Dempo Goa Challengers opened their Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 campaign with a 10-5 win over reigning champions U Mumba TT at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa on Thursday.
Abhinandh PB and Bernadette Szocs won their singles matches before pairing up to secure the mixed doubles, giving the two-time champions an unassailable lead with two matches remaining.
The season was formally declared open by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the presence of International Table Tennis Federation President Petra Sörling and Butterfly UTT co-promoters Vita Dani and Niraj Bajaj.
“I would like to welcome the organisers of Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis to Goa. This is the first time the league is being played here, and I also warmly welcome all the players and fans who have come to witness the action,” Sawant said.
Abhinandh gives Goa early advantage
Abhinandh PB set the tone for Dempo Goa Challengers with a commanding 3-0 win over France’s Lilian Bardet. The 18-year-old used his forehand consistently and put Bardet under pressure with his serve, winning 21 of his 33 service points in an 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 victory.
The scoreline reflected Abhinandh’s control after the opening game. Bardet stayed in contention early, but Abhinandh found greater accuracy and pace as the match progressed, allowing Goa to take an early lead in the tie.
Bernadette Szocs then widened that advantage with a straight-games win over Nithyashree Mani. Szocs took the first game 11-7 before facing a closer second, in which Nithyashree stayed level for long stretches. The Romanian held her nerve at the important points to take it 11-9, then closed out the contest 11-7 in the third.
Mixed doubles seals the tie
With Goa in control, Szocs returned alongside Abhinandh for the mixed doubles against U Mumba captain Manush Shah and Welsh teenager Anna Hursey. The Goa pair won the opening game 11-7, but Shah and Hursey responded to take the second 11-7 and force a decider.
Abhinandh and Szocs regained control in the third game, winning 11-6 to secure the match 2-1 and put the tie beyond U Mumba’s reach with two contests still to be played.
U Mumba responded through Shah in the second men’s singles. He edged Spain’s Alvaro Robles 2-1, with the opening game decided by the season’s first Golden Point. Shah lost the second game 8-11 but recovered to take the deciding game 11-4.
The final match featured two UTT debutants, with Goa teenager Syndrela Das taking the first game 11-9 against Hursey. Hursey fought back to win the next two games 11-9 and 11-7, giving U Mumba a consolation victory in the closing contest.
Abhinandh won the ChatGPT Match IQ Player of the Tie, Indian Player of the Tie and Bisleri Shot of the Tie awards. Szocs was named Foreign Player of the Tie.
In the Dream UTT Juniors competition, HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades beat Dabang Delhi TTC 5-4, while UP Prometheans defeated Ahmedabad APL Pipers 6-3.
The season’s first double-header on Friday will see Dabang Delhi TTC face UP Prometheans, followed by HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades against PBG Pune Jaguars.
Final score: Dempo Goa Challengers 10-5 U Mumba TT
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