Ultimate Table Tennis 2023: Puneri Paltan TT hold nerves to edge past Goa Challengers in a thriller

Puneri Paltan TT emerged victorious in match five of the Ultimate Table Tennis League on Monday. The home team scripted a terrific comeback after being 5-1 down in the tie.

Harmeet Desai held his nerves to win important points against Puneri Paltan TT's Manush Shah as he defeated him 3-0 in the opening match of the day. Desai raced to 8-5 in the first game, but Shah won a few points in a row to take it to 10-10. Desai won the game through Golden Point.

Manush Shah took the initial lead in the second game. He moved to 9-6, but Desai won five points on the trot to win by 11-9. Once again, Manush Shah had a good start to the game and led 7-3, but Desai came back to take the third game by 11-10 via Golden Point.

Hana Matelova and Reeth Tennison battled it out next. Hana Matelova won the first game with ease, 11-3 and helped the home team open their account.

Reeth Tennison won three points on the trot at the beginning of game two, but Hana Matelova bounced back to take the game to the Golden Point. Eventually, Reeth Tennison won the game to give Goa Challengers a 4-1 lead.

The Goa Challengers paddler had a convincing victory in the third game. She raced to a 7-1 lead and finished the match at 11-3. Goa Challengers were 5-1 after the end of the first two matches.

Manush/Hana and Harmeet/Suthasini met in the mixed doubles match. Though Hana and Manush lost their singles match, they combined to win 3-0 against the Goa Challengers pair.

The first game was decided through Golden Point, but the second game was completely dominated by the home team, winning it 11-3. Manush/Hana completed a perfect match by taking the final game 11-7.

In the fourth match, Goa Challengers' Alvaro Robles had a strong start but was pushed around by Omar Assar in the final few points. However, he won the first game via Golden Point.

Omar Assar continued to attack in the second game as well. He allowed only five points and grabbed the game with ease (11-5). The final game of the contest was a nail-biter, with both players fighting hard. Omar Assar took a 9-7 lead and then won the game by 11-9. This is the first time Assar has managed to defeat Robles in an international tie.

The scores got tied at 6-6 after the end of the fourth match. Archana Kamath and Suthasini Sawettabut met in the final match, a must-win for both teams. Archana Kamath dominated the first game. She took a 6-2 lead and finished it with 11-6. She also dominated the initial phase of game two by racing to 8-5.

While Suthasini won a few quick points on the trot to take the game to 10-8, she could not stop the Puneri Paltan Paddler. Archana Kamath's win in game two helped the home side to win a thrilling tie. Though Archana lost the final game, Puneri Paltan won the Tie by 8-7 in a nail-biting encounter.

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Puneri Paltan TT vs Goa Challengers Result

Puneri Paltan TT 8-7 Goa Challengers

Men's Singles

Manush Shah 0-3 Harmeet Desai

Scores: 10-11, 9-11, 10-11

Women's Singles

Hana Matelova 1-2 Reeth Tennison

Scores: 11-3, 10-11, 3-11

Mixed Doubles

Manush/Hana 3-0 Harmeet/Suthasini

Scores: 11-10, 11-3, 11-7

Men's Singles

Omar Assar 2-1 Alvaro Robles

Scores: 10-11, 11-5, 11-9

Women's Singles

Archana Kamath 2-1 Suthasini Sawettabut

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