PANAJI
India's top-ranked male paddler Harmeet Desai and Reeth Rishya T produced scintillating performances as Goa Challengers beat U Mumba TT 9-6, ending their unbeaten run in the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4 at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi in Pune on Wednesday.
While the Chennai-born paddler Reeth stunned Lily Zhang 2-1 (6-11, 11-6, 11-9), Harmeet defeated Manav Thakkar 2-1 (10-11, 11-7, 11-8) to complete a remarkable victory for the Goa franchise.
The highest-ranked paddler in Season 4, Quadri Aruna of U Mumba produced a scintillating show in the first match (Men's Singles) of the tie and defeated Alvaro Robles 2-1 to earn two valuable team points. Diya Chitale, who had stunned India’s top-ranked player, Bengaluru Smashers' Manika Batra during their first face-off, fought bravely in the second match of the tie (Women's Singles) but lost 1-2 against Suthasini Sawettabut as the Goa Challengers' paddler brought her franchise back into the game. Harmeet and Suthasini defeated Manav Thakkar and Lily Zhang 2-1 to bring Goa into the lead for the first time in the tie by 5-4.
Result: Tie Score - Goa Challengers 9-6 U Mumba TT; Alvaro Robles 1-2 Quadri Aruna (6-11, 10-11, 11-8), Suthasini Sawettabut 2-1 Diya Chitale (11-7, 11-9, 9-11), Harmeet/Suthasini 2-1 Manav/Lily (11-8, 11-8, 7-11), Harmeet Desai 2-1 Manav Thakkar (10-11, 11-7, 11-8), Reeth Tennison 2-1 Lily Zhang (6-11, 11-6, 11-9).
