Tag: Ultimate Table Tennis

by Abhishek Shukla

It’s Shazé Challengers v Falcons TTC in the CEAT UTT final

Mumbai, July 29, 2017: Han Ying won both her matches and Li Ping held his nerves when it mattered most as Shazé Challengers beat Dabang Smashers TTC 14-9 in the second semifinal of the inaugural CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), the country’s newest franchise sports league, at the NSCI in Mumbai on Saturday.
Shazé Challengers will lock horns with Falcons TTC in the final on Sunday.
The team that secures 14 points first is declared winner in the knockouts. Shazé Challengers had edged out Dabang Smashers 15-12 in the League phase.
Portuguese world No 14 Marcos Freitas, a southpaw, put Dabang Smashers ahead with a 2-1 win over attacking 85-ranked Soumyajit Ghosh, who pulled back the third game in the men’s singles (Foreign v Indian) to hand Shazé Challengers one point.
In-form China-born German world No 9 Han Ying made it 4-2 for Shazé Challengers as she brushed aside Madhurika Patkar 3-0 in the women’s singles (Foreign v Indian).
Next up was mixed doubles (Foreign/Indian pair) and the clash saw Soumyajit Ghosh and his partner Petrissa Solja rally to beat A Amalraj and Tetyana Bilenko 2-1 to extend Shazé Challengers’ lead to 6-3.
Croatian Andrej Gacina then edged past China-born Ukraine Kou Lei 2-1 in a closely-fought men’s singles (Foreign player category) clash to further Shazé Challengers lead to 8-4.
The experienced Han Ying followed up it up by winning her second match of the day to strengthen Shazé Challengers’ grip on the tie at 10-5, as she rallied to beat North Korean world No 19 Kim Song I 2-1 in the women’s singles (Foreign player category).
G Sathiyan pulled off a surprise win over China-born Qatar Li Ping 2-1 in the men’s singles (Foreign v Indian) to hand Dabang Smashers their second win of the day. Shazé Challengers, however, continued to lead at 11-7.
Kim Song I (Dabang Smashers) returned to table to thump Mouma Das 2-1 in the women’s singles (Foreign v Indian), but the 135-ranked Indian won the close third game to help Shazé Challengers take a step closer to victory at 12-9.
Li Ping closed it for Shazé Challengers 14-9 by winning the first two games against Freitas in the men’s singles (Foreign player category), the eighth and penultimate match.
Earlier in the evening, Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi, Bajaj Group chairman Rahul Bajaj and former Railway minister Dinesh Trivedi graced the occasion of second semifinal.
Final score: Dabang Smashers lost to Shaze Challengers 9-14
MS – Marcos Freitas beat Soumyajit Ghosh 2-1 (11-7, 11-6, 9-11)
WS – Madhurika Patkar lost to Han Ying 0-3 (4-11, 6-11, 7-11)
MD – Amalraj Anthony/ Tetyana Bilenko lost to Soumyajit Ghosh/ Petrissa Solja 1-2 (11-8, 7-11, 5-11),
MS – Kou Lei lost to Andrej Gacina 2-1 (9-11, 11-6, 7-11)
WS  – Kim Song I lost to Han Ying 1-2 (11-6, 9-11, 10-11)
MS – Sathiyan Gnanasekaran beat Li Ping 2-1 (11-9, 5-11, 11-4)
WS – Kim Song I beat Mouma Das 2-1 (11-4, 11-4, 10-11)
MS  – Marcos Freitas lost to Li Ping 0-2 (9-11, 7-11)
by Abhishek Shukla

