'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 16th tie of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) 2024 season saw the Puneri Paltan Table Tennis secure a vital 9-6 victory over debutants Jaipur Patriots on Sunday, September 1. The match, held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai saw the Puneri Paltan Table Tennis roar back into contention for a spot in the playoffs, keeping their knockout hopes alive.
The evening kicked off with an electrifying men's singles clash between Pune's Ankur Bhattacharjee and Jaipur's Ronit Bhanja. The encounter was a nail-biter, with the first two games extending to the golden point.
Bhanja clinched the opening game 11-10, but Bhattacharjee responded to take the second game on a golden point before sealing the final game 11-8, putting the Puneri Paltan Table Tennis ahead 2-1.
The second match, a women's singles encounter witnessed Jaipur Patriots' Suthasini Sawettabut level the score of the tie with a 2-1 victory over Pune’s Ayhika Mukherjee. Sawettabut bounced back after losing the first game 8-11, edging out Mukherjee in the second game on a golden point before wrapping up the final game 11-7, bringing the tie to 3-3.
Trending
The mixed doubles match saw the Puneri Paltan Table Tennis reclaim the lead as Natalia Bajor and Anirban Ghosh outplayed Jaipur’s duo of Nithyashree Mani and Cho Seungmin in another closely contested battle. The Pune pair took the first game 11-10, faltered in the second with a 7-11 loss, but came back strong to win the decisive third game 11-9, bringing the overall score to 5-4 in favor of the Puneri Paltan Table Tennis.
The Puneri Paltan Table Tennis then managed to create some breathing room in the tie during the fourth match when Joao Monteiro secured his first win for the franchise by defeating Cho Seungmin in a closely fought men's singles match. Monteiro’s won the match with a scoreline of 8-11, 11-10, 11-7, extending Pune’s lead to 7-5.
In the final women’s singles match of the evening, Natalia Bajor once again rose to the occasion for the Puneri Paltan Table Tennis, facing off against Jaipur Patriots’ Nithyashree Mani. In keeping with the evening's trend, the match was a hard-fought contest, with Bajor ultimately prevailing 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, sealing a 9-6 victory for her team.
With this crucial win, the Puneri Paltan Table Tennis, who were at the bottom of the eight-team table before today’s tie, surged to the fourth spot with 28 points, putting them in strong contention for a playoff berth.
On the other hand, the Jaipur Patriots, despite the loss, managed to climb to the fifth position with 25 points, keeping their hopes for a knockout spot alive as well.
Complete results of Tie 15 of UTT 2024: Puneri Paltan vs. Jaipur Patriots
Puneri Paltan TT 9-6 Jaipur Patriots
Ankur Bhattacharjee 2-1 Ronit Bhanja [10-11, 11-10, 11-7]
Ayhika Mukherjee 1-2 Suthasini Sawettabut [11-8, 10-11, 7-11]
Ghosh/Bajor 2-1 Seungmin/Mani [11-10, 7-11, 11-9]
Joao Monteiro 2-1 Cho Seungmin [8-11, 11-10, 11-7]
Natalia Bajor 2-1 Nithyashree Mani [11-8, 7-11, 11-6]
