Wins for Lilian Bardet and Bernadette Szocs gave U Mumba an early lead, earlier than Szocs and Akash Pal swept the blended doubles 3-0 to take them to the brink.
U Mumba TT safe first-ever title
Wins for Lilian Bardet and Bernadette Szocs gave U Mumba an early lead, earlier than Szocs and Akash Pal swept the blended doubles 3-0 to take them to the brink. Teenager Abhinandh PB sealed the title with a clutch sport win within the fourth match. Although Yashaswini Ghorpade didn’t function within the ultimate, her standout semi-final show epitomised U Mumba’s collective energy this season–hallmarks of a marketing campaign expertly managed from the dugout by coaches John Murphy and Jay Modak, as per a press launch from UTT.
For their performances within the ultimate, Akash and Szocs have been named the Indian and Foreign Player of the Final, respectively, whereas Jeet Chandra claimed the Shot of the Final.
Staged beneath the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, UTT continues to develop as a premier skilled league. Over 16 action-packed days, all 23 ties occurred at Ahmedabad’s EKA Arena.
Bardet set the tone for U Mumba with a gritty comeback towards Kanak Jha within the opening rubber, turning a one-game deficit right into a 2-1 win. That momentum carried right into a marquee conflict between the league’s top-ranked participant, Szocs and India’s highest-ranked paddler on the worldwide circuit, Sreeja Akula. Szocs showcased elite defence and composure beneath stress to assert a hard-fought 2-1 victory, handing Sreeja her first lack of the season.
Szocs returned alongside Akash to dominate the blended doubles, cruising previous Jeet and Britt Eerland in straight video games. With every sport more and more one-sided, the U Mumba duo went from 5-5 to 11-5 within the second sport and closed out the third with the identical scoreline.
With the tie on the road, Jeet saved Jaipur Patriots alive with a composed begin in Match 4, successful the primary two video games towards U Mumba’s Abhinandh. But the 17-year-old U Mumba paddler held his nerve in a tense third sport; locked at 6-6, Abhinandh surged forward 10-8 earlier than sealing it 11-8, clinching U Mumba TT’s first-ever UTT title with an 8-4 general win.
Dempo Goa Challengers’ skipper Harmeet Desai and U Mumba TT captain Bernadette Szocs have been named the Male and Female MVPs of UTT Season 6, respectively, for his or her standout performances, whereas the ‘Shot of the League’ went to Adriana Diaz for her gorgeous winner towards Krittwika Sinha Roy in Kolkata ThunderBlades’ league stage tie towards Goa.
The Grand Finale was graced by a number of dignitaries and distinguished friends, together with UTT Co-Promoters Vita Dani and Niraj Bajaj. Also in attendance have been TTFI Secretary General Kamlesh Mehta and Arjuna awardee Monalisa Mehta, together with ITTF Group CEO Steve Dainton and ITTF Foundation Director Leandro Olvech. IndianOil, the title sponsors, have been represented by senior officers, together with Sanjib Behera and Ashok Jain. The night additionally noticed participation from Rakesh Khanna, Sameer Koticha, and Kiran Bir Sethi, with every visitor taking part in a ceremonial position in honouring the season’s standout performers.
Final Scores
U Mumba TT 8-4 Jaipur Patriots
Lilian Bardet bt. Kanak Jha 2-1 (4-11, 11-5, 11-7)Bernadette Szocs bt. Sreeja Akula 2-1 (11-9, 10-11, 11-5)Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs bt. Jeet Chandra/Britt Eerland 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-5)Abhinandh PB misplaced to Jeet Chandra 1-2 (5-11, 8-11, 11-8).
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