Wu Yang and Liam Pitchford fire as Falcons TTC storm into final

Mumbai, July 28, 2017: Wu Yang and Liam Pitchford won both their matches to help Falcons TTC beat DHFL Maharashtra United 14-5 in the first semifinal of the inaugural CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), the country’s newest franchise sports league, at the NSCI in Mumbai on Friday.
The team that secures 14 points first is declared winner in the knockouts. Falcons had won the League meeting between the two teams by 17-10.
Shazé Challengers will meet Dabang Smashers TTC in the second semifinal on Saturday, with the final to be played on Sunday.
Hong Kong world No 8 Wong Chun Ting put DHFL Maharashtra United ahead with a 2-1 win over southpaw Sanil Shetty, ranked 201 in the world, in the men’s singles (Foreign v Indian), the opening match of the tie.
However, Chinese world No 13 Wu Yang brushed aside 279-ranked Pooja Sahasrabudhe Koparkar (DHFL Maharashtra United) 3-0 in the women’s singles (Foreign v Indian) for Falcons TTC to move 4-2 ahead on points.
Up next was mixed doubles (Foreign/Indian pair) and DHFL Maharashtra United’s pair of Harmeet Desai  and the experienced Fu Yu edged out Sanil Shetty and his partner  Lee Ho Ching 2-1 to reduce their margin of deficit to 4-5.
Briton Liam Pitchford pulled off an upset win over Wong Chun Ting 2-1 in the men’s singles (Foreign player category) to extend Falcons TTC’s lead to 7-5.
Chinese ace Wu Yang won her second outing of the day as she put it past China-born Austrian world No 22 Liu Jia (DHFL Maharashtra United) 3-0 in the women’s singles (Foreign player category) to take Falcons TTC a step closer to victory, at 10-5.
Liam Pitchford then won his second match of the day, beating Harmeet Desai 3-0 in the men’s singles (Foreign v Indian) to move Falcons TTC to 13-5, one point way from victory.
Sutirtha Mukherjee won the opening game against Liu Jia in the women’s singles (Foreign v Indian) 11-10 to seal the tie for Falcons TTC.
Earlier in the evening, Mrs Nita Mukesh Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation and India’s only woman member in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) graced the occasion of India’s first ever professional TT league, CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis, which saw players from DHFL Maharashtra United and Falcons TTC slug it out for a final berth here at the NSCI.

Apart from watching the matches in the 1st Semi-Final, Mrs. Ambani also encouraged some of the Indian paddlers with inspiring words. She met with India’s Olympian Sharath Kamal, four-time Paralympic Gold Medalist Natalia Partyka, Olympian Kim Song I and India’s young sensation Archana Kamath.
Falcons TTC beat DHFL Maharashtra United 14-5
MS – Sanil Shetty lost to Wong Chun Ting 1-2 (8-11, 11-5, 3-11)
WS – Wu Yang beat Pooja Sahasrabudhe Koparkar 3-0 (11-2, 11-4, 11-2)
MD – Sanil Shetty/ Lee Ho Ching lost to Harmeet Desai/ Fu Yu 1-2 (6-11, 11-5, 5-11),
MS – Liam Pitchford beat Wong Chun Ting 2-1 (11-8, 9-11, 11-4)
WS – Wu Yang beat bt Liu Jia 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-6)
MS – Liam Pitchford beat Harmeet Desai 3-0 (11-6, 11-10, 11-7)
WS – Sutirtha Mukherjee beat Liu Jia 1-0 (11-10)
by Abhishek Shukla

Mrs. Nita Ambani attends 1st Semi-Final of CEAT UTT

Mumbai, July 27, 2017: On Friday, Mrs Nita Mukesh Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation and India’s only woman member in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) graced the occasion of India’s first ever professional TT league, CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis, which saw players from DHFL Maharashtra United and Falcons TTC slug it out for a final berth here at the NSCI. 

 

Apart from watching the matches in the 1st Semi-Final, Mrs. Ambani also encouraged some of the Indian paddlers with inspiring words. She met with India’s Olympian Sharath Kamal, four-time Paralympic Gold Medalist Natalia Partyka, Olympian Kim Song I and India’s young sensation Archana Kamath.

by Abhishek Shukla

Ultimate Table Tennis: Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas beat Shazé Challengers 15-12

Chennai, 17 July 2017: Oilmax Stag Yoddhas led Shazé Challengers 7-5 after four gripping matches in their ongoing tie in the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) at a packed Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Monday.

