Jeet Chandra of PBG Bangalore Smashers during the Indian Oil UTT Table Tennis League in Chennai on August 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Jeet Chandra swept past S.F.R. Snehit in a battle of Indian men’s Gen Next paddlers as Bengaluru Smashers continued its red-hot form to virtually put a foot in the knockouts after crushing debutants Jaipur Patriots in the Ultimate Table Tennis’ fifth edition.
Jeet’s 3-0 win ensured that the damage the Smashers suffered in the mixed doubles – thanks to Cho Seung-min’s unstoppable forehand top-spin winners – did not hurt it. With Manika Batra, the ace Indian female, overcoming jitters of a golden point twice against Suthasini Sawettabut in the last rubber, the Smashers completed an 11-4 rout of the Patriots.
The lopsided win resulted in the Smashers (32 points) steering a whopping eight points clear of the second-placed Ahmedabad SG Pipers at the top of the points table.
Jeet, who had made an impressive UTT debut midway through the 2023 edition, justified the faith Bengaluru have shown in him yet again by toppling Snehit’s powerful forehands. The manner in which Jeet covered the table with his forehand was impressive.
With Jeet having handed an unassailable 8-4 advantage, Manika could play freely against a familiar foe in Suthasini. The lanky Indian showcased a perfect twiddle – flipping her otherwise preferred long-pimpled rubber with the plain rubber midway through the rally – to play a backhand counter that turned out to be too quick on the golden point for Suthasini.
Equally impressive was Lily Zhang, the American sensation, who was too good for Nithyasree Mani. But the most entertaining affair turned out to be the all-southpaw battle between Smashers captain Alvaro Robles and Cho. Despite both playing powerful forehands, it was the lanky Spaniard who set the ball rolling for Smashers who didn’t drop the momentum thereafter.
The scores: PBG Bengaluru Smashers bt Jaipur Patriots 11-4 (Alvaro Robles bt Cho Seung-min 11-6, 11-7, 10-11; Lily Zhang bt Nithyashree Mani 11-5, 11-10, 11-5; A. Amalraj & Zhang lost to Cho & Nithyashree 7-11, 9-11, 9-11; Jeet Chandra bt Snehit S.F.R. 11-8, 11-9, 11-6, Manika Batra bt Suthasini Sawettabut 11-10, 11-4, 11-10)
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