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In the second tie of Friday's (August 23) double-header, the Bengaluru Smashers took on the Chennai Lions. Starting strong, the Smashers seized an emphatic 11-4 win against the Lions to take the top spot in the Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 standings.
A closer look at the results of Tie 3 of UTT 2024: Bengaluru Smashers vs. Chennai Lions
The tie began with an intense men's singles match between the Bengaluru Smashers' Alvaro Robles and the Chennai Lions' Jules Rolland. Despite Rolland taking the first game 11-8, Robles bounced back in the second with an identical 11-8 scoreline.
The final game saw Robles regain control, securing an 11-6 victory and giving the Smashers an early lead.
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The momentum continued for Bengaluru in the women's singles match, where Lily Zhang faced Chennai's Poyamantee Baisya. The latter started strong with an 11-9 win in the first game, but Zhang responded, taking the next two games 11-8 and 11-3 to help the Smashers increase their lead in the tie.
In the mixed doubles encounter, Chennai's Sharath Kamal and Sakura Mori paired up against Bengaluru's Anthony Amalraj and Lily Zhang. In a fiercely contested battle, Amalraj and Zhang took the first game on a golden point and followed up with a narrow 11-9 win in the second game. They closed the match with an 11-8 victory in the third, putting Bengaluru comfortably ahead with a 7-2 lead.
However, the highlight of the tie was undoubtedly the match between youngster Jeet Chandra and veteran Sharath Kamal. In the fourth match of the tie, Chandra pulled off a massive upset by defeating five-time Olympian Sharath Kamal 3-0. Chandra dominated the first game 11-6 before narrowly edging out Kamal 11-10 and 11-9 in the next two, securing an unassailable lead for the Smashers.
In the final match of the tie, Bengaluru's Manika Batra took on Sakura Mori. Batra cruised to a comfortable 11-5 win in the first game, but Mori responded with an identical scoreline in the second. The decider was a tense affair, with the score tied at 10-10, but Mori held her nerve to take the match on the final point, earning Chennai their first win of the tie.
Despite Mori’s victory, the Bengaluru Smashers sealed the tie 11-4.
On Saturday, August 24, Dabang Delhi will face U Mumba TT, while Ahmedabad SG Pipers will clash with the Goa Challengers.
Complete results of Tie 3 of UTT 2024: Bengaluru Smashers vs. Chennai Lions
Chennai Lions 4-11 Bengaluru Smashers
Jules Rolland 1-2 Alvaro Robles [8-11, 11-8, 6-11]
Poyamantee Baisya 1-2 Lily Zhang [11-9, 8-11 3-11]
Sharath/Sakura 0-3 Amalraj/Lily [10-11, 9-11, 8-11]
Sharath Kamal 0-3 Jeet Chandra [6-11, 10-11, 9-11]
Sakura Mori 2-1 Manika Batra [5-11, 11-5, 11-10]