Soumyajit Ghosh put Shazé Challengers ahead with a stunning 2-1 victory over Nigerian world No 29 Aruna Quadri of Oilmax Stag Yoddhas in the men’s singles (Indian v Foreign), the opening match of the day.

World No. 85 Ghosh cruised to a 11-2 win in the opening game before Quadri staged a strong comeback to win the second at 11-9. In the third, Soumyajit rallied brilliantly to turn the contest on its head to win the game at 11-8.

China-born German world No. 9 Han Ying extended Shazé Challengers’ lead to 4-2 with a 2-1 win over Manika Batra of Oilmax Stag Yoddhas in the women’s singles (Foreign v Indian).

Indian world No. 104 Manika pulled off a surprise win in the opening game 11-8, before experienced Ying regained control take the next at 11-5 and was pushed to the limit before holding on to win the third game on the golden point (11-10).

In a turn in fortune, Oilmax Stag Yoddhas’ mixed doubles (Indian/Foreign) pair of Abhishek Yadav / Doo Hoi Kem (HK) routed Shazé Challengers’ pair of Soumyajit / Petrissa Solja (Germany) 3-0 (11-10. 11-9, 11-6) to help their side edge ahead on points at 5-4.

Oilmax Stag Yoddhas’ Quadri rallied from a game down to win his second match of the day, the men’s singles (foreign player category), against Croatia’s Andrej Gacina 2-1 (10-11, 11-6, 11-3) to put Oilmax Stag Yoddhas ahead 7-5 after four matches.

Han Ying then won her second outing of the night beating Russian Polina Mikhailova (Oilmax Stag Yoddhas) 2-1 (11-8, 10-11, 11-8) in the women’s singles (Foreign player category) to help Shazé Challengers close in at 7-8 on points.

World No. 46 Gacina thumped Jubin Kumar of Oilmax Stag Yoddhas 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-2) in men’s singles (India v Foreign) to help Shazé Challengers regain the lead at 10-8.

However, Polina Mikhailova beat Mouma Das of Shazé Challengers 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-8) in the women’s singles (Foreign v Indian) to put Oilmax Stag Yoddhas ahead 11-10.

Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar made his debut in the men’s singles (Foreign category) against Li Ping of Shazé Challengers.

World No. 75 Pucar won the opening game 11-9 after world No. 42 Li Ping showed fair play on a crucial point but the Qatar international won the next two at 11-6 and 11-9 to get Shazé Challengers level on points with Oilmax Stag Yoddhas at 12 each, going into the last match of the tie.

Doo Hoi Kem won 11-9, 11-7, 11-9 to seal the tie in favour of Oilmax Stag Yoddhas.

On Tuesday, DHFL Maharashtra United will take on RP-SG Mavericks in what is the second outing for both.


Oilmax Stag Yoddhas 15-12 Shazé Challengers

MS – Aruna Quadri vs Soumyajit Ghosh 1-2 (2-11, 11-9. 8-11)
WS – Manika Batra vs Han Ying 1-2 (11-8, 5-11, 10-11)
MD – Abhishek Yadav/ Doo Hoi Kem vs Soumyajit Ghosh/ Petrissa Solja 3-0 (11-10, 11-9, 11-6
MS – Aruna Quadri vs Andrej Gacina 2-1 (10-11, 11-6, 11-3)
WS – Polina Mikhailova vs Mouma Han Ying 1-2 (8-11, 11-10, 8-11)
MS – Jubin Kumar vs Andrej Gacina 0-3 (5-11, 8-11, 2-11)
WS – Polina Mikhailova vs Mouma Das 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-7)
MS – Tomislav Pucar vs Li Ping 1-2 (11-9, 6-11, 9-11)
WS – Doo Hoi Kem vs Petrissa Solja 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-9)

 

Pic credit: STAR India Private Limited

by Abhishek Shukla

Freitas, Sathiyan help Dabang Smashers T.T.C. edge out Falcons TTC 14-13

Chennai, July 16, 2017: Marcos Freitas won two matches and local lad G Sathiyan recorded an impressive win to help Dabang Smashers T.T.C. edge out Falcons TTC 14-13 in an exciting tie on Day 4 of the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), the country’s newest franchise sports league, at a packed Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.

