Panaji, July 15 (IANS) Anusha Kutumbale held her nerve in a dramatic Golden Point finish to guide reigning champions U Mumba TT to their first victory of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7, sealing a thrilling 8-7 win over previously unbeaten Dabang Delhi TTC at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigaon near Panaji on Wednesday.
The tie came down to a dramatic final Women’s Singles contest, where Anusha needed just one game to secure victory for U Mumba. Delhi’s Spanish stalwart Maria Xiao, however, refused to go quietly, saving four tie points to steal the opening game before taking the second to level the tie at 7-7. With the contest hinging on a winner-takes-all decider, Anusha held her nerve in a tense Golden Point finish to clinch U Mumba’s first victory of the season.
Youssef Abdelaziz gave Delhi the early advantage by defeating Manush Shah in three games, but Anna Hursey responded with another statement performance, coming from behind to beat Sutirtha Mukherjee 2-1 and hand the Delhi paddler her first game–and first match–defeat of the campaign. U Mumba then struck another significant blow as Hursey and Manush stunned the previously unbeaten pairing of Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Maria Xiao, ending their seven-match winning streak stretching across Seasons 6 and 7.
U Mumba tightened their grip through Lilian Bardet, who overcame Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in another closely fought three-game battle. In doing so, the Frenchman also maintained his unbeaten international record against the Indian veteran. With the tie on the line, Xiao twice fought back from the brink to level the contest at 7-7 before Anusha overcame her in a gripping Game 3 Golden Point rally finish to seal U Mumba’s first victory of Season 7.
Hursey was named Foreign Player of the Tie after another impressive display, while U Mumba captain Manush claimed the Indian Player of the Tie award. Xiao was adjudged the ChatGPT Match IQ Player of the Tie, with Sathiyan earning the Bisleri Shot of the Tie honour.
Earlier in the day, UTT Juniors, UTT’s grassroots competition running alongside Season 7, saw Dempo Goa Challengers become the first team to secure a semifinal berth with a commanding 7-2 victory over Ahmedabad APL Pipers. HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades also strengthened their playoff push, edging PBG Pune Jaguars 5-4 to climb to second.
Final score:
U Mumba TT 8-7 Dabang Delhi TTC
Manush Shah lost to Youssef Abdelaziz 1-2 (9-11, 5-11, 11-6)
Anna Hursey bt. Sutirtha Mukherjee 2-1 (9-11, 11-7, 11-6)
Manush Shah/Anna Hursey bt. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao 2-1 (11-4, 6-11, 11-8)
Lilian Bardet bt. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran 2-1 (11-10, 8-11, 11-8)
Anusha Kutumbale lost to Maria Xiao 2-1 (10-11, 9-11, 11-10)
–IANS
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