'%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)
In another intense and thrilling encounter at the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) 2024 season, defending champions Goa Challengers secured a narrow 8-7 victory over U Mumba TT in Tie 18 on Monday, September 2.
The tie began with U Mumba TT taking an early lead, courtesy of Aruna Quadri’s victory over Harmeet Desai in the men’s singles. Quadri, the league's highest-ranked male player, won the opening game 11-7 but Desai rallied to win the second game 4-11, forcing a decider.
The final game came down to the wire, with Quadri finally winning 11-10 by earning the golden point, putting U Mumba TT ahead.
Trending
Maria Xiao further extended U MumbaTT’s lead by defeating Yangzi Liu in the women’s singles. In another closely contested match, Xiao lost the first game 11-9 but managed to claw back and take the second and third games 11-10 and 11-9, respectively.
However, Liu quickly redeemed herself in the mixed doubles alongside Harmeet Desai. The pair overcame U Mumba’s Maria Xiao and Manav Thakkar 11-6, 10-11, 11-7, reducing the overall deficit for the Goa Challengers and keeping their hopes of winning the tie alive.
In the fourth match, Mihai Bobocica of the Goa Challengers delivered an outstanding performance against Manav Thakkar. Bobocica took the first two games 11-6 and 11-8, but Thakkar fought back to win the third game 11-7.
This victory brought the Goa Challengers level at six points each, setting up a nail-biting final match.
The final match, a women’s singles encounter, saw Goa’s Yashaswini Ghorpade take on the experienced Sutirtha Mukherjee. Ghorpade pulled off a remarkable upset, winning the first game 11-8 and narrowly clinching the second 11-10.
Although Mukherjee managed to win the third game on a golden point, Ghorpade’s 2-1 win secured the crucial points needed for the Goa Challengers to edge past U Mumba TT with an 8-7 victory.
This win puts the Goa Challengers in a strong position as they inch closer to the semi-finals. They currently sit in third place on the league table with 37 points, while U Mumba TT follows closely in fourth with 36 points.
On Tuesday, former champions Chennai Lions will face Puneri Paltan Table Tennis, with both teams eyeing a spot in the last four stages.
Complete results of Tie 18 of UTT 2024: U Mumba TT vs. Goa Challengers
Goa Challengers 8-7 U Mumba TT
Harmeet Desai 1-2 Quadri Aruna [7-11, 11-4, 10-11]
Yangzi Liu 1-2 Maria Xiao [11-9, 10-11, 9-11]
Desai/Liu 2-1 Xiao/Thakkar [11-6, 10-11, 11-7]
Mihai Bobocica 2-1 Manav Thakkar [11-6, 11-8, 7-11]
Yashaswini Ghorpade 2-1 Sutirtha Mukherjee [11-8, 11-10, 10-11]
