The Athlead Goa Challengers have cemented their position as the reigning champions of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) league, successfully defending their title in a hard-fought victory against the Dabang Delhi TTC. The Challengers emerged victorious with a convincing 8-2 scoreline, marking their second consecutive UTT championship.
The Challengers’ strategy for this match involved a clever alteration of their player order compared to their previous encounter with Dabang in 2024. This saw Harmeet Desai taking on Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in the first encounter, rather than Mihai Bobocica. The Chennai crowd, eager to see their local hero Sathiyan perform, provided a lively atmosphere, and he capitalized on this energy to take the first game. However, Harmeet Desai quickly turned the tide, displaying exceptional skill and focus in the subsequent games. His unforced errors were minimal, and his performance resembled the dominance he exhibited in the 2023 WTT Contender quarterfinal against China’s Xiang Peng. With years of familiarity with Sathiyan’s playing style, Harmeet skillfully targeted his backhand to induce mistakes. One particularly memorable moment was Harmeet’s powerful forehand topspin, delivered with a dramatic back arch and shift of weight onto his left leg – a shot that will undoubtedly stay etched in the minds of spectators for some time.
In the women’s singles, revenge was on the menu for Yangzi Liu, who was looking to settle the score with Orawan Paranang. Earlier in the season, Paranang had broken Liu’s undefeated streak in the UTT. This time, the tables turned as Liu delivered a commanding 3-0 victory, leaving Paranang searching for answers. Liu dominated the first game with an 11-2 score, and despite Paranang’s valiant effort, she was unable to break Liu’s rhythm, losing the second game on a golden point and falling just two points short in the third game.
The mixed doubles match proved to be another nail-biter, with both teams fiercely battling for the win. Ultimately, the Challengers’ duo of Liu and Harmeet emerged victorious with a 2-1 scoreline. Liu’s impressive forehand chop block played a crucial role in securing the final point, leaving Bobocica with the straightforward task of winning a single game to seal the overall victory. Bobocica, known as the ‘Italian Stallion,’ promptly delivered, securing the win for the Challengers and confirming their dominance in the UTT.
