'%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,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAb/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBf/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAg4ksJ//EABwQAAMAAwEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFEQASQf/aAAgBAQABPwDd6mGt09ZpKmal4Ihy8maQbqFvniqz84Po9/fSSaSRVfAKqAATFvf/xAAZEQEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAEDERL/2gAIAQIBAT8AVHC0edz/xAAZEQABBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAEDE0H/2gAIAQMBAT8AmOwWxf/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The fifth tie of the fifth season of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) 2024 saw the Ahmedabad SG Pipers surge to a dominant 10-5 victory over defending champions the Goa Challengers on Saturday, August 24.
After suffering a loss in their opening tie, the Ahmedabad SG Pipers bounced back, taking down the Goa Challengers in what turned out to be a thrilling encounter.
A closer look at the results of Tie 2 of UTT 2024: Goa Challengers vs. Ahmedabad SG Pipers
The tone of the tie was set early by French paddler Lilian Bardet, who was eager to make amends for his defeat to 17-year-old Ankur Bhattacharjee in their first tie of the tournament. Bardet faced Harmeet Desai in the first match of the tie.
Trending
The closely contested match saw all three games start off with the two players engaged in a neck-to-neck battle. However, Bardet showcased remarkable composure in the closing stages, winning the games 11-6, 11-9, and 11-6, giving the Ahmedabad SG Pipers an early lead of 3-0 in the tie.
Following Bardet's performance, Bernadette Szocs, the highest-ranked paddler in the league, further strengthened Ahmedabad's lead with a commanding win in the first women’s singles match.
Szocs was up against 19-year-old Yashaswini Ghorpade, who started strongly with a 6-3 lead in the opening game. However, the highly experienced Romanian responded with an impressive eight-point streak to take the game 11-6. Szocs continued her dominance, winning the next two games 11-7 and 11-3, pushing the Pipers to a 6-0 lead.
In the mixed doubles, Szocs teamed up with Manush Shah to play Goa Challengers' Harmeet Desai and Yangzi Liu. The Ahmedabad duo easily won the first game, 11-4, but the Challengers rallied to take the second game, 11-10. In the decider, Ahmedabad came back from a 5-7 deficit to win 11-9 and capture the tie for the Pipers.
The fourth match of the day saw Shah take on Italian paddler Mihai Bobocica in the second men’s singles match. Shah played some exceptional table tennis to take the first two games 11-7, 11-7, before narrowly losing the third 10-11.
In the final match, Ahmedabad’s Reeth Rishya had the opportunity to secure the biggest margin of victory in a tie at UTT for Ahmedabad. However, Yangzi Liu extended her unbeaten streak from the last UTT season to defeat Rishya 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 and earn Goa 3 crucial points.
Despite Liu’s efforts, the Goa Challengers fell to a 5-10 defeat.
Complete results of Tie 2 of UTT 2024: Goa Challengers vs. Ahmedabad SG Pipers
Goa Challengers 5-10 Ahmedabad SG Pipers
Harmeet Desai 0-3 Lilian Bardet [6-11, 9-11, 6-11]
Yashaswini Ghorpade 0-3 Bernadette Szocs [6-11, 7-11, 3-11]
Harmeet/Yangzi 1-2 Manush/Bernadette [11-4, 10-11, 9-11]
Mihai Bobocica 1-2 Manush Shah [7-11, 7-11, 11-10]
Yangzi Liu 3-0 Reeth Rishya [11-6, 11-5, 11-5]
