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani – two of the leading industrialists who have joined hands for UTT. Thanks to its consecutive titles, Dempo Goa Challengers became the first team to enter the green on the balance sheet. Steady growth While two others are likely to break even in the next edition, Vita is pleased with the steady growth of the league in terms of numbers – both financial and in terms of viewership. At least a couple of teams, including new entrants Kolkata ThunderBlades, managed to raise in excess of ₹50 lakh through jersey sponsorships. It is a welcome sign for a relatively small-scale league like UTT. 'It will take a little time but we are moving in the right direction and quickly. For us, as league owners, our ROI is in how Indian table tennis does more than financials because we are not here to only make money. It is more important that as a country, we do well,' Vita said.
New Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
For paddler Diya, mental strength helps her take huge strides
CHENNAI: DIYA Chitale's run in this season's Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) here may have ended in defeat after her narrow defeat to Sreeja Akula of the Jaipur Patriot in the deciding women's single match. But her demeanour with the paddle stood out in her performance, like it did in all her games. With a height of 4 foot 11 inches, Chitale has put on performances of tall proportions. She has put on dominant shows, and has shown her mental fortitude in high pressure situations. 'I knew it was going to be a close match. I think Sreeja (Akula) is a really amazing player and we have played each other many, many times. So, both of us know each other's game really well. So, I knew it was going to be a tough match. When the tie is at 7-7, it can be anybody's match. This is where I think it's more of the mental battle. And hats off to her. She was really calm in the end. And maybe I was a bit impatient,' she told this daily after her semi-final defeat on Saturday (June 14) She summarised the season with her franchise, Dabangg Delhi TTC. 'I had an amazing season last year with Delhi(where they lost the final to Goa). This year, we were unbeaten in the first four matches. But there's always going to be one winner and someone who loses. I am really very happy with how we played throughout the tournament and how we went about it,' she said.
NDTV
20-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
This Tennis Legend Keeps Ultimate Table Tennis Star Yashaswini Ghorpade Going. Not Sania Mirza
The Ultimate Table Tennis wrote a new chapter on the conclusion of its sixth edition as the tournament found a new winner. U Mumba gave a dominating performance and defeated Jaipur Patriots in the grand finale on June 15 in Ahmedabad and clinched their maiden UTT title. The entire Mumbai team performed like a single unit and did not even let Jaipur take a sigh of relief even for once during the match. With this performance, U Mumba etched their name in the history books of UTT. Although Yashaswini Ghorpade didn't feature in the final, her standout semi-final display epitomised U Mumba's collective strength this season. In the semis against Dempo Goa Challengers, U Mumba needed three victories in all the remaining three matches, in order to reach the final. However, Yashaswini held her nerves and defeated Krittwika Sinha Roy in the women's singles clash and took her side into the final. The 20-year-old played her first UTT season in 2024 with the Goa Challengers and went on to lift the title with them. In 2025, she was roped in by the U Mumba and surprisingly, she clinched the title again. Speaking to the media before the final, Yashaswini revealed that before the season, she was going through some tough time but she gathered herself back and gave an exemplary performance. "Last two-three months were quite difficult for me. Before this season, I was a bit down but things changed when I came here. It is amazing to be around many champion players and the team environment always lifts me up," said Yashaswini. While replying to a query from NDTV, Yashaswini also stated that tennis legend Roger Federer is her biggest motivation. "Roger Federer is my biggest motivation. I always sees his matches and even his workout and fitness routines to keep myself going. He is the biggest inspiration and I also want to achieve something like that," she said. Talking about the grand finale, wins for Lilian Bardet and Bernadette Szocs gave U Mumba an early lead, before Szocs and Akash Pal swept the mixed doubles 3-0 to take them to the brink. Teenager Abhinandh PB sealed the title with a clutch game win in the fourth match.
