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Tie 14 of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) 2024 season, taking place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, saw the PBG Bengaluru Smashers edge out the Ahmedabad SG Pipers 9-6 in a thrilling encounter on Saturday, August 31, 2024.
The tie began with Ahmedabad SG Pipers’ Lilian Bardet starting off strong for his team by defeating Bengaluru’s Anthony Amalraj in the opening clash. The French paddler demonstrated remarkable composure in a fiercely contested match, clinching the first two games with scores of 11-9 and 11-10, winning the golden point in the second game.
Although Amalraj managed to secure a point by winning the third game 11-10, Bardet's early victory gave Ahmedabad a crucial lead.
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In the women's singles match, Romania’s Bernadette Szocs of Ahmedabad delivered a masterclass against India's Manika Batra. Szocs bounced back from a first-game loss to secure a 2-1 victory with scores of 7-11, 11-9, and 11-7. This win further extended Ahmedabad’s lead and helped Szocs avenge her loss to Batra at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Szocs continued her winning streak in the mixed doubles match, where she teamed up with Manush Shah to outplay the Bengaluru pairing of Manika Batra and Alvaro Robles. The Ahmedabad duo dominated the match, winning 3-0 with scores of 11-8, 11-7, and 11-8, helping Ahmedabad extend their lead.
However, Bengaluru Smashers’ captain Alvaro Robles led a valiant comeback in the second men's singles match against Manush Shah. Robles performed his shots with exceptional control, winning all three games by scores of 11-8, 11-7, and 11-6 to put Bengaluru back into the tie and even the overall score at 6-6.
The final match of the tie, a women’s singles encounter, saw Bengaluru’s Lily Zhang face Krittwika Sinha Roy of Ahmedabad. Zhang proved to be too strong for Roy and went on to win the first two games comfortably with scores of 11-5 and 11-8.
In the third game, despite a fight from the paddler from Ahmedabad, Zhang once again showed her class by clinching the golden point to win 11-10, securing a 3-0 victory in the match and sealing a 9-6 overall win for Bengaluru Smashers.
With this victory, the Bengaluru Smashers continue to remain unbeaten in the UTT 2024 season.
Complete results of Tie 14 of UTT 2024: Bengaluru Smashers vs. Ahmedabad SG Pipers
Bengaluru Smashers 9-6 Ahmedabad SG Pipers
Anthony Amalraj 1-2 Lilian Bardet [9-11, 10-11, 11-10]
Manika Batra 1-2 Bernadette Szocs [11-7, 9-11, 7-11]
Robles/Batra 1-2 Shah/Szocs [3-11, 11-7, 8-11]
Alvaro Robles 3-0 Manush Shah [11-8, 11-7, 11-6]
Lily Zhang 3-0 Krittwika Sinha Roy [11-5, 11-8, 11-10]
