In a nail-biting finish, the defending champions Athlead Goa Challengers secured a narrow 8-7 victory over U Mumba TT in Tie 18 of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) league. The win keeps their hopes of reaching the semifinals alive, positioning them in third place with 37 points, just one point ahead of U Mumba TT.
The match was a seesaw battle that went down to the wire. U Mumba TT took an early lead thanks to Quadri Aruna’s victory over Harmeet Desai in the first men’s singles. Maria Xiao’s win over Yangzi Liu in the first women’s singles extended their advantage.
Athlead Goa Challengers fought back, with Yangzi Liu and Harmeet Desai winning the mixed doubles against Maria Xiao and Manav Thakkar. Mihai Bobocica’s victory over Manav Thakkar leveled the score at 6-6. The deciding match went to Yashaswini Ghorpade, who secured a hard-fought win over Sutirtha Mukherjee to clinch the tie for Athlead Goa Challengers.
Ghorpade’s performance earned her the Indian Player of the Tie award, while Maria Xiao was named the Foreign Player of the Match. The victory has significant implications for both teams as they continue their quest for a place in the semifinals.
Detailed Scores
Athlead Goa Challengers bt U Mumba TT 8-7:
Harmeet Desai lost to Aruna Quadri 2-1 (7-11, 11-4, 10-11)
Yangzi Liu lost to Maria Xiao 2-1 (11-9, 10-11, 9-11)
Yangzi Liu/Harmeet Desai bt Maria Xiao/Manav Thakkar 2-1 (11-6, 10-11, 11-7)
Mihai Bobocica bt Manav Thakkar 2-1 (11-6, 11-8, 7-11)
Yashaswini Ghorpade bt Sutirtha Mukherjee 2-1 (11-8, 11-10, 10-11)
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