Manika stars in Bengaluru’s win over Jaipur
Spearheaded by Manika Batra and Alvaro Robles, the team from Bengaluru prolonged its unbeaten streak and registered its third straight win, increasing its points tally to 32.
CHENNAI: PBG Bengaluru Smashers took a significant step toward playoff qualification in Ultimate Table Tennis by resoundingly beating Jaipur Patriots 11-4 at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.
Spearheaded by Manika Batra and Alvaro Robles, the team from Bengaluru prolonged its unbeaten streak and registered its third straight win, increasing its points tally to 32.
Batra herself added to the flourish by defeating Suthasini Sawettabut in the tie’s final match 3-0 - winning two Golden Points along the way - putting on a show for those watching.
The tie’s first match between Robles and Cho Seung-min produced rousing rallies and sensational comebacks, especially from the former, who became the first paddler to beat the South Korean in UTT.
Captain of PBG Bengaluru Smashers, Robles trailed both games one and two at the time-out but rallied back to win both, thus taking the match. Jaipur Patriots’ Cho swung one back in his team’s favour with a win in the third.
Lily Zhang followed in her captain’s footsteps by securing PBG Bengaluru Smashers’ second tie win, over Jaipur Patriots’ Nithyashree Mani. Zhang took all three games - 11-5, 11-10, 11-5 - increasing her side’s lead to 5-1. Nithyashree and Cho then partnered in the mixed doubles round to avenge their previous defeats, beating Anthony Amlaraj and Zhang 3-0.
Results: PBG Bengaluru Smashers bt Jaipur Patriots 11-4: Alvaro Robles bt Cho Seung-min 2-1 (11-6, 11-7, 10-11); Lily Zhang bt Nithyashree Mani 3-0 (11-5, 11-10, 11-5); Amalraj/Zhang Lost to Cho/Nithyashree 0-3 (7-11, 9-11, 9-11); Jeet Chandra bt Snehit SFR 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-6); Manika Batra bt Suthasini Sawettabut 3-0 (11-10, 11-4, 11-10)