UTT 2024: Goa Challengers begin title defence with win over debutant Jaipur Patriots

Athlead Goa Challengers began its title defence in style at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, defeating the Jaipur Patriots 9-6 in the season opener of the fifth edition of the Ultimate Table Tennis.

The Patriots, one of the two new sides in the league, couldn’t have asked for a better soft launch though. World No. 146 Cho Seungmin was to go up against the Challengers’ Harmeet, who won the his second Nationals crown last year.

Although Harmeet ran away with the first game 11-2, finding an unlikely ally in his forehand strokes, the contest was far from over. Either of what Cho Seungmin was muttering under his breath or the coach’s intervention seemed to have worked for the South Korean for he was soon to take Harmeet to the cleaners.

The Indian paddler, in fact, failed to win a single point on serve, eventually sinking to an embarrassing 11-1 in the second game! Seungmin, debuting in the UTT, took things up a notch in the third, winning 11-5 with an unorthodox pendulum half-long service, which put the Indian out of sorts.

READ MORE | UTT 2024: New teams, new format make for challenging fight for title

Next, Yangzi Liu, who hadn’t dropped a match in season four, picked up from where she left without breaking a sweat as Thailand’s Suthasini Sawettabut succumbed 3-0 (11-3, 11-6, 11-4).

Suthasini, known for adding zesty pace on her forehand drives, was silenced early on as the Australian, ranked 34th in the world, chose to restrict herself to the corner near the baseline.

At a point in the second game, it did seem that Suthasini, a three-time Olympian, might be able to find some footing but she dropped five points on the spin from a 4-all scoreline.

The mixed doubles clash also saw a seesaw affair. Suthasini and Ronit Bhanja huffed and puffed to somehow avoid the bagel in the first game, losing 11-1 to Harmeet-Liu.

But that presented only half-the-picture.

The Patriots mounted a comeback in the second game, heading into the break with a 5-2 lead. The duo’s nimble footwork coupled with immaculate placement saw them take the game 11-6.

READ MORE | UTT 2024: Ahmedabad SG Pipers, Jaipur Patriots; Who are the two new teams in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 5?

The third game was more closely fought and saw Liu fumble a few times. Suthasini even had her flummoxed with a sudden change of pace on a short underspin on one occasion. But the Challengers eventually ended up winning the much-needed points to claim a 2-1 victory.

The second men’s singles ended up being decisive with Bhanja’s soft hands seeing Mihai Bobocica concede crucial points on his UTT debut. The Indian paddler won 90 per cent of his points on service in the first game. 

Down but not out, Bobocica relied more on his topspin in the second game to take a 5-3 lead at the break. He carried his form to the very end to emerge victorious 11-7. With a sole game victory required for the Challengers to romp home, Bobocica rained down some confident smashes to make it 8-4 in favour of the defending champion.

The last match, a mere formality, saw local lady and debutant Nithyashree Mani of the Patriots claim the golden point in the first game. She went to record an upset 11-10, 5-11, 11-7 and take down a much stronger opponent in Yashaswini Ghorpade.

Although this wasn’t how the Patriots would have hoped to begin their campaign, the silver linings would surely have them optimistic in the days ahead.