Portugal’s world No. 14 Marcos Freitas first swept aside Sanil Shetty of Falcons TTC 3-0 to hand Dabang Smashers T.T.C. three full points in the men’s singles (foreign vs Indian), the opening match.

Freitas broke away at 5-5 to take the opening game 11-5 against the Indian. The Portuguese jumped to a 4-1 lead early in the second game before wrapping it up at 11-2 and signed off with a 11-3 win in the third game.

Chinese world No. 13 Wu Yang levelled points (3-3) for Falcons TTC with a 3-0 win over Dabang Smashers T.T.C,’s Mousumi Paul. Yang beat back a late surge by the Indian to win the opening game at 11-9. The Chinese ace cruised to a 11-4 win in the second game and sealed the third game at 11-7.

Falcons TTC’s mixed doubles (Indian/foreign) pair of Sanil Shetty/ Lee Ho Ching routed G Sathiyan/ Tetyana Bilenko of Dabang Smashers T.T.C. 3-0 to hand their side a 6-3 lead.

The Falcons TTC’s pair staged a remarkable rally late to clinch the opening set 11-8 and then went on cruise mode to take the next two at an identical 11-6.

However, in-form Freitas led from the front and thumped Swedish world No. 41 Par Gerell of Falcons TTC 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-8) in the men’s singles (foreign player category) to help Dabang Smashers T.T.C. level at 6-all.

Lee Ho Ching rallied to beat Ukrainian Tetyana Bilenko of Dabang Smashers T.T.C. 2-1 (8-11, 11-9, 11-5) in the women’s singles (foreign player category) to put Falcons TTC ahead 8-7 on points.

Local lad Sathiyan pulled off a surprise 2-1 victory over higher-ranked Gerell (Falcons TTC) in the men’s singles (Indian v Foreign) to help Dabang Smashers T.T.C. draw level on points at 9-all.

Sathiyan jumped to an 8-0 lead in the opening game that he won 11-7. Gerell won the next at 11-6 and then the Chennai boy took the third at 11-6 much to the joy of a packed Sunday crowd.

North Korean world No 19 Kim Song I brushed aside Sutirtha Mukherjee (Falcons TTC) 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-3) in the women’s singles (foreign v Indian) to help Dabang Smashers T.T.C. edge ahead 12-9.

As Briton Liam Pitchford was indisposed (dehydration), young Arjun Ghosh came out to represent Falcons TTC against world No. 28 Kou Lei of Dabang Smashers T.T.C. in the men’s singles.

Ghosh stunned his opponent in the opening game 11-4, before Lei took control by winning the next two at 11-10 and 11-3 to help Dabang Smashers T.T.C. seal the deal and extend their lead to 14-10 going into the day’s last game.

In the women’s singles (foreign player category), Falcons TTC’s Wu Yang beat Kim Song I (Dabang Smashers T.T.C.) 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-10) to reduce Falcons TTC’s deficit to just one point (13-14).

On Monday, Oilmax Stag Yoddhas will play Shazé Challengers in what is a second outing for both.

