Dempo Goa Challengers made history on Wednesday by becoming the first team to complete the league stage unbeaten, beating UP Prometheans 10-5 in Season 7 of Ultimate Table Tennis.
The win capped a flawless league campaign for the two-time champions, who won all six of their ties to finish top of the standings and head into the semifinals with perfect momentum.
Alvaro Robles and Bernadette Szocs once again led the way as Dempo Goa Challengers surged into an early lead, before Abhinandh PB teamed up with Szocs to win the mixed doubles and wrap up the tie.
Although UP responded through wins by Manav Thakkar and Yangzi Liu in the closing matches, Goa’s dominant start proved decisive as they sealed a historic unbeaten finish to the league stage.
Goa
got off to the ideal start, with Alvaro Robles cruising past Sudhanshu Grover in straight games before Bernadette Szocs overcame a spirited challenge from Sayali Wani to extend the lead.
The reigning champions then seized complete control in the mixed doubles, as Szocs and Abhinandh PB edged past Ricardo Walther and Swastika Ghosh in a closely fought three-game contest to seal the tie and preserve Goa’s unbeaten record.
UP finished the evening with two morale-boosting wins. Manav Thakkar handed Abhinandh a second consecutive singles loss after the youngster had gone undefeated for much of the campaign, while former two-time MVP Liu recovered from dropping the opening game to defeat teenage star Syndrela Das.
Despite the late resistance, Goa completed a historic undefeated league phase.
Dabang Delhi TTC will take on PBG Pune Jaguars in the final league phase tie, with the fourth semi-final spot at stake.
All UTT Season 7 matches will be live on Star Sports Khel (Hindi), Star Sports Tamil 2 HD and Star Sports Tamil 3 HD, and streamed live on JioHotstar in Hindi, Tamil and English.
Final Score
Dempo Goa Challengers 10-5 UP Prometheans
Alvaro Robles bt. Sudhanshu Grover 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-4)
Bernadette Szocs bt. Sayali Wani 2-1 (11-3, 9-11, 11-9)
Abhinandh PB/Bernadette Szocs bt. Ricardo Walther/Swastika Ghosh 3-0 (11-9, 11-10, 11-9)
Abhinandh PB lost to Manav Thakkar 1-2 (8-11, 7-11, 11-8)
Syndrela Das lost to Yangzi Liu 1-2 (11-10, 7-11, 6-11)
