Ahmedabad, May 31 (IANS) Two-time reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers notched their first win of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 with a gritty team effort, headlined by Harmeet Desai’s 2-1 triumph over World No. 34 Ricardo Walther in the men’s singles. Earlier, Dabang Delhi TTC racked up a dominant 11-4 win over Jaipur Patriots, thanks to Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Diya Chitale’s efforts.

Harmeet shook off a slow start to edge a tense second game of Match 4, winning 11-10; he then stormed through the decider 11-3 to nudge the defending champions on their way to an opening-day victory.

Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, IndianOil UTT continues to grow as a premier professional league.

All 23 ties, over 16 action-packed days, will take place at Ahmedabad’s EKA Arena. All ties will be broadcast on Star Sports Khel and Star Sports Tamil and streamed live on JioHotstar for fans across the country.

Five-time Olympian Tiago Apolonia, the league’s oldest player, set the tone for Goa Challengers with back-to-back 11-6 wins over Snehit Suravajjula, breaking away from 5-5 deadlocks in both games.

Snehit clawed one back for the home side with a Golden Point win in the third. Krittwika Sinha Roy then added another 2-1 win for the defending champions, bouncing back from a first-game loss to Ayhika Mukherjee with strong 11-8, 11-9 finishes.

The scratch combination of Ayhika and debutant Ricardo Walther dragged Ahmedabad SG Pipers back into the tie, courtesy of their 2-1 mixed doubles win over Harmeet and Zeng Jian. Harmeet’s sensational win over Walther, however, ensured the reigning champions headed into the final match with their noses in front.

In a battle of the debutants, Singapore’s Zeng ensured an opening day victory for Dempo Goa Challengers, after she swept away Italy’s Giorgia Piccolin 3-0, winning 11-7, 11-7, 11-5.

In the day’s first clash, Dabang Delhi TTC opened their account with a commanding 11-4 win over Jaipur Patriots. Sathiyan, returning for his sixth straight season with Delhi, swept Jeet Chandra 3-0 to seal the tie early, while Diya Chitale—IndianOil UTT auction’s highest-valued Indian player—clinched a sharp 2-1 win over World No. 43 Britt Eerland.

Earlier in the tie, 19-year-old Izaac Quek gave Dabang Delhi an early boost by stunning three-time Olympian Kanak Jha 2-1. Jaipur Patriots hit back through Sreeja Akula, who edged past Maria Xiao in a tense battle, sealing her 2-1 win with the season’s first Golden Point. But in the mixed doubles, Delhi’s Sathiyan and Maria clicked instantly, dominating the set and setting the stage for a clean finish as Delhi swept the final two matches.

Sathiyan and Harmeet picked up the Indian Player of the Tie for their respective ties, while Maria Xiao and Zeng Jian were awarded the Foreign Player of the Tie honour. Maria and Ayhika Mukherjee picked up the Shot of the Tie gongs for their efforts.

Previously, at the Dream UTT Juniors, both Maharashtra sides clinched narrow 5-4 wins. U Mumba TT edged past Stanley’s Chennai Lions with key victories from Prateek Tulsani and Ananya Muralidharan, while PBG Pune Jaguars sealed their win over Kolkata ThunderBlades with a commanding doubles performance by Atharva Nawarange and Tushti Sood.

Final scores:

Dempo Goa Challengers 10-5 Ahmedabad SG Pipers

Tiago Apolonia bt. Snehit Suravajjula 2-1 (11-6, 11-6, 10-11)

Krittwika Sinha Roy bt. Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 (4-11, 11-8, 11-9)

Harmeet Desai/Zeng Jian lost to Ricardo Walther/Ayhika Mukherjee 1-2 (9-11, 10-11, 11-10)

Harmeet Desai bt. Ricardo Walther 2-1 (6-11, 11-10, 11-3)

Zeng Jian bt. Giorgia Piccolin 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-5)

Dabang Delhi TTC 11-4 Jaipur Patriots

Izaac Quek bt. Kanak Jha 2-1 (5-11, 11-5, 11-9)

Maria Xiao lost to Sreeja Akula 1-2 (11-4, 9-11, 10-11)

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao bt. Kanak Jha/Sreeja Akula 3-0 (11-6, 11-10, 11-6)

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran bt. Jeet Chandra 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-6)

Diya Chitale bt. Britt Eerland 2-1 (11-8, 11-7, 8-11)

–IANS

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