PANAJI
Defending champions Dempo Goa Challengers suffered a narrow 6-9 loss to Kolkata ThunderBlades in a high-intensity clash of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Sunday at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad.
Despite strong performances from captain Harmeet Desai and star international Zeng Jian, Goa couldn’t hold off a spirited Kolkata side. The loss, only Goa’s second of the season, sees them remain in contention at the top of the table”level on 29 points with Jaipur Patriots and U Mumba TT”thanks to a superior count of game wins. Kolkata moved into the playoff spots, the win pushing them to fourth with 29 points.
The tie opened with a much-anticipated encounter between Goa skipper Harmeet Desai and world No. 19 Quadri Aruna. Harmeet showed tremendous resilience in the first game, rallying from 4-9 down to win 11-10. However, Aruna fought back powerfully to hand Harmeet his first singles defeat of the season, taking the next two games with precision and power.
Goa then faced a setback as Krittwika Sinha Roy went down in straight games to Adriana Diaz, whose shot-making and defensive brilliance earned her the ‘Shots of the Tie’ accolade. The momentum continued with the mixed doubles as Harmeet and Zeng Jian were edged out 1-2 by Ankur Bhattacharjee and Diaz in a tight contest.
Ankur returned to the table and displayed fine form against Ronit Bhanja, rallying from a game down to dominate the decider 11-1. With the tie slipping away, Zeng Jian stepped up once again for Goa, defeating Selena Selvakumar 3-0 in commanding fashion to maintain her unbeaten record (4-0) this season and give the team a strong finish.
Zeng’s continued consistency and Harmeet’s fighting spirit remain bright spots for Dempo Goa Challengers, as the team turns focus to the upcoming fixtures with playoff qualification well within reach. Kolkata’s Ankur Bhattacharjee and Adriana Diaz were named Indian and Foreign Player of the Tie, respectively.
In the junior segment, Kolkata ThunderBlades also lifted the inaugural Dream UTT Juniors title with a 5-2 win over U Mumba TT earlier in the day.
SCOREBOX: Kolkata ThunderBlades 9 beat Dempo Goa Challengers 6 - Quadri Aruna bt. Harmeet Desai 2-1 (10-11, 11-10, 11-6), Adriana Diaz bt. Krittwika Sinha Roy 3-0 (11-1, 11-4, 11-6), Bhattacharjee/Diaz bt. Desai/Zeng 2-1 (11-10, 9-11, 11-7), Ankur Bhattacharjee bt. Ronit Bhanja 2-1 (10-11, 11-10, 11-1), Zeng Jian bt. Selena Selvakumar 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-4)