Final Scoreline: Dabang Smashers T.T.C. 14-13 Falcons TTC

MS – Marcos Freitas beat Sanil Shetty 3-0 (11-5, 11-2, 11-3)
WS – Mousumi Paul lost to Wu Yang 0-3 (9-11, 4-11, 7-11)
MD – Sathiyan G/ Tetyana Bilenko lost to Sanil Shetty\ Lee Ho Ching 0-3 (8-11, 6-11, 6-11)
MS – Marcos Freitas beat Par Gerell 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-8)
WS – Tetyana Bilenko lost to Lee Ho Ching 1-2 (11-8, 9-11, 5-11)
MS – Sathiyan G beat Par Gerell 2-1 (11-7, 6-11, 11-6)
WS – Kim Song I beat Sutirtha Mukherjee 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-3)
MS – Kou Lei beat Arjun Ghosh 2-1 (4-11, 11-10, 11-4)
WS – Kim Song I lost to Wu Yang 0-3 (7-11, 6-11, 10-11)

by Abhishek Shukla

DHFL Maharashtra United beat Oilmax Stag Yoddhas 15-12 in a thriller

Chennai, July 15, 2017: DHFL Maharashtra United made a winning start to their campaign in CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis as they beat Oilmax Stag Yoddas 15-12 in a thrilling contest at a packed Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.

Harmeet Desai of DHFL Maharashtra United pulled off a stunning 3-0 (11-6, 11-10, 11-9) win over Greek world No. 19 Panagiotis Gionis (Oilmax Stag Yoddhas) in the men’s singles (Foreign v Indian) to set the pace for an edge-of-the-seat weekend action.

Desai, ranked 79 in the world, hit form early to take the opening game with ease. The second game saw Gionis, strong in defense, hustle the Indian for every point before the local star pulled through on the final point. The third game ran equally close, but the 24-year-old Desai held his nerves for a sensational win to hand his team three full points.

World No. 22 Liu Jia extended the lead to 5-1 for DHFL Maharashtra United with a 2-1 (11-6, 5-11, 11-7) win over Oilmax Stag Yoddhas’ Manika Batra in the women’s singles (Indian v Foreign).

Delhi’s Manika, ranked 104, bounced back to win the second game in style to win a point for her team before the experienced Austrian took control of the final game.

Oilmax Stag Yoddhas came back strongly in mixed doubles (Foreign/Indian pair) as Aruna Quadri (Nigeria)/ Manika Batra thumped DHFL Maharashtra United’s Joao Monteiro (Portugal)/ Pooja Sahasrabudhe 3-0 (11-1, 11-4, 11-7) to cut their points deficit to 4-5.

Highly-rated Gionis (Oilmax Stag Yoddhas) lost for a second time in the night’s proceedings, with Portuguese world No. 48 Joao Monteiro emerging 3-0 (11-10, 11-3, 11-4) winner in the men’s singles (foreign player category) to hand DHFL Maharashtra United a 8-4 lead on points going into the game 5.

Doo Hoi Kem of Oilmax Stag Yoddhas beat Liu Jia (DHFL Maharashtra United) 2-1 (11-5, 11-7, 10-11) in the women’s singles (foreign player category) to bring Oilmax Stag Yoddhas back in contention. After five matches, DHFL Maharashtra United led 9-6.

Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting extended DHFL Maharashtra United’s lead to 11-7 with a 2-1 (11-7, 8-11, 11-4) over Jubin Kumar (Oilmax Stag Yoddhas) in the men’s singles (Indian v Foreign).

World No 28 Doo Hoi Kem then brushed aside Krittwika Sinha Roy of DHFL Maharashtra United 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-8) in the women’s singles (foreign v Indian) to reduce the difference to just one point. (DHFL Maharashtra United 11, Oilmax Stag Yoddhas 10).

It was left for DHFL Maharashtra United’s Wong Chun to edge out Quadri 2-1 (11-7, 11-10, 9-11) in the men’s singles (foreign player category) to help DHFL Maharashtra United stay ahead 13-11 on points, going into the evening’s final match.

Veteran Fu Yu helped DHFL Maharashtra United seal the deal (15-12) with a 2-1 (11-9, 7-11, 11-9) win over Russian Polina Mikhailova (Oilmax Stag Yoddhas) in the women’s singles (foreign player category).

On Sunday, Dabang Smashers T.T.C. will meet Falcons TTC in what is the second outing for both teams.

