UTT: Top-seed Szocs and Reeth guide Ahmedabad to victory against U Mumba
The biggest highlight of the evening came from Tamil Nadu’s Reeth, who is not even in the top 200 of the world rankings but defeated Sutirtha Mukherjee, securing her first match victory in the ongoing season.
Reeth Rishya celebrates after picking point against Sutirtha Mukherjee
CHENNAI: Top-seed Bernadette Szocs and Reeth Rishya’s crucial victories in their singles contests helped Ahmedabad SG Pipers beat U Mumba TT 9-6, allowing Ahmedabad to climb to the top of the table.
U Mumba’s Manav Thakkar continued his winning run, picking up early points. Manush Shah struggled with his returns, and numerous unforced errors cost him dearly as he lost the first game. Manush looked promising in the second game, pulling points back after being down 4-1, but World No 57 Manav brought out his aggressive game and won crucial points to take the second game. Manush won the third game, and despite having a three-point cushion, he dropped some points but managed to hold on and secure the win.
The biggest highlight of the evening came from Tamil Nadu’s Reeth, who is not even in the top 200 of the world rankings but defeated Sutirtha Mukherjee, securing her first match victory in the ongoing season.
Asian Games medallist Sutirtha dominated proceedings from the very start. She scored most points on serve and won the first game 11-5. Although the second game initially favoured Sutirtha, the momentum shifted after the towel break, with Reeth pushing hard and eventually winning the second game 11-8 and force a decider.
The third game was closely contested, with the score tied 5-5 at one point. Reeth’s determination shone through as she engaged in a powerful rally and executed a backhand shot beyond Sutirtha’s reach, drawing huge cheers from the crowd as she edged closer to victory. Sutirtha came close to turning the game around but ultimately could not prevent Reeth from claiming a famous win.
In the final contest of the evening, top-seed Szocs was given a run for her money in the first game as Spaniard Maria Xiao won it and took the lead. However, Szocs came back in style, maintaining a nine-point lead for most of the second game and eventually winning it. Earlier, Manush and Szocs combined in the mixed doubles and blanked the duo of Manav and Maria, earning important points for Ahmedabad and guiding them to victory.
Brief Scores:
Ahmedabad SG Pipers bt U Mumba TT 9-6:
Manush Shah lost to Manav Thakkar 1-2 (2-11, 9-11, 11-8); Reeth Rishya bt Sutirtha Mukherjee 2-1 (5-11, 11-8, 11-7); Manush/Szocs bt Manav/Xiao 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-8); Lilian Bardet lost to Quadri Aruna 1-2 (5-11, 11-9, 9-11); Bernadette Szocs bt Maria Xiao 2-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-6)