The PBG Bengaluru Smashers have made their way to the semifinals of the Ultimate Table Tennis match (UTT) 2024.
Maybe defeat 7-8 to Dabang Delhi TTC in a very tense match played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
The thrilling match which was a real nail-biting for the several moments of the match, was won by Delhi TTC with the efforts from Diya Chitale.
Match Highlights:
| Match | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Singles: Alvaro Robles vs. Yashansh Malik | Alvaro Robles | 11-3, 11-10, 11-5 |
| Women’s Singles: Lily Zhang vs. Orawan Paranang | Lily Zhang | 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 |
| Mixed Doubles: Manika Batra & Alvaro Robles vs. Orawan Paranang & G Sathiyan | Orawan & Sathiyan | 11-8, 8-11, 11-8 |
| Men’s Singles: Jeet Chandra vs. G Sathiyan | G Sathiyan | 11-10, 11-6, 11-5 |
| Women’s Singles: Diya Chitale vs. Manika Batra | Diya Chitale | 11-6, 11-10, 11-8 |
Diya Chitale was splendid while performing, and she won the final match against World no 26 Manika Batra 3-0 (11-6, 11-10, 11-8).
Thus, this victory became a successful ending for Dabang Delhi TTC, which was only 1-7 before turning the tide and winning 7-0, thus winning the tie.
Better Beginning for Bengaluru Smashers
The PBG Bengaluru Smashers got off to a flying start in the tie. The first men’s singles match also saw desire and prowess at play as Alvaro Robles won against Yashansh Malik in 3 straight games, 11-3, 11-10, and 11-5.
After that, Lily Zhang, who has had a good tournament, extended the day’s winning streak by easily dispatching Orawan Paranang 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-7) in the first women’s singles match.
It was the fourth 3-0 win for Zhang in a row, which proves the fact that she is currently unbeatable in the league.
Cresting the wave after the first two matches with a 6-0 lead, it seemed all was rosy for the Bengaluru Smashers. But the situation changed during the mixed doubles.
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Image Credit: Cricketnmore
Delhi TTC’s Impressive Comeback
The mixed doubles match, which was very crucial for Dabang Delhi TTC, became a turning point.
In the most expected final match, the pair of Orawan Paranang and G Sathiyan defeated the Indian star pair of Manika Batra and Alvaro Robles at 2-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-8).
The win set the sentiment for a comeback, and this was boosted by Sathiyan’s win in the second men’s singles match.
Sathiyan then bashed Jeet Chandra 3-0 (11-10, 11-6, 11-5), bringing the score margin to a 10-10 tie and thus making it a very tense finish.
Diya Chita le’s Upset Victory
The fifth and last match of the tie was between Diya Chitale and Manika Batra in the second women’s singles.
The game was between Batra and Chitale, and although Chitale has less ranking and experience than Batra, he beat her with a stunning upset.
In the mood of an all-out attack coupled with strategies, Chitale came out victorious in the match with 3-0 (11-6, 11-10, 11-8) to confirm the tie in favor of Dabang Delhi TTC.
Bengaluru Smashers win matches to secure Berth in the Semifinal
But the PBG Bengaluru Smashers were the first team which go to the semifinals, having 48 points after five ties.
This loss was the first of their season, but it can be said that they have done relatively well in their games.
On the other hand, Dabang Delhi TTC, with 41 points, remained in second place, showing they’re still a force to reckon with for the championship.
Puneri Paltan Table Tennis 9-6 over the debutant Jaipur Patriots decided an equally thrilling match on Sunday to keep their hopes alive and playing for the playoffs.
This victory put Puneri Paltan in fourth place with a total of 28 points, while Jaipur Patriots have climbed up to fifth place with a total of 25 points.
The first match of the men’s singles was played between Puneri Paltan’s Ankur Bhattacharjee and the opposite player Ronit Bhanja where.
Ankur won the match, scoring 2-1 with the respective sets 11-10,11-10,11-8. Suthasini Sawettabut then managed to bring Jaipur Patriots back into the match after defeating Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 in the women’s singles 2-1 (8-11, 11-10, 11-7).
But Puneri Paltan bounced back soon with the help of Natalia Bajor and Anirban Ghosh, who emerged winners of the mixed doubles 2-1 against Nithyashree Mani and Cho Seungmin of S-3, respectively.
The second men’s singles also went into three sets, where Joao Monteiro defeated Cho Seungmin 2-1 (8-11, 11-10, 11-7), further strengthening the Puneri Paltan’s position.
To send Puneri Paltan to the next level of semifinals, Natalia Bajor won the second women’s singles match 2-1(11-8, 7-11, 11-6) against Nithyashree Mani.
With the UTT 2024 season continuing into the knockouts, more interesting games are expected as teams fight each other in the TT match to get a slot in the knockouts round.
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