Ahmedabad, June 5 (IANS) PBG Pune Jaguars delivered a clinical, all-round performance to defeat Kolkata ThunderBlades 10-5, Dabang Delhi TTC held their nerve in a blockbuster rematch of the 2024 final, edging past defending champions Dempo Goa Challengers 9-6 on Thursday in key clashes in Season 6 of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) here on Wednesday.

In a pulsating clash between international heavyweights and UTT stalwarts, Alvaro Robles edged Quadri Aruna to give PBG Pune Jaguars the ideal start, clinching all three games on Golden Points for his first singles win of the season.

Remarkably, it marked the first time this rare feat has occurred twice in the same IndianOil UTT campaign. Dina Meshref held her nerve in a tight 2-1 win over Adriana Diaz, sealing her maiden league victory before pairing with Anirban Ghosh to secure the mixed doubles 2-1, handing Pune early control of the tie.

Kolkata ThunderBlades hit back through young star Ankur Bhattacharjee, who took down Anirban with sharp, crowd-pleasing play in the second men’s singles. Crucially, though, Anirban snatched the final game to deny Ankur a full sweep—an important point that kept Pune ahead and denied Kolkata from levelling the tie. Reeth Rishya then closed the door on any hopes of a comeback, sweeping Selena Selvakumar 3-0 to seal the tie.

Meshref was awarded the Foreign Player of the Tie, while Diaz claimed the Shot of the Tie. Reeth claimed the Indian Player of the Tie honour.

In the day’s first match, Harmeet Desai edged Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in a gripping three-game showdown between two of India’s finest. Still, it wasn’t enough as Dabang Delhi TTC sealed their second win of the season, beating reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers in a rematch of last year’s final.

Izaac Quek opened with a clinical 3-0 win over Tiago Apolonia for Delhi, while Zeng Jian hit back for Goa by sweeping Diya Chitale. Delhi regained the lead through Sathiyan and Maria Xiao’s composed doubles win, but Harmeet’s 2-1 victory over Sathiyan levelled things again.

In the decider, Xiao rose to the occasion, dominating Sayali Wani 3-0 to clinch the tie. Harmeet was named Indian Player and Shot of the Tie winner, while Xiao claimed Foreign Player of the Tie honours.

Earlier, at the UTT Juniors, U Mumba TT cruised to a 7-2 win over Ahmedabad SG Pipers, with Prateek Tulsani and Ananya Muralidharan starring in both singles and doubles.

In a tighter contest, Jaipur Patriots edged Stanley’s Chennai Lions 5-4, thanks to a dominant opening by Trishal Surapureddy and a crucial doubles point alongside Shreya Dhar.

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

Final Scores:

Match 1

Dabang Delhi TTC 9-6 Dempo Goa Challengers

Izaac Quek bt. Tiago Apolonia 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-9)

Diya Chitale lost to Zeng Jian 0-3 (9-11, 5-11, 6-11)

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao bt. Harmeet Desai/Zeng Jian 2-1 (8-11, 11-5, 11-8)

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran lost to Harmeet Desai 1-2 (11-8, 9-11, 9-11)

Maria Xiao bt. Sayali Wani 3-0 (11-3, 11-7, 11-6)

Match 2

PBG Pune Jaguars 10-5 Kolkata ThunderBlades

Alvaro Robles bt. Quadri Aruna 2-1 (10-11, 11-10, 11-10)

Dina Meshref bt. Adriana Diaz 2-1 (11-8, 1-11, 11-10)

Anirban Ghosh/Dina Meshref bt. Ankur Bhattacharjee/Adriana Diaz 2-1 (11-9, 11-9, 7-11)

Anirban Ghosh lost to Ankur Bhattacharjee 1-2 (8-11, 7-11, 11-8)

Reeth Rishya bt. Selena Selvakumar 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-8).

–IANS

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