Diya Chitale’s emphatic 3-0 win over debutant Ananya Chande helped Dabang Delhi TTC clinch a last-gasp 8-7 victory against Kolkata ThunderBlades in IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Friday. Earlier, defending champions Dempo Goa Challengers continued their strong start, defeating PBG Pune Jaguars 10-5 thanks to standout performances from Harmeet Desai and Krittwika Sinha Roy.
All 23 ties of the season are being played at Ahmedabad’s EKA Arena and broadcast live on Star Sports Khel, Star Sports 2 Tamil, and JioHotstar.
Delhi’s narrow win pushed them to the top of the table, with Goa right behind. The league, held under the Table Tennis Federation of India and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, continues to grow in popularity.
In the opening match, Ankur Bhattacharjee extended his unbeaten streak with a 2-1 win over Izaac Quek. Adriana Diaz followed with a 2-1 victory against Maria Xiao to give Kolkata an early edge. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Maria Xiao pulled Delhi back into contention by taking the mixed doubles 2-1, but Aruna Quadri responded with a singles win over Sathiyan. With the tie on the line, Diya Chitale displayed poise and precision to seal a clean 3-0 win and Delhi’s comeback victory. Diaz won the Foreign Player and Shot of the Tie awards, while Diya was named Indian Player of the Tie.
In the earlier tie, Harmeet Desai extended his singles winning run with a tight 2-1 win over Alvaro Robles, and Krittwika marked her return with a 2-1 result against Zion Lee. Harmeet and Zeng Jian then swept the mixed doubles, and Zeng later defeated Reeth Rishya, handing her the first loss of the season. Anirban Ghosh won two games for Pune and earned Shot of the Tie. Harmeet and Zeng were named Indian and Foreign Players of the Tie respectively.
In Dream UTT Juniors, U Mumba TT beat Jaipur Patriots 6-3 to top the table, with Ananya Muralidharan starring in singles and doubles. Stanley’s Chennai Lions edged Ahmedabad SG Pipers 5-4 in a tight contest. The semifinals are now set: U Mumba will meet Jaipur again, while Dempo Goa Challengers take on Kolkata ThunderBlades.
Final Scores
Dempo Goa Challengers 10-5 PBG Pune Jaguars
Harmeet Desai bt Alvaro Robles 2-1 (11-10, 11-9, 10-11)
Krittwika Sinha Roy bt Zion Lee 2-1 (11-5, 7-11, 11-6)
Harmeet Desai/Zeng Jian bt Anirban Ghosh/Zion Lee 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-9)
Tiago Apolonia lost to Anirban Ghosh 1-2 (9-11, 11-8, 7-11)
Zeng Jian bt Reeth Rishya 2-1 (10-11, 11-7, 11-4)
Dabang Delhi TTC 8-7 Kolkata ThunderBlades
Izaac Quek lost to Ankur Bhattacharjee 1-2 (6-11, 11-6, 10-11)
Maria Xiao lost to Adriana Diaz 1-2 (7-11, 5-11, 11-10)
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao bt Ankur Bhattacharjee/Adriana Diaz 2-1 (11-7, 11-7, 9-11)
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran lost to Quadri Aruna 1-2 (11-7, 9-11, 6-11)
Diya Chitale bt Ananya Chande 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-7)