Indian ace Sreeja Akula stunned World No. 12 Bernadette Szocs, the highest-ranked player in the league, during their singles match, as the Jaipur Patriots narrowly defeated U Mumba TT 8-7 for their second victory in Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6.
Jaipur started strong as Kanak Jha handed Lilian Bardet his first defeat of the season, edging him 2-1 in a tightly contested opener. Sreeja then lit up the tie, outplaying Szocs with a fearless display in the decider after the two split the opening games. But U Mumba stormed back into the contest through the pairing of Szocs and Akash Pal, who swept the mixed doubles 3-0 to swing the tie their way.
Jeet Chandra’s gritty comeback win over Akash Pal—sealed with a Golden Point in the second game brought the tie level once again, setting up a tense finish. In the decider, Britt Eerland’s experience proved crucial as she overpowered young Yashaswini Ghorpade 2-1, sealing the tie 8-7 for Jaipur despite dropping the final game.
Akash and Szocs’ outstanding doubles win earned the pair the Indian and the Foreign Player of the Tie honours, respectively. Jeet Chandra claimed the Shot of the Tie. Earlier, at the UTT Juniors, PBG Pune Jaguars cruised to a 7-2 win over Dabang Delhi TTC, with Atharva Nawarange starring in both singles and doubles alongside Tushti Sood. In a nail-biter, Kolkata ThunderBlades edged Dempo Goa Challengers 5-4, with Ritvik Gupta and Swara Karmakar each winning their singles rubbers and combining for a crucial point in doubles.
Final Scores:
Jaipur Patriots 8-7 U Mumba TT
Kanak Jha bt. Lilian Bardet 2-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-9)
Sreeja Akula bt. Bernadette Szocs 2-1 (11-9, 8-11, 11-5)
Kanak Jha/Sreeja Akula lost to Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs 0-3 (8-11, 6-11, 6-11)
Jeet Chandra bt. Akash Pal 2-1 (5-11, 11-10, 11-7)
Britt Eerland bt. Yashaswini Ghorpade 2-1 (11-7, 11-4, 7-11)