Harmeet Desai and Liu Hsing Propel Athlead Goa to Victory Over Jaipur Patriots in Ultimate Table Tennis
2 min read
Following an early loss, Harmeet Desai recovered admirably, teaming up with Yangzi Liu to win in the mixed doubles round. In the first tie of IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, he assisted defending champions Athlead Goa Challengers in defeating rookies Jaipur Patriots.
In the Men’s Singles match, Goa Challengers won the toss and elected to serve first. Captain Harmeet secured the opening point for UTT 2024. With a quick 5-0 lead, the Indian standout paddler won the opening game with a commanding 11-2 score. But in the second game, Cho Seungmin responded in kind, replicating Harmeet’s actions from the first; the South Korean, making his debut, rapidly built up a sizable lead and won 11-1. In the decisive match, the rookie continued to make bold shots and won 2-1.
In the second match (women’s singles), the unstoppable Liu turned the tables, defeating the seasoned Suthasini Sawettabut 3-0 to put Goa Challengers ahead.
Edge-of-the-table tension and a shot to remember! 🏓
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Quick Lead in the Game
For the Mixed Doubles, Ronit Bhanja joined Harmeet, Liu, and Suthasini at the table. Playing their first tie together, Harmeet and Liu displayed amazing cooperation to win the opening game 11-1. In the decisive game, Harmeet and Liu prevailed against the Jaipur Patriots duo, winning the match, but Suthasini and Ronit bounced back in the second game.
READ MORE : Neeraj Chopra Narrowly Misses 90m Mark, Secures Second Place at Lausanne Diamond League
In the fourth match (Men’s Singles), Ronit took on Mihai Bobocica of Athlead Goa Challengers. Bobocica, an Italian, was making his league debut at the age of 37. Bobocica, a two-time Olympian, overcame a 2-1 deficit to give his side a tie victory and an eight-point advantage.
In the fifth match of the IndianOil UTT 2024 Women’s Singles, Nithyashree Mani defeated Yashaswini Ghorpade 2-1, earning her the first Golden Point of the match.
First-timers Ahmedabad SG Pipers will play Puneri Paltan Table Tennis in the first match of their double header tomorrow at 17:00 to kick off their IndianOil UTT 2024 campaign. PBG Bengaluru Smashers will later take on the Chennai Lions, the hosts.First-timers Ahmedabad SG Pipers will play Puneri Paltan Table Tennis in the first match of their double header tomorrow at 17:00 to kick off their IndianOil UTT 2024 campaign. PBG Bengaluru Smashers will later take on the Chennai Lions, the hosts.
