Panaji, Jul 21 (PTI) HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades snapped U Mumba TT’s winning streak with a thrilling 8-7 victory in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 to seal a semifinal berth here on Tuesday.
Despite the defeat, U Mumba also secured a place in the semifinals, with their superior game count and favourable permutations ensuring qualification alongside Kolkata and league leaders Dempo Goa Challengers.
Youngster Taneesha Kotecha shone bright for Kolkata by handing Anna Hursey her first defeat of the campaign, while Zeng Jian held her nerve in the deciding game of the final match to clinch the tie.
The result confirmed both teams’ progression to the knockout stage ahead of the final two league fixtures, leaving only one spot vacant.
Kolkata struck
first through Eduard Ionescu, who recovered from a game down to defeat Manush Shah, before Taneesha delivered one of the upsets of the season with a commanding straight-games victory over the previously unbeaten Hursey.
U Mumba fought back in the mixed doubles as Manush and Hursey recovered from an early deficit to defeat Ankur Bhattacharjee and Taneesha in three games, keeping the defending champions firmly in the contest.
Frenchman Lilian Bardet then edged past Ankur in another hard-fought three-game encounter to bring U Mumba within touching distance before Nithyashree Mani levelled the tie at 7-7 with a composed win over Jian in the opening two games.
With everything resting on the final game, Jian responded emphatically, sealing an 11-5 victory to hand Kolkata the tie. PTI SSC BS BS
