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).

Manush Shah remains a vital cog in U Mumba TT’s wheel, even if his form has fluctuated in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7. A dependable singles player and one of the league’s finest doubles specialists, much of the defending champion’s fortunes rest on his shoulders.

Against PBG Pune Jaguars at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium here on Thursday, Manush once again proved his worth. Although he lost his opening singles match, he rose to the occasion in the pivotal mixed doubles as U Mumba edged Pune 9-6 to register its second successive victory.

U Mumba had earlier drawn level through Anna Hursey, whose disciplined counter-attacking game proved too good for Diya Chitale in the second match. The Welsh youngster prevailed 2-1 to extend her unbeaten run this season and make it 3-3 in the tie.

The momentum then swung decisively in U Mumba’s favour in the mixed doubles. Manush and Anna combined brilliantly to outclass S.F.R. Snehit and Prithika Pavade 3-0.

Manush’s sharp angles from deep behind the table complemented Anna’s consistency and composure in the crucial exchanges as the defending champion surged to a 6-3 lead, needing just two more games from the remaining two matches.

In the reverse men’s singles, Lilian Bardet produced another fearless display against Omar Assar, the highest-ranked player in the league at World No. 35.

A compulsive attacker who lives by the sword, the Frenchman stuck to his high-risk, high-reward game plan. It paid off as he battled to a 2-1 victory and virtually (8-4) sealing the tie.

Pune reduced the margin when Prithika Pavade defeated Anusha Kutumbale 2-1 in the final singles match.

The results: U Mumbai bt PBG Pune Jaguars 9-6 (Manush Shah lost to S.F.R. Snehit 11-6, 9-11, 6-11; Anna Hursey bt Diya Chitale 11-9, 9-11, 11-6; Manush & Anna bt Snehit & Prithika Pavade 11-9, 11-4, 11-7; Lilian Bardet bt Omar Assar 7-11, 11-7, 11-10; Anusha Kutumbale lost to Prithika Pavade 8-11, 10-11, 11-10).