Goa: Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 powered by ChatGPT continued with another action-packed day at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, as HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades clinched a dramatic 8-7 victory over PBG Pune Jaguars, while Dabang Delhi TTC defeated UP Prometheans 9-6 in Friday’s double-header.
Taneesha Kotecha Seals Thriller for Kolkata
The highlight of the evening came when 19-year-old Taneesha Kotecha produced an outstanding performance to defeat India’s top paddler Diya Chitale 2-1 (11-7, 11-2, 9-11), sealing a narrow 8-7 victory for HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades.
Earlier in the tie, Pune began strongly as Snehit SFR defeated Ankur Bhattacharjee before Singapore’s Zeng Jian restored parity by overcoming Prithika Pavade.
The Kolkata duo of Eduard Ionescu and Ayhika Mukherjee then edged past Pune’s mixed doubles pair before Egypt’s Omar Assar fought back brilliantly against Ionescu to level the tie, setting up the decisive women’s singles encounter.
Kotecha held her composure under pressure to deliver the winning points for Kolkata.
Dabang Delhi Begin Campaign with Victory
In the opening tie of the day, Dabang Delhi TTC came from behind to register a 9-6 win over UP Prometheans.
UP started brightly through Manav Thakkar, who defeated Egypt’s Youssef Abdelaziz to hand his team an early lead.
Spanish star Maria Xiao levelled the contest by beating Yangzi Liu, before partnering Sathiyan Gnanasekaran to dominate the mixed doubles with a convincing 3-0 victory.
Gnanasekaran then defeated Germany’s Ricardo Walther, extending Delhi’s advantage.
Although Sayali Wani secured the final women’s singles for UP by edging past Divyanshi Bhowmick, Delhi had already built an unassailable lead.
Maria Xiao was named the ChatGPT Match IQ Player of the Tie, while Ricardo Walther received the Bisleri Shot of the Tie award.
Historic First Use of TTR in India
Friday’s action also witnessed a landmark moment as Butterfly UTT introduced the Table Tennis Review (TTR) system for the first time in India.
UP’s Manav Thakkar became the first player to challenge a serve for ball visibility. His first two reviews were successful before his third appeal was rejected after officials confirmed the serve complied with tournament regulations.
The AI-assisted review system aims to improve officiating accuracy and enhance transparency during matches.
Dream UTT Juniors Continue
The grassroots Dream UTT Juniors competition also continued alongside the senior league.
- U Mumba TT defeated Dempo Goa Challengers 5-4.
- HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades defeated Ahmedabad APL Pipers 5-4.
Butterfly UTT Season 7 continues in Goa with more exciting fixtures over the weekend as teams battle for a place in the semi-finals.
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