Ultimate Table Tennis 2023: Goa Challengers beat Chennai Lions in thrilling final to win maiden UTT title

Goa Challengers beat last season’s champions Chennai Lions 8-7 in a closely-contested final to win the Ultimate Table Tennis 2023 title at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune on Sunday. This was Goa Challengers' maiden Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) title.

Harmeet Desai, world No. 62, put Goa Challengers on track for a win with a 2-1 (6-11, 11-4, 11-8) win over Chennai Lions’ world No. 32 Benedikt Duda from Germany. This was Benedikt Duda’s first loss in the tournament.

In the second tie of the final, Chennai Lions’ Australian recruit Yangzi Liu, the world No. 30, beat world No. 39 Suthasini Sawettabut of Thailand 2-1 (6-11, 11-6, 11-5) to safeguard her unbeaten streak in UTT Season 4. 

With scores tied at 3-3 after the first two ties, Indian table tennis legend Sharath Kamal combined with Yangzi Liu in the mixed doubles to help Chennai Lions take a 5-4 lead after winning the tie 2-1 (7-11, 9-11, 11-10). However, it all went downhill for Chennai Lions from there on out.

Sharath Kamal suffered an upset against world No. 46 Alvaro Robles of Spain 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-10) as Goa Challengers roared back into the contest.

Up by 7-5 and needing just one more point to win, it was up to Reeth Tennison to drive home the victory against fellow Indian Sutirtha Mukherjee, a Tokyo Olympian. Sutirtha won the first two games 11-7, 11-10, to make it 7-7 but Reeth took the third game 11-6 under pressure to seal the title for Goa despite losing the match 2-1.

The last time these two sides met in UTT season 4, Chennai Lions came out victorious 11-4.  

A total of 18 table tennis ties were played in UTT season 4 in a single-legged round-robin league format between six teams - Bengaluru Smashers, Chennai Lions, Dabang Delhi TTC, Goa Challengers, Puneri Paltan TT and U Mumba TT.

Dabang Delhi and Puneri Paltan made it to the semi-finals but lost to Goa Challengers and Chennai Lions, respectively.

The third edition of UTT, won by Chennai Lions, was played back in 2019. The inaugural edition in 2017 was won by Falcons TTC while Dabang Delhi TTC took home the trophy in 2018.

Ultimate Table Tennis makes TT look cool and that helps the sport grow, says Sharath Kamal

 

Achanta Sharath Kamal is a name synonymous with Indian table tennis. A Khel Ratna awardee, Sharath Kamal has won seven CWG gold, three silvers and three bronze. The paddler also has two Asian Games bronze medals so far. He is the first-ever Indian table tennis player to become a 10-time winner at the Senior National Championships.

Even after winning almost everything, there is to win, the Chennai paddler refuses to part ways with his bat. Sharath Kamal recently turned 41 and is showing no signs of fading away as he is representing Chennai Lions in the ongoing season of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) league. That is not all, Sharath Kamal will then head to Hangzhou, China to participate in the 2023 Asian Games where he will be eyeing the elusive Asiad gold medal.

Table Tennis Federation of India names 10-member squad for Asian Championships, Asian Games

 

The members of the senior selection committee of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) named a 10-member squad, comprising five men and five women, for the upcoming 26th Asian Championships in Pyeongchang, Korea, and the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

The selection panel has also named two reserve players in either category. All the players, including the reserves, will be for both events. The Asian Championships in Korea is scheduled between September 3 and 10, while the Asian Games is between September 24 and October 2.

Sharath Kamal will spearhead the men’s pack with G. Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah. Manika Batra, on the other hand, will guide the mixture of a young women’s team in terms of experience with Sreeja Akula, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Ayhika Mukherjee and Diya Chitale.

The squads:

Men: A. Sharath Kamal, G. Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah. Reserves: SFR Snehit, Sanil Shetty.

Women: Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Ayhika Mukherjee and Diya Chitale. Reserves: Archana Kamath, Reeth Rishya.

Men’s doubles: A. Sharath Kamal & G. Sathiyan; Manav Thakkar & Manush Shah.

Women’s doubles: Sutirtha Mukherjee & Ayhika Mukherjee; Sreeja Akula & Diya Chitale.

Mixed doubles: Manika Batra & G. Sathiyan; Sreeja Akula & Harmeet Desai.

Coaches: Subhajit Saha, Mamata Prabhu.