Goa, July 22: Dempo Goa Challengers etched their names into the history books by becoming the first team ever to remain unbeaten throughout the league phase of the Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 Powered by ChatGPT. The two-time champions sealed their remarkable campaign with a convincing 10-5 victory over UP Prometheans on Wednesday.
The victory completed a flawless league campaign for the Goa franchise, which won all six of its matches to finish at the top of the standings and head into the semifinals with unmatched momentum.
The match saw Alvaro Robles and Bernadette Szocs once again deliver outstanding performances, giving Goa a commanding early lead. The duo’s brilliance, combined with an excellent mixed doubles performance by Abhinandh PB and Szocs, ensured the tie was secured well before the final matches.
Organised under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, Butterfly UTT Season 7 features 42 international players, including 14 Olympians, while continuing to strengthen India’s table tennis ecosystem through world-class competition.
Goa began strongly as Alvaro Robles dominated Sudhanshu Grover with a comprehensive straight-games victory. Bernadette Szocs followed with a hard-fought win over Sayali Wani, despite facing a spirited comeback in the second game.
The turning point came in the mixed doubles, where Abhinandh PB and Bernadette Szocs edged Ricardo Walther and Swastika Ghosh in three closely contested games to secure the tie and preserve Goa’s unbeaten record.
UP Prometheans finished the evening on a positive note with victories from Manav Thakkar, who defeated Abhinandh PB, and Yangzi Liu, who overcame teenage talent Syndrela Das after losing the opening game. However, the late comeback proved insufficient as Goa comfortably completed one of the finest league campaigns in the competition’s history.
For her exceptional performance, Bernadette Szocs was named both the ChatGPT MatchIQ Player and Foreign Player of the Tie, while Abhinandh PB earned the Indian Player of the Tie award. Alvaro Robles received the Bisleri Shot of the Tie honour.
Attention now shifts to the final league fixture between Dabang Delhi TTC and PBG Pune Jaguars, which will determine the fourth and final semifinal berth.
With six wins from six matches, Dempo Goa Challengers now enter the knockout stage as the tournament favourites, carrying confidence, consistency, and a historic unbeaten record into the semifinals.
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