Table Tennis: UTT 2024 Tie 20: Ahmedabad SG Pipers cruise to semifinals with dominant 12-3 victory over Jaipur Patriots

UTT 2024 Tie 20: Ahmedabad SG Pipers cruise to semifinals with dominant 12-3 victory over Jaipur Patriots

Modified Sep 05, 2024 02:19 IST

Bernadette Szocs and Manush Shah celebrate after winning their match, Image credits: UTT

The Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) 2024 group stages came to an exciting conclusion on Wednesday, September 4, as Ahmedabad SG Pipers secured a commanding 12-3 victory over Jaipur Patriots at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

This decisive win not only propelled Ahmedabad into the semifinals but also marked the end of a challenging debut season for Jaipur, who finished at the bottom of the league standings.

The tie kicked off with Ahmedabad SG Pipers’ Lilian Bardet facing Cho Seungmin in what turned out to be a gripping men’s singles match. Bardet clinched the first game 11-9 and narrowly edged past Seungmin in the second with a golden point, winning 11-10. Seungmin managed to salvage a point for the Jaipur Patriots by taking the final game 11-10.

With their hopes of reaching the semifinals hanging by a thread, Jaipur Patriots needed to win every remaining game. However, their dreams were shattered during the first women’s singles match, where Bernadette Szocs delivered a flawless performance against Suthasini Sawettabut. Szocs won the first game 11-10 and then dominated the next two, 11-3, 11-6, to give Ahmedabad SG Pipers a commanding 5-1 lead.

Szocs continued her winning streak in the mixed doubles match, teaming up with Manush Shah, to defeat the Jaipur Patriots' pair of Nithyashree Mani and Cho Seungmin. The duo’s 11-9, 11-5, 8-11 victory not only maintained their perfect record for the season but also guaranteed Ahmedabad SG Pipers a spot in the knockout stage.

The fourth match saw Manush Shah further extend Ahmedabad’s lead with a convincing 11-6, 11-6, 8-11 win over Snehit SFR in the second men’s singles encounter.

The final match of the tie saw Ahmedabad’s Reeth Rishya cap off a successful evening by outclassing Moumita Dutta in the second women’s singles. Rishya’s remarkable composure under pressure allowed her to narrowly edge out Dutta in three tightly contested games, 11-10, 11-9, 11-10, sealing a 12-3 victory for her team.

This win helped the Ahmedabad SG Pipers secure their place in the semifinals with a second-place finish on the league table. On the other hand, the Jaipur Patriots finished last in their debut season with 28 points.

The Ahmedabad SG Pipers will now face Dabang Delhi TTC, who finished third with 41 points, in the semifinals on Friday. The first semifinal, scheduled for Thursday, will see league leaders PBG Bengaluru Smashers take on the defending champions Goa Challengers, who finished fourth with 37 points.