UTT 2025: Jaipur Patriots reaches final after thrilling win against Dabang Delhi TTC

A cracking forehand down the line from Sreeja Akula ignited celebrations amongst the Jaipur Patriots players and coaches as the team took down Dabang Delhi TTC 8-7 in a nail-biting first semifinal of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season Six on Friday.

Sreeja’s 2-1 triumph over Diya Chitale in a winner-takes-all second reverse singles was a fitting finale to a tie which had its multiple shifts in momentum, much to the delight of the 500-odd spectators at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad.

With the tie at 6-6, Diya had to end Sreeja’s winning streak in the tournament to take Dabang to its second final in a row.

The 26-year-old Sreeja was in control of the opener, leading 10-7, when she made back-to-back forehand errors. However, a superb backhand block down the line in response to an inside-out forehand from Diya helped her clinch the game.

Jaipur Patriots’ Kanak Jha against Dabang Delhi TTC’s Quek Izaac during Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Friday, June 13, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI/THE HINDU

Diya, who had her personal coach Sachin Shetty on the Patriots bench, upped the ante in the second to tackle Sreeja’s defensive blocks and took the tie to a decider.

In an edge-of-the-seat third game, neither of the two players was ahead by more than a single point for the most part till Diya’s inside-out forehand clipped the net and went out at 8-9. Sreeja converted her second match point to take the Patriots home.

The task could have been tougher for Sreeja had Yashansh Malik not stunned G. Sathiyan in the first reverse singles.

It was a strategic call from the Patriots to field Malik instead of Jeet Chandra, considering Malik had beaten Sathiyan at the National Championships earlier this year.

Malik’s comebacks from 7-10 down in the opener and 4-7 in the second grabbed two crucial points for the Patriots.

Earlier, Patriots skipper Kanak Jha, who had missed the last-league stage match due to a stomach bug, avenged his loss to Izaac Quek from the tournament opener and gave the team in pink a winning start.

But Maria Xiao, rested by Dabang in its previous match, took down Britt Eerland before her formidable partnership with Sathiyan once again proved effective against Eerland and Chandra in mixed doubles.

In a tie which could have gone either way, perhaps the Golden Points made the difference – Dabang won one while the Patriots clinched two.

Defending champion Dempo Goa Challengers will face U Mumba in the second semifinal on Saturday.