It was a battle between a facet that needed to win large to place different groups in competition for the knockouts underneath strain and a group that was combating to keep away from the picket spoon.
While Kolkata ThunderBlades crumbled, Ahmedabad SG Pipers ended its Ultimate Table Tennis season with a tag of the party-pooper.
Fingers crossed
Pipers’ 8-7 win on Tuesday implies that ThunderBlades must maintain their fingers crossed for the following two league video games.
With Goa Challengers and Dabang Delhi TTC having sealed a spot within the semifinals, ThunderBlades needed to win a minimum of 9 video games to place the opposite three contenders underneath actual strain.
But Ankur Bhattarcharjee threw away an excellent begin in opposition to Germany’s Ricardo Walther. Leading 8-1 and 9-4, Ankur took it barely straightforward, and the seasoned Walther then uncovered his opponent’s weak point on the forehand nook to run away with the sport and the match.
Adriana Diaz then needed to beat Ayhika Mukherjee with a 3-0 margin to maintain ThunderBlades heading in the right direction for a semifinal spot. But Ayhika’s long-pimples on either side trapped Diaz within the opening sport because the Indian opened up the hole in favour of the Ahmedabad outfit. Leading 5-4 on the finish of the blended doubles, ThunderBlades banked their hopes on Aruna Quadri blanking SFR Snehit, and Selenadeepthi Selvakumar to repeat the feat in opposition to debutant Yashini Sivashankar in an all-Tamil Nadu battle.
But Snehit turned the tables on Quadri together with his aggressive forehand to win 3-0. Yashini gave ThunderBlades the final snicker by profitable the third sport regardless of failing to transform three sport factors within the first.
The consequence: Kolkata ThunderBlades misplaced to Ahmedabad SG Pipers 7-8 (Ankur Bhattacharjee misplaced to Ricardo Walther 10-11, 5-11, 11-10; Adriana Diaz bt Ayhika Mukherjee 10-11, 11-8, 11-1; Diaz & Ankur bt Ayhika & Walther 11-10, 8-11, 11-7; Quadri Aruna misplaced to S.F.R. Snehit 10-11, September 11, 8-11; Selenadeepthi Selvakumar bt Yashini Sivashankar 11-10, 4-11, 11-10).
The standings: Dempo Goa Challengers 44 factors (5 matches) Qualified, Dabang Delhi TTC 39 factors (4) Q, Kolkata ThunderBlades 36 (5), Jaipur Patriots 32 (4), U Mumba TT 32 (4), Stanley’s Chennai Lions 29 (5), PBG Pune Jaguars 28 (4), Ahmedabad SG Pipers 22 (4).
Wednesday’s match: Jaipur Patriots vs PBG Pune Jaguars (7.30 p.m.).
Published – June 10, 2025 10:28 pm IST
