Harmeet, Liu power Goa to win over Jaipur

CHENNAI: Harmeet Desai bounced back in style after an early setback, partnering Yangzi Liu to success in the mixed doubles round, and helped reigning champion Athlead Goa Challengers beat debutant Jaipur Patriots in the first tie of Ultimate Table Tennis at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.

Goa Challengers won the toss and served first (Men’s Singles), with captain Harmeet securing the maiden point of UTT 2024. The Indian star paddler raced into a 5-0 lead and took the first game by a whopping 11-2 scoreline. Cho Seungmin, however, retaliated in the second game, mirroring Harmeet’s efforts from the first; the debuting South Korean amassed a huge lead quickly and closed out the game 11-1. The debutant maintained his assertive shots in the deciding game and emerged victorious, 2-1.

The indomitable Liu turned the tables around in the second match (Women’s Singles), propelling Goa Challengers into the lead by defeating the experienced Suthasini Sawettabut 3-0.

Harmeet, Liu, and Suthasini returned to the table and were joined by Ronit Bhanja for the Mixed Doubles. Harmeet and Liu, playing their first tie together, showed incredible coordination to take the first game 11-1. While Suthasini and Ronit recovered in game two, Harmeet and Liu took the match by edging the Jaipur Patriots pair in the deciding game.

Ronit faced Athlead Goa Challengers’ Mihai Bobocica in the fourth match (Men’s Singles), with the Italian making his league bow aged 37. Two-time Olympian Bobocica came from behind to win 2-1, increasing his team’s lead to eight points and giving them a tie win.

Match five (Women’s Singles) between Yashaswini Ghorpade and Nithyashree Mani witnessed the first Golden Point of UTT 2024, which the latter claimed en route to securing a 2-1 win.

Debutant Ahmedabad SG Pipers will begin its UTT 2024 campaign with the first tie of Friday’s double header against Puneri Paltan Table Tennis. Later, PBG Bengaluru Smashers will play host Chennai Lions.

The league will run for the subsequent 17 days, culminating in the final scheduled on September 7.

Results: Athlead Goa Challengers bt Jaipur Patriots 9-6: Harmeet Desai lost to Cho Seung-min 1-2 (11-2, 1-11, 5-11); Yangzi Liu bt Suthasini Sawettabut 3-0 (11-3, 11-6, 11-4); Harmeet/Liu bt Ronit/Suthasini 2-1 (11-1, 6-11, 11-7); Mihai Bobocica bt Ronit Bhanja 2-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-5); Yashaswini Ghorpade lost to Nithyashree Mani 1-2 (10-11, 11-5, 7-11)