Reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers will be eyeing a third-straight final appearance when they take on a resolute U Mumba TT side in the second semi-final of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Saturday.
Back-to-back champions and the only team to have won two UTT titles, Goa finished second in the table with three tie wins and 44 points. U Mumba, who last made the playoffs in Season 3, returned to the knockouts after finishing third with two points fewer. The winner of this tie will face first-time finalists Jaipur Patriots in the final on Sunday.
Dempo Goa Challengers have alternated wins and losses throughout the league stage but remain a powerhouse led by Harmeet Desai and the dominant Zeng Jian, who won all five of her matches and dropped just one game across the league phase. Zeng also played a key role in the mixed doubles, partnering Harmeet for two important wins.
Harmeet himself has been consistent with four wins from five, while Krittwika Sinha Roy has quietly impressed, winning three of her four matches, including a memorable victory over China’s Fan Siqi. Brazil’s Vitor Ishiy, brought in as a late replacement for Tiago Apolonia, began his UTT campaign with a win.
U Mumba TT, meanwhile, come in with momentum firmly on their side after back-to-back tie wins. Their foreign unit has clicked into gear with Bernadette Szocs and Lilian Bardet each winning four of their last five singles rubbers. Indian youngster Yashaswini Ghorpade has continued her impressive season, notching three wins from four, while Abhinandh PB turned heads in his first appearance, taking down Singapore’s Izaac Quek, one of the league’s top foreign paddlers.
The Szocs–Akash Pal pairing has also delivered in mixed doubles, winning three out of five.Dempo Goa Challengers and U Mumba did not meet in the league stage, making this their first clash of the season. With both squads stacked with in-form players, the semi-final promises fresh, high-stakes matchups as they battle for a place in the final.
Squads:
Dempo Goa Challengers: Zeng Jian (Singapore), Harmeet Desai, Vitor Ishiy (Brazil), Ronit Bhanja, Krittwika Sinha Roy, Sayali Wani.
U Mumba TT: Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Lilian Bardet (France), Yashaswini Ghorpade, Swastika Ghosh, Akash Pal, Abhinandh PB.