By Kirti Patil
Pune: Reeth Tenninson, a member of India’s Commonwealth Games team to 2022 Birmingham used her international exposure to the fullest in beating two-time National champion Sreeja Akula 11-4, 6-11, 11-8 that effectively put her team—Goa Challengers into the final of the IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4 at the Badminton Hall of the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi here on Friday.
The semifinal was tantalisingly poised at 6-6 going into the women’s singles and just then Reeth came up with some stunning defence to subdue the reigning national champion Sreeja Akula. Reeth won the first game to put her team closer to the final as Goa led 7-6 in the ties being played to race to 8 points. Sreeja added more suspense by winning the third game but Reeth was up to the mark in the decider as Goa Challengers cruised into the final with 8-7 win.
Earlier, Sathiyan beat Harmeet 2-1 in the first match (Men’s Singles) of the tie to give Dabang Delhi TTC a perfect start.
The Asian Games medallist was swift in his movements early on and used both flanks to dominate the game. Harmeet stood no chance as his compatriot was at his aggressive best. Sathiyan won the first game 11-3 to take the lead.
The second game saw a tough battle between both the star paddlers as they fought for every point. However, in the end, Sathiyan held his nerve and clinched the game 11-9 with sparkling forehand shots. Harmeet took one back when he won the third game 11-8.
In the second match (Women’s Singles), Suthasini Sawettabut defeated Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 to bring the Challengers back into the tie.
The Thai paddler showed immaculate control in the first game to win it by 11-5 before Ayhika came roaring back to clinch the following game 11-8 with her top-notch shots. The decider was a one-sided affair as Suthasini won it by 11-3 to register a remarkable victory.
Sathiyan and Barbora Balazova played with immaculate coordination and won the third match (Mixed Doubles) of the tie 2-1 against Harmeet and Suthasini to bring the Delhi franchise back in the lead.
The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) the league has been a gamechanger for the sport since its inception in 2017.
World Championships silver medallist Alvaro Robles took the tie into the decider as he rallied to beat Swede Jon Persson 2-1 (6-11, 11-10, 11-7) in the fourth match—the Men’s Singles.
The result:
Dabang Delhi TTC lost to Goa Challengers 7-8
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran bt Harmeet Desai2-1 (11-3, 11-9, 8-11)
Ayhika Mukherjee lost to Suthasini Sawettabut1-2 (5-11, 11-8, 3-11)
Sathiyan/Barbora Balazova bt Harmeet /Suthasini2-2 (8-11, 11-10, 11-10; Jon Persson lost to Alvaro Robles1-2 (11-6, 10-11, 7-11)
Sreeja Akula lost to Reeth tenninson 1-2 (4-11, 11-6, 8-11).
Semifinal: 2: Chennai Lions vs Puneri Paltan TT (Saturday, July 29, 7.30pm)
