Mumbai, June 3: Driven by standout performances from World No. 12 Bernadette Szocs, Lilian Bardet, and Yashaswini Ghorpade, U Mumba TT bounced back in style, claiming a commanding 10-5 win over Western rivals Ahmedabad SG Pipers in Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Monday. In the earlier tie, Kolkata Thunder Blades registered an 8-7 win on their league debut against Season 3 champions Stanleyâs Chennai Lions. Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, UTT continues to grow as a premier professional league. Ultimate Table Tennis 2025: Sathiyan Gnanasekaran Shines As Dabang Delhi Beat Jaipur Patriots in UTT Season 6 Opener.
The tie opened with Bardet continuing his strong form, edging Snehit Suravajjula 2-1 after dominating the first game and holding firm in a tense second. Yashaswini, making her first appearance of the season, then delivered a composed 2-1 win over Ayhika Mukherjee, storming through the decider 11-4 after building an 8-0 lead.
The momentum stayed with Mumbai as Szocs and Akash Pal teamed up to win the mixed doubles 2-1, holding off a brief comeback from Walther and Ayhika. Akash nearly sealed the tie with an upset in the fourth match, taking the first game against World No. 34 Ricardo Walther before the German rallied to level the score.
But Szocs shut the door in the final clash, sweeping Giorgia Piccolin 3-0 to clinch the tie. Yashaswini and Szocs claimed the Indian and the Foreign Player of the Tie awards, respectively, while Ayhika took home the Shot of the Tie honour for a smashing forehand drive in her singles contest. Ultimate Table Tennis 2025: Debutants Kolkata Thunder Blades Set for Clash Against Stanleyâs Chennai Lions; U Mumba TT Gear Up To Take On Ahmedabad SG Pipers.
Indiaâs 18-year-old prodigy Ankur Bhattacharjee produced the upset of the night, blanking Olympian and World No. 55 Kirill Gerassimenko 3-0 to power debutants Kolkata ThunderBlades to a thrilling win over Stanleyâs Chennai Lions in their IndianOil UTT Season 6 opener.
Ankurâs backhand was in full flow, delivering nine winners in Game 1 alone. He edged the second on Golden Point and sealed the third with authority, earning both Indian Player of the Tie and Shot of the Tie honours. Chennai hit back through World No. 36 Fan Siqi, the leagueâs highest-valued player, who marked her debut with a 3-0 win over Selena Selvakumar.
She then teamed up with Payas Jain to take the mixed doubles, though Kolkata snatched a game late. Chennaiâs hopes faded as Aruna Quadri edged Payas 2-1, and Adriana Diaz sealed the tie with a 3-0 win over Poymantee Baisya. Fan was named Foreign Player of the Tie. Ultimate Table Tennis 2025 Schedule Announced: UTT Season 6 To Begin on May 31 With Double-Header (See Fixtures).
Earlier, at the UTT Juniors, Sahil Rawat excelled in menâs singles and mixed doubles, leading Dempo Goa Challengers to a 5-4 victory over Dabang Delhi TTC. Meanwhile, Trishal Surapureddy and Shreya Dharâs singles wins secured a 5-4 victory for Jaipur Patriots against PBG Pune Jaguars.
Results
1. Kolkata Thunder Blades 8-7 Stanleyâs Chennai Lions
Ankur Bhattacharjee bt. Kirill Gerassimenko 3-0 (11-4, 11-10, 11-7)
Selena Selvakumar lost to Fan Siqi 0-3 (8-11, 10-11, 6-11)
Ankur Bhattacharjee/Adriana Diaz lost to Payas Jain/Fan Siqi 1-2 (6-11, 4-11, 11-8)
Quadri Aruna bt. Payas Jain 2-1 (11-3, 8-11, 11-9)
Adriana Diaz bt. Poymantee Baisya 2-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-6)
2. U Mumba TT 10-5 Ahmedabad SG Pipers
Lilian Bardet bt. Snehit Suravajjula 2-1 (11-4, 11-9, 4-11)
Yashaswini Ghorpade bt. Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-4)
Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs bt. Ricardo Walther/Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 (11-4, 10-11, 11-6)
Akash Pal lost to Ricardo Walther 1-2 (11-8, 6-11, 5-11)
Bernadette Szocs bt. Giorgia Piccolin 3-0 (11-4, 11-10, 11-9)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 03, 2025 12:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).