UTT: Dabang Delhi TTC renew rivalry with Athlead Goa Challengers for the title
The stage is set, and the battle lines are drawn as the UTT 2024 reached its climax in a few hours with the 2018 champions, Dabang Delhi TTC pitted against a formidable defending champions Athlead Goa Challengers.
Harmeet Desai
CHENNAI: Team India stalwarts Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Harmeet Desai will look to rekindle their intense rivalry when their respective sides -- Dabang Delhi TTC and Athlead Goa Challengers -- face off for the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) 2024 title at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.
The stage is set, and the battle lines are drawn as the UTT 2024 reached its climax in a few hours with the 2018 champions, Dabang Delhi TTC pitted against a formidable defending champions Athlead Goa Challengers. Having made it to a fifth straight semi-final, Dabang Delhi TTC made a spectacular recovery to pull things back and make it to the title clash after a hard-fought 8-6 win against the UTT 2024 debutants Ahmedabad SG Pipers on Friday.
With the tie tilted in the balance till the last women's singles match, Diya Chitale showcased why she's touted as the next big thing in Indian table tennis as ensured Dabang Delhi TTC's ticket to the final with a rather effortless straight games victory over Reeth Rishya of Ahmedabad SG Pipers.
Along with Diya's heroics, the Delhi-based outfit will be pinning their hopes on the seasoned Sathiyan Gnanasekaran to lead from the front in the title clash. Orawan Paranang, who defeated World No.13 Bernadette Szocs -- the highest ranked player in this edition of UTT, and Andreas Levenko, who registered his maiden win of the tournament on Friday, will also hope to carry the momentum into the final. On the other hand, two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Harmeet Desai, who has been in scintillating form this season, will look to script history by leading the Athlead Goa Challengers to a second successive title.
The defending champions made light work of PBG Bengaluru Smashers in their semi-final, and will be banking on yet another clinical show from the likes of Harmeet, Mihai Bobocica and Yanzi Liu to lift that glittering trophy. Squads Dabang Delhi TTC : Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Orawan Paranang (Thailand), Diya Chitale, Andreas Levenko (Austria), Yashansh Malik, Lakshita Narang. Athlead Goa Challengers : Harmeet Desai, Yangzi Liu (Australia), Yashaswini Ghorpade, Sudhanshu Grover, Sayali Wani, Mihai Bobocica (Italy).