GOA: Defending champions U Mumba TT continued their impressive resurgence in Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7, defeating Maharashtra rivals PBG Pune Jaguars 9-6 in a thrilling derby at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Thursday.
The victory marked U Mumba’s second consecutive win of the season, lifting the defending champions to the top of the league standings as the competition enters a crucial phase.
The tie began with Pune drawing first blood after Snehit Suravajjula staged a remarkable comeback against Manush Shah in the opening men’s singles encounter. However, U Mumba quickly restored parity as Anna Hursey displayed composure under pressure to overcome Diya Chitale in a closely contested women’s singles match.
The turning point of the contest came in the mixed doubles, where Manush Shah and Anna Hursey dominated Snehit Suravajjula and Prithika Pavade in straight games, giving U Mumba a crucial advantage heading into the final two matches.
French paddler Lilian Bardet then produced one of the standout performances of the evening. After dropping the opening game against Egypt’s Omar Assar, Bardet fought back brilliantly before sealing victory on a dramatic Golden Point, confirming U Mumba’s overall triumph.
Although the tie had already been decided, Prithika Pavade ensured Pune ended the evening on a positive note by defeating Anusha Kutumbale in the women’s singles. Their encounter featured the longest rally of Butterfly UTT Season 7, with an incredible 31-shot exchange that had spectators on the edge of their seats.
For his outstanding contribution, Manush Shah was named Indian Player of the Tie, while Anna Hursey received both the Foreign Player of the Tie and ChatGPT Match IQ Player of the Tie awards. Omar Assar claimed the Bisleri Shot of the Tie honour for his sensational around-the-net winner.
Earlier in the Dream UTT Juniors, Dabang Delhi TTC edged UP Prometheans 5-4 to remain in contention for the playoffs. Ahmedabad APL Pipers also ended their campaign with a narrow 5-4 victory over PBG Pune Jaguars, although both teams were eliminated from semifinal contention.
Butterfly UTT Season 7 continues in Goa with another exciting double-header featuring Ahmedabad APL Pipers vs HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades, followed by Dabang Delhi TTC vs Dempo Goa Challengers.
Discover more from Allycaral
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
