Puneri Paltan TTC defeated Goa Challengers in a nail-biting thriller in the 5th match of the Ultimate Table Tennis League. The host side was 1-5 down before they clinched the tie 8-7.
Goa Challengers had an excellent start to the tie as Harmeet Desai won 3-0 against Manush Shah in the opening match. The men's singles contest witnessed three close games, including two Golden Point.
Hana Matelova won the first game of the second match but Reeth Tennison won the final two games to clinch the match 2-1. Goa Challengers moved to 5-1 after the end of the second match.
Despite losing their respective singles match, Manush and Hana joined to produce the first win of the day for Puneri Paltan. They won by 3-0 against Harmeet/Suthasini pair. This helped them to close the gap to 4-5.
With Puneri Paltan's Omar Assar winning the fourth game by 2-1, the tie score came to 6-6, and the final match was a must-win contest for both teams.
Archana Kamath raced past Suthasini Sawettabut in the first two matches to win the match by 11-6, 11-8. Though Suthasini won the final game, the win in the first two games helped Puneri Paltan TTC to win the Ultimate Table Tennis tie 8-7.
Ultimate Table Tennis 2023 Points Table: Updated after Match 5
After the end of Match 5 in the Ultimate Table Tennis 2023, U Mumba stays at the top of the table with two wins and 18 team points. Chennai Lions, who lost their tie against U Mumba, continues to stay in the second position with 17 points. Goa Challengers, who have one win and one loss, stay in the third position despite losing their tie today. They have 17 team points after two ties.
Puneri Paltan TTC moves to the fourth spot after clinching a close victory over Goa Challengers today. They have 13 Team points. Bengaluru Smashers find themselves in the fifth spot after their loss in the opening match. They are placed ahead of Dabang Delhi TTC, as Bengaluru Smashers won two matches in the opening tie of the Ultimate Table Tennis League.