Mumbai: Falcons TTC raced to the top of the league table with 78 points after completing their quota of five rounds with a thumping 17-10 win over DHFL Maharashtra United in the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) at the NSCI in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Briton's Liam Pitchford put Falcons TTC ahead with a 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-9) win over Harmeet Desai, ranked 79 in the world, in the men’s singles (Foreign v Indian), the tie’s opening clash. Sutirtha Mukherjee rallied strongly to pull off a surprise 2-1 (7-11, 11-5, 11-9) win over China-born Portugal's Fu Yu (DHFL Maharashtra United) in the women’s singles (Foreign v Indian) to extend Falcons TTC’s lead to 5-1.
Next up was mixed doubles (Foreign/Indian pair) where Harmeet Desai and his China-born Austrian partner Liu Jia of DHFL Maharashtra United won the opening two games before Sanil Shetty and Lee Ho Ching pulled one back for Falcons TTC, who continued to hold the lead at 6-3. Portuguese Joao Monteiro of DHFL Maharashtra United won the first two games against Par Gerell in the men’s singles (Foreign player category), but the Swede clinched the third to help Falcons TTC stay ahead at 7-5.
Thereafter, the experienced China-born Austrian world No 22 Liu Jia upstaged Wu Yang (Falcons TTC) 2-1 (11-10, 5-11, 11-9) in a hard fought women’s singles (Foreign player category) clash to reduce DHFL Maharashtra United’s deficit to 7-8.
However, Mumbai player Sanil Shetty scored a stunning 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-10) over Portuguese world No 48 Joao Monteiro (DHFL Maharashtra United) in the men’s singles (Foreign v Indian) to hand Falcons TTC a handy 11-7 lead. Wu Yang then bounced back from her earlier defeat to thump Krittwika Sinha Roy 3-0 (11-4, 11-4, 11-5) in the women’s singles (Foreign v Indian) to give Falcons TTC a tie-winning lead at 14-7. Wong Chun Ting and Fu Yu won three of the remaining six games (men’s and women’s singles) to help secure DHFL Maharashtra United a spot in the knockout semifinals.
On Thursday, Shazé Challengers (58 points) will lock horns with RP-SG Mavericks (48 points) in the final tie of the league stage. Dabang Smashers are comfortably second in the table with 69 points, followed by DHFL Maharashtra United (64) and Oilmax Stag Yoddhas (61).
Falcons TTC beat DHFL Maharashtra United 17-10
MS – Liam Pitchford beat Harmeet Desai 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-9)
WS – Sutirtha Mukherjee beat Fu Yu 2-1 (7-11, 11-5, 11-9)
MD – Sanil Shetty/ Lee Ho Ching lost to Harmeet Desai/ Liu Jia 1-2 (10-11, 10-11, 11-5)MS – Par Gerell lost to Joao Monteiro 1-2 (5-11, 10-11, 11-8)
WS – Wu Yang lost to Liu Jia 1-2 (10-11, 11-5, 9-11)
MS – Sanil Shetty beat Joao Monteiro 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-10)WS – Wu Yang beat Krittwika Roy 3-0 (11-4, 11-4, 11-5)
MS – Liam Pitchford lost to Wong Chun Ting 1-2 (10-11, 11-9, 3-11)
WS – Lee Ho Ching beat Fu Yu 2-1 (6-11, 11-4, 11-4)
