Ayhika Mukherjee: World No.135 India's Ayhika Mukherjee, representing Dabang Delhi TTC, gave her all to upset World No.26 Lily Zhang 2-1 of U Mumba TT in a match of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 4 at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex on Monday.
The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).
The first game saw a nail-biting battle as U Mumba's Lily and Ayhika of Dabang Delhi showcased immaculate backhands to win points. In the end, it was the American paddler who pocketed the game through a golden point.
Both players continued their fighting spirit in the second game as well which went into the favour of Ayhika through a golden point.
The West Bengal-born paddler showed tremendous mental fortitude as she won the decider through a golden point to clinch the match.
Earlier, U Mumba TT's Manav Thakkar went down fighting 0-3 against Jon Persson of Dabang Delhi TTC.
Thakkar looked out of touch early on as Persson quickly reached 10-2 in the opening game before Thakkar earned six back-to-back points to enthral the audience. However, the Swedish paddler held his nerve to win the first game 11-8 with an accurate forehand.
The second game also saw the Surat-based paddler making Persson sweat for every point before the Dabang Delhi TTC player took the game 11-8. Persson won the following game 11-7 with his incredible shots on both flanks.