By Kirti Patil
Pune: Seven-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Achanta Sharath Kamal led from the front to steer defending champion Chennai Lions into the final with 8-3 win over home team Puneri Paltan TT in the second semifinal of the IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4 at the Badminton Hall of the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi here on Saturday. Chennai Lions will face Goa Challengers in the final on Sunday.
The Star Indian paddler Sharath Kamal faced Manush Shah in the fourth match of the tie with the tie score at 7- 2 and won the necessary eighth point required for victory. Young Manush played some startling shots early on to take the first game 11-5 to reduce the gap before Sharath Kamal made a fine comeback and clinched the second 11-5 as Chennai Lions reached the back-to-back final in the league.
The franchise-based league promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has been a game changer for the sport since its inception in 2017.
Earlier, Benedikt Duda won the first match (Men’s Singles) of the tie against 2018 ITTF African-Cup champion Omar Assar 3-0 to give Chennai Lions a perfect start.
The World No. 32 German played aggressively from the start and used his perfect forehands to good effect to take the opening game 11-5 before pocketing the second b11-7. Duda looked in complete control of his shots in the third game as well as he clinched it 11-6 to register a comprehensive victory.
Then, Yangzi Liu defeated Hana Matelova 2-1 to continue her undefeated streak in Season 4 and further extended the lead of Chennai Lions. Yangzi, the Australian paddler struggled in the first game as Hana showed immaculate control on her backhand to win it 11-3 before Yangzi came roaring and clinched the second game 11-8 to force the match into the decider which she won 11-7.
In the third match (Mixed Doubles), Sharath Kamal and Yangzi beat Manush Shah and Hana 2-1 and took Chennai Lions’ lead to 7-2 in the tie. Sharath and Yangzi began the match with positive intent. They showcased immaculate control on both flanks to win the first game 11-4 before Manush and Hana took the second by 11-9. The decider of the match went in the favour of the Chennai Lions’ pair 11-6.
The result:
Chennai Lions beat Puneri Paltan TT 8-3
(Benedikt Duda bt Omar Assar 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-6)
Yangzi Liu bt Hana Matelova2-1 (3-11, 11-8, 11-7)
Achanta Sharath Kama/Yangzi bt Manush Shah/Hana 2-1 (11-4, 9-11, 11-6)
Sharath drew with Manush Shah1-1 (5-11, 11-5).
Final: Chennai Lions vs Goa Challengers (Sunday, July 30, 7.30pm)
