Giant-killer: Taneesha stunned World No. 34 Hursey.
| Photo Credit: BUTTERFLYUTT
Taneesha Kotecha produced a major upset in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 to formally seal HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades’ place in the semifinals, while Frenchman Lilian Bardet ensured defending champion U Mumba TT also advanced despite a narrow defeat in its final league tie at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.
The night’s final flourish, however, belonged to Nithyashree Mani. The Chennai paddler, representing U Mumba, stunned Zeng Jian to take the contest down to the wire before the experienced Singapore paddler held her nerve to clinch the decider and hand the Kolkata outfit an 8-7 victory.
With both teams locked on 41 points before the tie, each needed at least five points to guarantee a semifinal berth. Eduard Ionescu gave Kolkata the ideal start by defeating the left-handed Manush Shah in a clash of equals.
Taneesha then delivered the standout performance of the evening, blanking World No. 34 Anna Hursey 3-0. Although Hursey, ranked more than 100 places above the Indian, was visibly hampered by a stomach bug, Taneesha was relentless in exploiting her opponent’s restricted movement with remarkable consistency.
Hursey, to her credit, returned for the mixed doubles and partnered Manush to secure two crucial points for U Mumba.
Bardet then confirmed U Mumba’s passage to the semifinals by taking the opening two games against the flamboyant Ankur Bhattacharjee. The Kolkata youngster responded with a sparkling display of backhand winners to claim the third game and keep his team in the hunt.
Trailing 5-7, U Mumba turned to Nithyashree ahead of the in-form Anusha Kutumbale. The gamble nearly paid off as Nithyashree raced through the first two games against Zeng, only for the vastly experienced paddler to edge the decider and complete a win for Thunder Blades.
The result: HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades bt U Mumba TT 8-7 (Eduard Ionescu bt Manush Shah 9-11, 11-8, 11-7; Taneesha Kotecha bt Anna Hursey 11-6, 11-4, 11-4; Ankur Bhattacharjee & Taneesha lost to Manush & Hursey 11-8, 4-11, 7-11; Ankur lost to Lilian Bardet 9-11, 8-11, 11-6; Zeng Jian lost to Nithyashree Mani 10-11, 5-11, 11-5).
The standings: HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades 49 points (6 ties), U Mumba TT 48 (6), Dempo Goa Challengers 46 (5), Ahmedabad APL Pipers 45 (6), Dabang Delhi TTC 36 (5), PBG Pune Jaguars 34 (5), UP Prometheans 27 (5).
Published – July 21, 2026 10:50 pm IST