Oilmax Stag Yoddhas 12-15 DHFL Maharashtra United

 

MS – Panagiotis Gionis vs Harmeet Desai (0-3) (6-11, 10-11, 9-11)

WS – Manika Batra vs Liu Jia (1-2) (6-11, 11-5, 7-11)

MD – Aruna Quadri/ Manika Batra vs Joao Monteiro/ Pooja Sahasrabudhe (3-0) (11-1, 11-4, 11-7)

MS – Panagiotis Gionis vs Joao Monteiro (0-3) (10-11, 3-11, 4-11)

WS – Doo Hoi Kem vs Liu Jia (2-1) (11-5, 11-7, 10-11)

MS – Jubin Kumar vs Wong Chun Ting (1-2) (7-11, 11-8, 4-11)

WS – Doo Hoi Kem vs Krittwika Sinha Roy (3-0) (11-9, 11-5, 11-8)

MS – Aruna Quadri vs Wong Chun Ting (1-2) (7-11, 10-11, 11-10)

WS – Polina Mikhailova vs Fu Yu (1-2) (9-11, 11-7, 9-11)

by Abhishek Shukla

Shazè Challengers edge out Dabang Smashers TTC 15-12 in a thriller

Chennai, July 14, 2017: Shazè Challengers edged out Dabang Smashers TTC 15-12 in a thrilling tie on Day 2 of the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Friday.

Portuguese world No. 14 Marcos Freitas put Dabang Smashers TTC ahead with a 2-1 victory (11-3, 11-6, 10-11) over Indian Soumyajit Ghosh in the men’s singles (Foreign vs Indian) clash.

Left-handed Freitas jumped to a 5-2 lead in the opening game before closing it out in aggressive style. Ghosh came back strongly in the second game and he even led 4-3 before Freitas beat back the Indian’s challenge to race to a 9-6 lead before sealing the game.

Freitas broke away to a 5-3 lead in the third game but Ghosh clawed back to 9-9 and held his nerve to earn a point for his team, Shazè Challengers, by winning the third game.

Women’s world No. 9 Han Ying brushed aside an error-prone Madhurika Patkar of Dabang Smashers TTC 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-6) to give Shazè Challengers a slight edge on points (4-2).

Ying, a China-born German, was at her defensive best while Madhurika lapsed into a series of unforced errors in the first two games and didn’t quite recover thereafter.

The pairing of Petrissa Solja & Soumyajit Ghosh of Shazè Challengers beat Kou Lei & Madhurika Patkar of Dabang Smashers TTC 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-4) in the mixed doubles (Foreign-Indian pair) to further extend their side’s grip on the tie by taking a 7-2 lead on points.

Kou Lei of Dabang Smashers TTC beat Andrej Gacina of Shazè Challengers 2-1 (11-9, 11-9, 9-11) to bring Dabang Smashers TTC back into the contest in the fourth match, men’s singles (Foreign player category).

World No. 9 Han Ying won her second match of the day for Shazè Challengers. After dropping the opening game to North Korean world No. 19 Kim Song I, Ying won the next two in the women’s singles for foreign players for a 6-11, 11-9, 11-10 in what was a nail-biting finish in the decider to extend Challengers’s overall lead to 10-5.

Andrej Gacina, a top-50 player, was stretched by Smashers’ Anthony Amalraj before the Croat pulled through 2-1 (10-11, 11-2, 11-9) in a tight men’s singles (India v Foreign) encounter to extend Challengers’s lead to 12-6.

But Kim Song I, in her second match, thrashed her opponent Mouma Das 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-6) in women’s singles (Foreign v Indian) to help Smashers stage a late recovery, reducing Challengers’ lead to 12-9.

It was then for skipper Freitas to beat China-born Qatari Li Ping 2-1 (7-11, 11-6, 11-5) in the men’s singles for foreign players to bring his team right back into the contest by reducing their deficit to 11-13 going into the day’s final match.

