Latest news with #UltimateTableTennisSeason6
News18
14-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
Yashaswini-Bernadette Star As U Mumba Win Thrilling UTT Season 6 Semifinal
Last Updated: U Mumba TT staged a dramatic comeback to beat Dempo Goa Challengers 8-7 in the UTT semi-final, securing their first-ever spot in the grand finale. U Mumba TT staged a dramatic comeback to beat reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers in the second semi-final of Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6. Trailing 4-7, Mumbai won the final four games to clinch an 8-7 win against Goa and book their first-ever spot in the grand finale. With Goa just one game away from the final and Mumbai needing a clean sweep in the last rubber, Yashaswini Ghorpade rose to the occasion, winning back-to-back games before clinching the decider 11–10 in a nerve-wracking finish. Mumbai now face the Jaipur Patriots on Sunday, June 15, guaranteeing a new name on the UTT champions list. Harmeet Desai gave Goa a strong start with a composed 3‑0 victory over Lilian Bardet, sealing the third game on golden point after the latter had rallied from 2‑6 down. But Mumbai hit back through Bernadette Szocs, who handed Zeng Jian her first loss of the season. Szocs took the first two games with sharp counterplay before Zeng salvaged the third 11‑7. In mixed doubles, Mumbai struck back as Akash Pal and Szocs sprang from a 3‑6 deficit to seal games one and three, winning their rubber 2‑1. That win trimmed Goa's lead to a slender 5‑4 heading into the remaining matches. Vitor Ishiy almost sealed the tie for Goa, racing through the first two games against Abhinandh PB with scores of 11-6 and 11-4. But the latter refused to let Mumbai's campaign end. Down 6-9 in the third, Abhinandh clawed back with four successive points to snatch the game 11-9, keeping his team in the hunt heading into the final match. Yashaswini grabbed the chance with both hands thereon, beating Krittwika Sinha Roy across three close games to propel Mumbai to their maiden UTT final. For her efforts, Yashaswini won both the Indian Player of the Tie and the Shot of the Tie awards, while Szocs claimed the Foreign Player of the Tie honour. U Mumba TT 8-7 Dempo Goa Challengers Lilian Bardet lost to Harmeet Desai 0-3 (8-11, 4-11, 10-11) Bernadette Szocs bt. Zeng Jian 2-1 (11-5, 11-9, 7-11) Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs bt. Harmeet Desai/Zeng Jian 2-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-9) Abhinandh PB lost to Vitor Ishiy 1-2 (6-11, 4-11, 11-9) Yashaswini Ghorpade bt. Krittwika Sinha Roy 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-10) First Published: June 14, 2025, 23:40 IST
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
The Goa challenge too strong for toothless Lions
Dempo Goa Challengers recovered from Sunday night's blip to cap off the league stage with a record victory against Stanley's Chennai Lions on Monday and cement a place in the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6 semifinals. Mauling The 12-3 mauling meant the double defending champion Goa Challengers entered the knockouts for the fourth season in a row, while the Lions ended a forgettable season on a sombre note, unable to qualify for the last four for the second consecutive season. It was only the third instance since UTT moved to a 15-game format per match that a team had won 12 points in a contest. Chennai Lions and Ahmedabad SG Pipers had defeated Puneri Paltan TT and Jaipur Patriots, respectively, by the same margin in UTT 2024. Even before the teams reached the EKA Arena, Goa Challengers had brought in Brazilian Vitor Ishiy as a replacement for Tiago Apolonia, who was yet to recover from a stomach bug. Captain Harmeet Desai blanked Kirill Gerassimenko to end a miserable campaign in yellow jersey for the Kazakh paddler. Zeng Jian then repeated the streak against Poymantee Baisya, with the diminutive Indian doing her best to stretch the third match into a golden point. It took the second game of the mixed doubles for the Lions to open their account, with Gerassimenko and Baisya winning the golden point. Payas Jain, the runner-up at the Senior Nationals in January, was expected to win against Ishiy but the Brazilian made a superb comeback with his counterplay to outsmart Payas' power. Krittwika Sinha Roy then stunned Fan Siqi – far from being 100 per cent – to make it a record win. The result: Dempo Goa Challengers bt Stanley's Chennai Lions 12-3 (Harmeet Desai bt Kirill Gerassimenko 11-7, 11-7, 11-5; Zeng Jian bt Poymantee Baisya 11-6, 11-8, 11-10; Zeng & Desai bt Baisya & Gerassimenko 11-2, 10-11, 11-5; Vitor Ishiy bt Payas Jain 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, Krittwika Sinha Roy bt Fan Siqi 8-11, 11-9, 11-9). The standings: Dempo Goa Challengers 44 points (5 matches) Qualified, Dabang Delhi TTC 39 (4) Q, Jaipur Patriots 32 (4), U Mumba TT 32 (4), Kolkata ThunderBlades 29 (4), Stanley's Chennai Lions 29 (5), PBG Pune Jaguars 28 (4), Ahmedabad SG Pipers 22 (4). Tuesday's match: Ahmedabad SG Pipers vs Kolkata ThunderBlades (7.30 p.m.).
