Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor: Dabang Delhi TTC staged an impressive comeback to defeat UP Prometheans 9-6 and begin their campaign in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 with a win in the opening double-header at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Panaji on Friday.
While the final score suggested a comfortable victory, Delhi had to work hard as UP Prometheans pushed them in almost every contest.
UP made the brighter start through star Indian paddler Manav Thakkar, who defeated Egypt's Youssef Abdelaziz 2-1 (11-8, 11-5, 10-11) to give his side an early advantage.
The Table Tennis Review (TTR) system, introduced in UTT Season 7, was used for the first time in India when Manav Thakkar challenged a serve by Youssef Abdelaziz for ball visibility/ball hiding. His first two TTR appeals were successful, allowing him to retain the three allotted unsuccessful reviews for the tie. However, his third appeal for ball visibility was unsuccessful, with the review confirming that the ball remained visible in accordance with the regulations.
Dabang Delhi responded immediately as Spanish paddler Maria Xiao overcame Australia's Yangzi Liu 2-1 (11-6, 11-7, 4-11) to level the tie. Xiao then combined with Sathiyan Gnanasekaran to dominate the mixed doubles match, beating Thakkar and Liu in straight games 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-5) and putting Delhi ahead 6-3.
Gnanasekaran extended Delhi's lead with another hard-fought 2-1 victory over Germany's Ricardo Walther. The Indian paddler took the opening two games before Walther fought back in the third, with Gnanasekaran eventually winning 11-8, 11-6, 6-11.
UP stayed in the contest when Sayali Wani edged past Divyanshi Bhowmick 2-1 (9-11, 11-5, 11-10), but it was not enough to deny Delhi the overall victory.
For her outstanding performance across singles and doubles, Maria Xiao was named the ChatGPT Match IQ Player of the Tie, while Ricardo Walther earned the Bisleri Shot of the Tie award for his superb 11-6 run in the third game of his match against Gnanasekaran.
Earlier in the day, UTT Juniors, UTT's grassroots competition running alongside Season 7, continued in Goa. U Mumba TT began on a positive note, registering a 5-4 victory against Dempo Goa Challengers, while HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades continued their winning run by recording a 5-4 triumph against Ahmedabad APL Pipers.
Final score:
Dabang Delhi TTC bt UP Prometheans 9-6
Youssef Abdelaziz lost to Manav Thakkar 1-2 (8-11, 5-11, 11-10)
Maria Xiao bt Yangzi Liu 2-1 (11-6, 11-7, 4-11)
Maria Xiao/G Sathiyan bt Yangzi Liu/Manav Thakkar 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-5)
Divyanshi Bhowmick lost to Sayali Wani 1-2 (11-9, 5-11, 10-11)