Ultimate Table Tennis 2023: Bengaluru Smashers opens their account after a thrilling win over Chennai Lions

Bengaluru Smashers won their first tie in the fourth edition of the Ultimate Table Tennis League by defeating Chennai Lions on Thursday, July 20. Bengaluru Smashers took the Southern Derby by 8-7.

Sharath Kamal and Kirill Gerassimenko met in the first match of the day. The Bengaluru Smashers paddler had an excellent start to the game by moving to 6-2. However, Sharath Kamal flipped the switch to attack, and his backhand troubled Kirill in the latter part of the game. Sharath took the game to Golden Point, but Kirill managed to defeat the Indian paddler to take the first game.

Kirill had a similar start in the second game as well. He raced to 6-1 immediately. Once again, Sharath came back stronger, and this time ended on the right side of the result. He won the last ten out of eleven points to take the game 11-7. The third game also went to the Golden Point. The Bengaluru Smashers paddler wrapped the match in the end as Sharath's smash landed out of the table.

Sutirtha Mukherjee and Manika Batra had a battle at the start of the second game. They were 3-3 at one stage. Manika Batra used the angles well and grabbed multiple points on the trot to take the game at 11-6.

In the second game, Sutirtha Mukherjee took a one-point lead initially and capitalized on it until Manika Bhatra turned the game in her favor. Her backhand proved too good for Sutirtha as she took the game to the Golden Point.

However, The Chennai Lions paddler held her nerves to win via Golden Point to tie the match. Game three was a close contest, but Manika Bhatra sealed it by winning three points on the trot.

The mixed doubles also went Bengaluru Smashers' way. However, it was a close match, with Sharath Kamal/Yangzi Liu and Kirill Gerassimenko/Manika Batra giving it all in the match.

At first, Chennai Lions dominated the game and won the first by 11-6. The Bengaluru Smashers came back in the second game. They took a one-point lead in the initial stages of the game and capitalized on it to win the second game by 11-9. The duo managed to take the final game to take the match and moved to 6-3 after the third match.

Bengaluru Smashers opted for Jeet Chandra in the second Men's singles of the day. He faced Chennai Lions' Benedikt Duda. While Benedikt had a 2-0 start, Jeet Chandra proved too good for the Chennai Lions paddler, as he won four points on the trot to move to 7-3. Later, he won the game by 11-9.

In the must-win game, Benedikt Duda fought hard, but Jeet Chandra kept the contest going until the end. During the game point, Jeet Chandra perished to a backhand smash and allowed Benedikt to level the match. Benedikt Duda kept Chennai Lions in the tie by winning the final game to move to 5-7.

In the final match, both teams had an opportunity to take the tie. Chennai Lions needed to win all three games, while Bengaluru Smashers needed one to win the tie.

Yangzi Liu and Natalia Bajor faced in the important match of the tie. While the Chennai Lions paddler had a positive start, Natalia Bajor did it for the Smashers as she won the first game by 11-5.

Despite a 2-5 start in the second game, Yangzi Liu bounced back stronger to seal the game at 11-9. In the third game, Yangzi Liu capitalized on the unforced errors from Natalia Bajor to win five points on the trot. She sealed the game at 11-6 to end the match at 7-8.

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Bengaluru Smashers vs Chennai Lions Result

Bengaluru Smashers 8-7 Chennai Lions

Men's Singles

Kirill Gerassimenko 2-1 Sharath Kamal

Scores: 11-10, 7-11, 11-10

Women's Singles

Manika Batra 2-1 Sutirtha Mukherjee

Scores: 11-6, 10-11, 11-8

Mixed Doubles

Kirill/Manika 2-1 Sharath/Yangzi

Scores: 6-11, 11-9, 11-7

Men's Singles

Benedikt Duda 2-1 Jeet Chandra

Scores: 9-11, 11-9, 11-7

Women's Singles

Natalia Bajor 1-2 Yangzi Liu

Scores: 11-5, 9-11, 6-11