Dabang Delhi pulled off a remarkable 8-7 win over HVR Kolkata Thunderblades in an Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 clash at the Shyama Prasad Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

Dabang had to overcome a sensational show from 19-year-old Ankur Bhattacharjee to register its second successive victory. Fresh from beating UP Prometheans the other day, the Delhi outfit looked set for another comfortable win before Ankur produced the standout performance of the evening.

The teenager dismantled the vastly experienced G. Sathiyan in straight games in the fourth match, unleashing fearless attacking strokes from all parts of the table. In his exuberance after sealing the win, Ankur climbed onto the table in celebration, earning a yellow card from the umpire. Earlier, the teams had shared the honours in the opening two singles.

Dabang gained the upper hand by winning the third mixed doubles match — with Sathiyan and Maria Xiao maintaining an unbeaten run from the previous season — before Ankur’s dominant victory helped the Kolkata team narrow the lead.

The tie eventually hinged on women’s singles, with Dabang trailing 5-7. Kolkata needed just one game from Ayhika Mukherjee to clinch the contest, but Sutirtha Mukherjee had other ideas.

Taking on her childhood friend and doubles partner, Sutirtha delivered a superb all-round attacking display, nullifying the spin variations of Ayhika, who uses a long-pimpled rubber, to sweep all three games and snatch victory for the former champion.

The results: Dabang Delhi bt HVR Kolkata Thunderblades 8-7 (Youssef Abdulaziz bt Eduard Ionescu 6-11, 11-7, 11-4; Maria Xiao lost to Zeng Jian 3-11, 11-8, 9-11); Maria & Sathiyan bt Ankur Bhattacharjee & Zeng Jian 11-5, 7-11, 11-5; Sathiyan lost to Ankur 10-11, 6-11, 10-11; Sutirtha Mukherjee bt Ayhika Mukherjee 11-6, 11-2, 11-7).

Ahmedabad APL Pipers bt U Mumba TT 9-6 (Adrien Rassenfosse lost to Lilian Bardet 7-11, 6-11, 11-9; Manika Batra lost to Anna Hursey 7-11, 6-11, 11-4; Payas Jain & Sofia Polcanova bt Manush Shah & Anna Hursey 11-10, 11-9, 10-11; Payas bt Manush 11-8, 8-11, 11-8; Polcanova bt Anusha 11-8, 11-8, 11-4).

Like fine wine, G. Sathiyan’s partnership with Dabang Delhi has matured and grown richer over the years.

The only player to represent the franchise in all seven editions of Ultimate Table Tennis, the 33-year-old again proved his worth at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Friday.

He won both his matches — first in the mixed doubles alongside Spain’s Maria Xiao and later against Germany’s Ricardo Walther in the fourth singles — as the former champion opened its campaign with a 9-6 victory over debutant UP Prometheans.

In the day’s other keenly fought tie, Kolkata ThunderBlades edged out PBG Pune Jaguars 8-7.

As expected, India’s top-ranked paddler Manav Thakkar gave UP the early advantage with a 2-1 win over Youssef Abdelaziz in the opening men’s singles. Maria restored parity for Delhi by beating Yangzi Liu 2-1 in the women’s singles.

With the scores locked at 3-3 (in points) after the opening two matches, the pivotal mixed doubles assumed added significance.

Delhi seized the initiative as Sathiyan and doubles specialist Maria combined brilliantly to register a commanding 3-0 victory over the Manav-Yangzi pairing.

Maria, a five-time WTT mixed doubles champion with Alvaro Robles, was the perfect foil for Sathiyan as the duo dominated from start to finish.

Returning for the fourth singles, Sathiyan was at his best. Mixing sharp attacking play with his trademark consistency, he defeated Walther 2-1 to all but seal the contest for Delhi.

In the second women’s singles, UP’s Sayali Wani fought off a spirited challenge from 15-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick to win 2-1 and reduce the final margin to 9-6.

While on Thursday, Table Tennis Review (TTR) wasn’t employed, it was put to use on Friday three times in the UP-Delhi tie.

The results: Dabang Delhi bt UP Prometheans 9-6 (Youssef Abdelaziz lost to Manav Thakkar 11-8, 11-5, 10-11; Maria Xiao bt Yangzi Liu 11-6, 11-7, 4-11; Sathiyan & Maria bt Manav & Yangzi 11-9, 11-7, 11-5; Sathiyan bt Ricardo Walther 11-8, 11-6, 6-11; Divyanshi Bhowmick lost to Sayali Wani 11-9, 5-11, 10-11).

PVR Kolkata Thunder Blades bt PBG Pune Jaguars 8-7 (Ankur Bhattacharjee lost to SFR Snehit 9-11, 4-11, 11-5; Zeng Jian bt Prithika Pavade 11-6, 11-7, 8-11; Eduard Ionescu & Ayhika Mukherjee bt Snehit & Prithika 7-11, 11-10, 11-6; Ionescu lost to Omar Assar 11-5, 6-11, 4-11; Taneesha Kotecha bt Diya Chitale 11-7, 11-2, 9-11).