Turning it around: Reeth got the better of Sutirtha and recorded her first singles win of the season.
| Photo Credit: R. Ravindran
Debutant Ahmedabad SG Pipers outplayed U Mumba TT 9-6 and jumped to the top of the table with 24 points from three matches in the Ultimate Table Tennis League here on Tuesday.
U Mumba’s Manav Thakkar continued his winning streak in singles, defeating Manush Shah 2-1 in the opening rubber.
In a battle between friends, Manav kept neutralising Manush’s powerful forehand shots with his retrieving ability. The latter made quite a few unforced errors and went down in three games.
Reeth Rishya was under pressure as she took on Sutirtha Mukherjee. The 29-year-old, who had lost her singles contests against Goa Challengers and Puneri Paltan, fought back to prevail 2-1.
After losing the first game, she stormed into contention by taking the second 11-8. In the decider, Reeth matched her opponent shot for shot during the short and long rallies. Her win pulled Pipers level (4-4).
In mixed doubles, Manush and Bernadette Szocs proved too strong for Manav and Maria Xiao.
As Pipers’ Lilian Bardet and U Mumba’s Quadri Aruna took the stage, an exciting encounter was on the cards as both are known for their attacking style.
It was Aruna who put it across Bardet 2-1 in a match that witnesssed some thrilling rallies.
For Aruna, the victory would have been a huge relief after the losses to G. Sathiyan (Dabang Delhi) and Cho Seungmin (Jaipur Patriots).
With a healthy (7-5) lead in the bag, Ahmedabad needed just one game in the fifth rubber to seal the issue.
Szocs pulls up her socks
The women’s singles clash between Szocs and Xiao saw the latter win the first game before Szocs, world ranked 13th and the highest in the league, pulled up her socks and cruised home in the next two.
The results:
Ahmedabad SG Pipers bt U Mumba 9-6 (Manush Shah lost to Manav Thakkar 2-11, 9-11, 11-8; Reeth Rishya bt Sutirtha Mukherjee 5-11, 11-8, 11-7; Manush & Bernadette Szocs bt Manav & Maria Xiao 11-4, 11-8, 11-8; Lilian Bardet lost to Quadri Aruna 5-11, 11-9, 9-11; Szocs bt Maria 9-11, 11-4, 11-6).
