Spanish veteran Alvaro Robles starred with another flawless display as Dempo Goa Challengers outclassed Dabang Delhi TTC 8-2 to storm into its third Ultimate Table Tennis final in four seasons at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Friday.

The lanky left-hander remained unbeaten across all six of his games — singles and mixed doubles — ensuring Goa’s march to the title clash was never seriously threatened.

Robles’ clinical showing also meant Bernadette Szocs’ unexpected 2-1 loss to Maria Xiao did little to dent the home side’s momentum. By the time the mixed doubles concluded, Goa had surged to a commanding 7-2 lead, leaving Delhi with a near-impossible task.

Teenager P.B. Abhinandh then sealed the deal with a spirited comeback against Delhi captain G. Sathiyan. Needing to avoid conceding even a single game to keep Delhi alive, Sathiyan raced to a 5-2 lead in the opening game. But Abhinandh found his range with a succession of forehand topspin winners, reeling off seven straight points to seize control. Although Sathiyan fought back to level at 9-9, the Goa youngster held his nerve on his two service points to seal the game and spark celebrations among the home supporters.

Robles had laid the platform earlier in the evening by dominating the all-left-handed contest against Egypt’s Youssef Abdulaziz. His superior reach and heavy forehand sidespin repeatedly unsettled the Delhi paddler as he pocketed the opening two games. Abdulaziz came within touching distance of pulling one back after earning two game points in the third, but Robles produced another timely comeback before forcing a backhand error on the golden point.

Maria’s impressive victory over Szocs briefly revived Delhi’s hopes, but Robles again proved decisive. Partnering teenager Syndrela Das in the mixed doubles, he expertly controlled the contest despite a few nervy moments from his partner, completing a clean sweep that effectively sealed Goa’s place in the final.

The result: Semifinal:Dempo Goa Challengers bt Dabang Delhi TTC 8-2 (Alvaro Robles bt Youssef Abdulaziz 11-8, 11-4, 11-10, Bernadette Szocs lost to Maria Xiao 11-10, 6-11, 4-11, Robles & Syndrela Das bt G. Sathiyan & Maria 11-9, 11-8, 11-3, P. B. Abhinandh bt G. Sathiyan 11-9).

Saturday’s semifinal: HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades vs U Mumba TT.

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).

Captain G. Sathiyan led from the front as Dabang Delhi TTC kept its Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 semifinal hopes alive with a hard-fought victory over Ahmedabad APL Pipers at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Monday.

Sathiyan’s clean sweep of Payas Jain, an opponent who has troubled him over the past few seasons, proved decisive in a closely contested tie. The 9-6 result means that Delhi will head into its final league fixture against PBG Pune Jaguars on Thursday precisely knowing the permutations.

With Dempo Goa Challengers, U Mumba TT and HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades having already secured last-four berths, both Delhi and Ahmedabad needed a convincing victory to stay in the race. After the opening three matches, there was little to separate the teams, with Delhi holding a slender 5-4 advantage. The onus fell on Sathiyan to deliver against Payas.

The youngster looked set to turn the contest in Ahmedabad’s favour as he surged to a 10-6 lead in the first game, his powerful winners repeatedly piercing Sathiyan’s defence.

Sathiyan brought his experience to the table.
| Photo Credit:
Butterfly UTT

But the veteran responded with his trademark composure, reeling off five consecutive points to snatch the opener. Buoyed by the comeback, Sathiyan adopted a more aggressive approach to take the second game comfortably.

Even when he trailed 2-5 in the third game, Sathiyan refused to relent. He continued to pile pressure on Payas, forcing errors at crucial moments before completing a facile win.

Ahmedabad stayed alive in the semifinal race only because Manika Batra defeated Sutirtha Mukherjee in the final match. Had Sutirtha prevailed, Delhi would have knocked Pipers out of top-four contention.

The result: Dabang Delhi TTC bt Ahmedabad APL Pipers 9-6 (Youssef Abdelaziz bt Adrien Rassenfosse 11-6, 5-11, 11-10; Maria Xiao lost to Sofia Polcanova 2-11, 11-9, 10-11; G. Sathiyan & Maria bt Payas Jain & Polcanova 11-7, 9-11, 11-4; Sathiyan bt Payas 11-10, 11-8, 11-7; Sutirtha Mukherjee lost to Manika Batra 5-11, 3-11, 11-9).

The standings: Dempo Goa Challengers 46 points (5 ties), Ahmedabad APL Pipers 45 (6), U Mumba TT 41 (5), HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades 41 (5), 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).

The odds were firmly stacked against Dabang Delhi’s Maria Xiao when she walked out to face U Mumba TT’s Anusha Kutumbale in the fifth and deciding match of the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.

Moments earlier, Mumba’s Lilian Bardet had edged past G. Sathiyan 2-1 in a fiercely contested singles match to hand the defending champion a 7-5 lead. With just one game needed from the final match to secure the tie, the advantage lay squarely on Anusha. Though Anusha lost the first two games, she came up with an excellent counter-attacking effort in the third to win the game that mattered to give U Mumba its first win of the season 8-7.

Mumba’s Manush Shah has not been at his best in this edition. If there has been one glaring weakness in his game, it has been a lack of consistency.

Against Youssef Abdelaziz in the opening match, Manush seldom displayed the patience or discipline needed to build points. Particularly in the opening game, he appeared eager to end rallies too quickly, going for ambitious winners before constructing the point.

The resulting unforced errors prevented him from finding any rhythm and he lost 1-2. Mumba’s Anna Hursey extended her unbeaten run in the singles, with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Sutirtha Mukherjee, to level the tie at 3-3.

It was a huge upset in the third match as Manush found his attacking touch and Anna kept within herself as the mixed doubles pair outwitted Sathiyan and Maria Xiao to swing the momentum in Mumba’s favour at 5-4.

The results: U Mumba TT bt Delhi Dabang 8-7 (Manush Shah lost to Youssef Abdelaziz 11-9, 11-4, 6-11; Anna Hursey bt Sutirtha Mukherjee 9-11, 11-7, 11-6; Manush & Anna bt Sathiyan & Maria Xiao 11-4, 8-11, 11-8; Lilian Bardet bt Sathiyan 11-10, 8-11, 11-8; Anusha Kutumbale lost to Maria Xiao 10-11, 9-11, 11-10).