However, Challengers’ Petrissa Solja won her opening game 11-5 against Ukrainian Tetyana Bilenko in the women’s singles for foreigners. Bilenko won the next 11-6 but Solja won the final game 11-10 to hand Challengers a victorious 15-12 verdict.

On Saturday, Oilmax-Stag Yoddas will take on DHFL Maharashtra United.

Teams
Matches Category Dabang Smashers TTC Points Won Shaze Challengers
1 Men’s Singles Marcos Freitas 2-1 Soumyajit Ghosh
2 Women’s Singles Madhurika Patkar 0-3 Han Ying
3 Mixed  Doubles Kou Lei/ Madhurika Patkar 0-3 Petrissa Solja/ Soumyajit Ghosh
4 Men’s Singles Kou Lei 2-1 Andrej Gacina
5 Women’s Singles Kim Song I 1-2 Han Ying
6 Men’s Singles Amalraj Anthony 1-2 Andrej Gacina
7 Women’s Singles Kim Song I 3-0 Mouma Das
8 Men’s Singles Marcos Freitas 2-1 Li Ping
9 Women’s Singles Tetyana Bilenko 1-2 Petrissa Solja
FINAL SCORE 12-15  

 

by Abhishek Shukla

DHFL Maharashtra United to face Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas in battle of equals

Chennai, 14 July 2017: After two days of sheer thrill that kept the Table Tennis buffs in Chennai city glued to their seats, the third day of CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis will witness a battle of equals in DHFL Maharashtra United vs Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas in July 15, 2017.

While DHFL Maharashtra United boasts of top foreign draw and World No. 8 Wong Chun Ting in their ranks alongside Liu Jia. The other foreign players Joao Monteiro and Yu Fu are both part of the top 50 in the men’s and women’s category respectively.

Their Indian contingent features a youthful brigade in Harmeet Desai, Ronit Bhanja, Krittwika Sinha Roy and Pooja Sahasrabudhe. Desai brings a great sense of eagerness to win as his own rise has been rather meteoric considering he broke into the top 100 in the world rankings at a very early stage in his career. He will look to showcase his attacking brand of table tennis in the competition.

Ronit Bhanja is another hot prospect who has to his credit a 5th place finish at World Junior Circuit finals. Their 23-year-old Krittwika Roy is a Fajr Cup champion and is well known for her all-round game. Rounding off the group of home talents is Pooja Sahasrabudhe, the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games Silver medallist and World TT Championships Gold medallist in the 2nd division. “We do have a strong team with vibrant set of youthful players. But going by how the League has begun, with some predictable and not so predictable results, I think a lot will depend on how we plan against our opponents,” expressed Coach Arup Basak who helped team India win 13 medals at the Commonwealth Championships 2013 and secure a promotion for his team to the first division in the World Team Championships. He will be joined by foreign coach Ferenc Karsai who is one of the best European coaches.

The Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas, on the other hand, possess the right balance in terms of experience and youth. In Abhishek Yadav and Jubin Kumar, the Yoddhas have two highly talented players who love to attack. Abhishek is only 21 but he has been turning heads in the country with his prowess that includes a bronze in the Asian Youth Games 2013. He is also one of the few players who prefers to employ the pen hold grip. On the other hand, Jubin will be eager to make his mark. The lad from Chandigarh had bagged gold in the men’s category in World Youth Table Tennis Festival (2002-03) held in Hungary,.

Manika Batra and Selena Selvakumar complete the set of Indian talent. Manika is currently the highest placed Indian player as per the ITTF World Ranking in the women’s category. It’s of little surprise since she has bagged medals at the Asian and international level and even managed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The youngest player in the team, Selena Selvakumar, at the age of 17 has already tasted success in various levels. She won three gold medals in the 2016 Qatar World Junior Circuit and bagged 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze in the National Championships 2016.

With a perfect blend of attacking and defensive styles of play, Panagiotis Gionis and Aruna Quadri, — ranked 19th and 29th respectively — will bring their vast international experience to the table. Panagiotis is the most experienced player in the squad at the age of 37 and has represented his country in four consecutive Olympics from 2004 to 2016. His experience will come in handy in crucial moments.

