Panaji (Goa), July 24 (IANS) Olympian Alvaro Robles delivered a flawless performance as Dempo Goa Challengers became the first team to book their place in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7, defeating former champions Dabang Delhi TTC 8-2 in the first semi-final in Panaji on Friday.
The Spaniard starred in both the men’s singles and mixed doubles as Goa extended their remarkable unbeaten run and moved one step closer to the title.
Goa made the most of their fast start, racing into an early lead before sealing the contest in the fourth match. While Maria Xiao briefly halted the hosts’ momentum with a comeback victory over Bernadette Szocs, Robles and teenager Syndrela Das combined to put Goa on the brink before Abhinandh PB closed out the tie with a composed win over Delhi captain Sathiyan Gnanasekaran.
Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), the UTT Season 7 features 42 players from around the world, including 14 Olympians, while continuing to strengthen the Indian table tennis ecosystem through elite competition and year-round development initiatives.
Robles gave Goa the perfect start, defeating Youssef Abdelaziz in straight games. After taking the opening two games comfortably, the Spaniard staged a remarkable comeback from 7-10 down in the third to complete the sweep and hand the league leaders an early 3-0 advantage.
Delhi responded through Xiao, who recovered after narrowly dropping the opening game to Bernadette Szocs. The Spaniard dominated the final two games to reduce the deficit, but Goa quickly regained control as Robles teamed up with Syndrela Das to outclass Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Xiao in straight games, moving the hosts to the brink of qualification.
With the tie on the line, Abhinandh PB showed remarkable composure against Delhi captain Sathiyan, edging the decisive game 11-9 to seal Goa’s place in the final. Having become the first team in UTT history to complete the league stage unbeaten, the Challengers now stand one victory away from completing a historic campaign.
Robles was named both the Match IQ Player and Foreign Player of the Tie, while Syndrela claimed the Indian Player of the Tie award. Xiao earned the Shot of the Tie honour.
Final scores:
Dempo Goa Challengers 8-2 Dabang Delhi TTC
Alvaro Robles bt. Youssef Abdelaziz 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 11-10)
Berdanette Szocs lost to Maria Xiao 1-2 (11-10, 6-11, 4-11)
Alvaro Robles/Syndrela Das bt. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-3)
Abhinandh P.B. bt. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran 1-0 (11-9)
–IANS
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