Hindustan Times
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Pune Jaguars register a fighting win over U Mumba TT in UTT
Ahmedabad, PBG Pune Jaguars made a remarkable comeback to down U Mumba TT 9-6 on points and open their Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6 campaign on a rousing note here on Sunday.. In the opening match of the day, world no. 71 Lillian Bardet of France displayed fast hands and complete control over his shots, especially forehand to stun 39th ranked Alvaro Robles of Spain 2-1 in first men's singles to hand U Mumbai the initial advantage.. Word no. 12 Bernadette Szocs of Romania defeated world no. 48 Dina Meshref of Egypt 2-1 for U Mumba.. Despite the loss, Meshref gave her higher-ranked opponent a tough fight but fell short eventually as Scozs used her booming smashes from both forehand and backhand to great effect when it mattered most.. The Indo-Egyptian pair of young Anirban Ghosh and Meshref then joined hands and prevailed over Indo-Romanian pair of Akash Pal and Scozs 2-1 in fiercely contested mixed doubles contest.. Anirban Ghosh then prevailed over Akash Pal 2-1 in the reverse men's singles match to level the scores of the contest for Pune Jaguars. With both the level at 6-6 points after four matches, the women's singles match between U Mumba's Swastika Ghosh and Pune Jaguars' Reeth Rishya turned out to be decider, where the latter came out victorious.. Reeth defeated Swastika 3-0 to take Pune Jaguars home.. In the league stage of UTT league, a game is won when a player scores first 11 points, with a golden point used deciding games that are tied at 10-10.. A team wins a tie by winning the most games. At the league stage, a team wins a tie by winning at least eight out of the 15 total games.
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Contrasting victories for Goa Challengers and Dabang Delhi
Defending champion Goa Challengers and last year's finalist Dabang Delhi TTC began their Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6 campaign with wins in contrasting fashion on the opening day at the EKA Arena here on Saturday. Goa Challengers — with Gujarati captain Harmeet Desai and his better half Krittwika Sinha Roy — was stretched to the hilt by 2024 semifinalist Ahmedabad SG Pipers. The tie was open till the last last rubber when Zeng Jian closed it out by pipping Giorgia Piccolin to set up a 10-5 win. Dabang Delhi rode on captain G. Sathiyan's exploits to outplay Jaipur Patriots 11-4. Sathiyan didn't concede a single game in his six matches, including the mixed doubles with southpaw Maria Xiao as his partner. Had Diya Chitale — the National women's champion — not squandered a 7-2 lead in the last league and kept a clean slate, the Delhi squad would have equalled the joint-highest margin of result record. In a late match, Harmeet and Krittwika had impressive outings in singles. Harmeet saved a match point in the second game against the seasoned German Ricardo Walther before running away with the decider. Krittwika used her experience against Ayhika Mukherjee to put Challengers in charge. The results: Dabang Delhi TTC bt Jaipur Patriots 11-4 (Izaac Quek bt Kanak Jha 5-11, 11-5, 11-9; Maria Xiao lost to Sreeja Akula 11-4, 9-11, 10-11; G. Sathiyan & Maria Xiao bt Jha & Sreeja 11-6, 11-10, 11-6; Sathiyan bt Jeet Chandra 11-6, 11-7, 11-6; Diya Chitale bt Britt Eerland 11-8, 11-7, 8-11). Dempo Goa Challengers bt Ahmedabad SG Pipers 10-5 (Tiago Apolonia bt SFR Snehit 11-6, 11-6, 10-11; Krittwika Sinha Roy bt Ayhika Mukherjee 4-11, 11-8, 11-9; Zeng Jian & Harmeet Desai lost to Ayhika & Ricardo Walther 9-11, 10-11, 11-10; Harmeet bt Riccardo Walther 6-11, 11-10, 11-3; Zeng bt Giorgio Piccolin 11-7, 11-7, 11-5). Sunday's fixture: U Mumba TT vs PBG Pune Jaguars (5 p.m.)
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)