As for the international women, Doo Hoi Kem of Hong Kong has bagged gold in the ITTF World Tour Croatia Open 2016 and she will be a very tough opponent to beat. Partnering the world No. 28 Hoi Kem is Polina Mikhailova of Russia, currently ranked 64th in the world. “Our team players complement each other. While we have players who possess great defensive skill, we also have those with fierce attacking abilities that makes us a perfect mix. The versatility of our youth and experience gives us confidence for a positive start,” expressed coach Sandeep Gupta. He will be joined by Vesna Ojstersek, who was the head coach of Slovenia’s national women team for 6 years.

CEAT UTT will be shown live from 7:30 PM on Star Sports Select 2 HD, Star Sports Select 2 and will be live streamed on Hotstar and Jio TV.

by Abhishek Shukla

RP-SG Mavericks lead Falcons TTC 7-5 after four matches

Chennai, 13th July, 2017: RP-SG Mavericks led Falcon TTC 7-5 on points after four matches out of nine in the inaugural tie of the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), the country’s newest franchise sports league, which kicked off at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.
In the clash of captains, Par Gerell drew first blood for Falcons TTC as he beat RP-SG’s Sharath Kamal 11-6, 8-11, 11-9 in the opening encounter to put his team up 2-1 on points.
Kamal, the face of Indian table tennis for well over a decade, was outpaced in the opening game but came back strongly to take the next as a full-house crowd rooted for the local star.  Kamal took a 5-3 lead in the decider but faltered as Gerell clawed back and took control.
According to the UTT points system, in each game, whichever individual/pair scores 11 points first shall be the winner and the team shall receive one Team Point. Each tie will have 9 matches and each match will have 3 games so each tie will have 27 games.
The winner of a tie shall be decided by total games i.e. total points won, meaning a team that wins 14 or more games of the 27 games shall be the winner of that tie.
In League ties, teams shall play all 27 games even if one team has secured the winning 14 points. In Playoff ties, teams will play only up to such time that one team is the winner, having secured 14 points.
RP-SG Maverick’s Sabine Winter clean swept Sutirtha Mukherjee 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-6) while Falcons TTC won the mixed doubles match 2-1 as Lee Ho Ching (Hong Kong) and Sanil Shetty put it past Sofia Polcanova and Kamal 11-8, 8-11, 11-5.
Austrian Stefan Fegerl helped RP-SG Mavericks register another 2-1 win (11-6, 11-9, 9-11) over Englishman Liam Pitchford to help his side lead at the end of four matches.
by Abhishek Shukla

Viswanathan Anand inaugurates CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis

Chennai, July 13, 2017: Chess legend Viswanathan Anand was the chief guest of the launch of the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), the country’s newest franchise sports league, which kicked off later on Thursday with the first tie between RP-SG Mavericks and Falcons TTC at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
“This is the biggest league to happen in India for table tennis and I think it will be a great boost to the sport in the country,” Anand said at the sidelines of the inauguration event.
Also present at the inauguration was Vita Dani, chairperson of 11 Even Sports Pvt. Ltd. and League Owner, Niraj Bajaj, Promoter-Director, Bajaj Group of Companies and Co-Promoter of the CEAT UTT.
Twenty-four foreign players and an equal number of Indian players (both men and women) feature in the six franchises. Apart from RP-SG Mavericks and Falcons TTC, the other four franchises are Dabang Smashers TTC, DHFL Maharashtra United, Oilmax Stag Yoddas and Shazè Challengers.
CEAT UTT will be played in Chennai (July 13-20), Delhi (July 21-25) with the final leg including semifinals and finals played in Mumbai (July 26-30).
The matches will be shown live from 7:30 PM on Star Sports Select 2 HD, Star Sports Select 2 and will be live streamed on Hotstar and Jio TV.