Bernadette Szocs played a key role in Dempo Goa Challengers’ win.
| Photo Credit: ButterflyUTT
The gulf between the table-topper and the bottom-placed side was evident as Dempo Goa Challengers signed off from the league stage with a commanding 10-5 victory over UP Prometheans in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.
With both sets of owners employing dhol-tasha bands to rally their teams, the atmosphere was festive. But on the table, the contest was largely one-way traffic in favour of the home side.
Despite having been assured of the top spot, Goa resisted the temptation to rotate its squad and instead fielded its strongest combination. Experienced campaigners Alvaro Robles and Bernadette Szocs laid the foundation, although Szocs was pushed all the way by Sayali Wani, who produced one of her finest performances of the season before eventually falling short.
Playing only for pride, the Prometheans used all six available players — a rarity in UTT. Captain Manav Thakkar delivered his team’s most assured display, but even he could not deny the in-form Abhinandh P.B. a crucial game. The youngster’s aggressive hitting off both wings in the closing stages of the third game capped another composed outing.
Australia’s Yangzi Liu then sided the Prometheans’ debut campaign off by edging past teenager Syndrela Das in a tense contest.
With Challengers, HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades and defending champion U Mumba TT already through, the final league tie on Thursday will determine the fourth semifinalist. Dabang Delhi TTC must win at least nine games against PBG Pune Jaguars to qualify, while Pune requires an unlikely 12-point haul. If the contest goes down to the final game, Ahmedabad APL Pipers will progress to the semifinals.
The result: Dempo Goa Challengers bt UP Prometheans (Alvaro Robles bt Sudhanshu Grover 11-7, 11-5, 11-4, Bernadette Szocs bt Sayali Wani 11-3, 9-11, 11-9, Abhinandh PB & Szocs bt Richardo Walther & Swastika Ghosh 11-9, 11-10, 11-9, Abhinandh lost to Manav Thakkar 8-11, 7-11, 11-8, Syndrela Das lost to Yangzi Liu 11-10, 7-11, 6-11)
Standings: Dempo Goa Challengers 56 points (6 ties), HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades 49 (6), U Mumba TT 48 (6), Ahmedabad APL Pipers 45 (6), Dabang Delhi TTC 36 (5), PBG Pune Jaguars 34 (5), UP Prometheans 32 (6).
Published – July 22, 2026 10:31 pm IST
