UTT 2025: Abhinandh inspires U Mumba to semifinal spot with victory over Dabang Delhi TTC
Dimmer lights. No grand team entries or music. On Thursday, the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad hosted the last league-stage fixture of the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6 in a sympathetic atmosphere after a tragic flight crash sent shockwaves throughout the city earlier in the day.
Members of the two competing teams – Dabang Delhi TTC and U Mumba – wore black armbands in the memory of the lives lost and held a minute’s silence as a mark of respect towards the victims prior to the tie.
Once the contest began, both teams had clear objectives. Dabang needed five points to top the standings while the Mumbai-based franchise also had to win a minimum of five games to qualify for the semifinals. The final scoreline of 10-5 in the latter’s favour satisfied both the camps.
Table-topper Dabang will take on fourth-placed Jaipur Patriots on Thursday while Mumba, who finished third, will be up against second-placed Dempo Goa Challengers, the defending champion, on Friday in the semifinals.
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Frenchman Lilian Bardet gave Mumba the ideal start as he survived a close opener to take down Dabang skipper G. Sathiyan.
Diya Chitale seemed to be in control of the match against Mumba skipper Bernadette Szocs, clinching the first game 11-3 and leading 5-2 in the second. However, World No. 12 Szocs slowed the pace of her shots, brought the tomahawk serve out from time to time and eventually, beat the Indian.
Chitale was down on her knees after netting a backhand on match point, rueing the missed opportunity to secure a memorable win over the Romanian.
She did get a redemption of sorts in the mixed doubles though. With southpaw Maria Xiao rested for the tie, Dabang fielded Chitale and Singaporean Izaac Quek against Szocs and Akash Pal.
The Pal-Szocs duo comfortably bagged the opener, which confirmed Mumba’s spot for the last-four stage. Perhaps relaxed after achieving the goal, the pair took its foot off the pedal and allowed the Chitale-Izaac duo to make a comeback.
The big positive for Mumba was the debut of P. Abhinandh. The 17-year-old, who spent the entirety of the last season on the bench at Chennai Lions, defeated Izaac 2-1. The Indian’s forehand chop from under the table at 9-7 in the second game was the shot of the day.
Dabang also handed a debut to Suhana Saini. While the scoreline may show a 0-3 loss to Yashaswini Ghorpade, the 19-year-old gave a good account of herself as she conceded the opening two games on Golden Points.
The Result:
U Mumba 10-5 Dabang Delhi TTC
Lilian Bardet bt. G. Sathiyan 2-1 (11-10, 4-11, 11-4)
Bernadette Szocs bt. Diya Chitale 2-1 (3-11, 11-10, 11-8)
Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs lost 1-2 (11-5, 7-11, 5-11) to Izaak Quek/Diya Chitale
P.B. Abhinandh bt. Izaak Quek 2-1 (11-4, 11-9, 7-11)
Yashaswini Ghorpade bt. Suhana Saini 3-0 (11-10, 11-10, 11-3)
STANDINGS (Q – qualified for semifinals)
Dabang Delhi TTC (Q)
Ties played – 5, Ties won – 4, Matches won – 15, Points – 44
Dempo Goa Challengers (Q)
Ties played – 5, Ties won – 3, Matches won – 16, Points – 44
U Mumba (Q)
Ties played – 5, Ties won – 3, Matches won – 15, Points – 42
Jaipur Patriots (Q)
Ties played – 5, Ties won – 4, Matches won – 16, Points – 41
Kolkata ThunderBlades
Ties played – 5, Ties won – 2, Matches won – 14, Points – 36
PBG Pune Jaguars
Ties played – 5, Ties won – 2, Matches won – 9, Points – 34
Ahmedabad SG Pipers
Ties played – 5, Ties won – 2, Matches won – 8, Points – 30
Stanley’s Chennai Lions
Ties played – 5, Ties won – 0, Matches won – 7, Points – 29