Reigning champions U Mumba TT climbed to the top of the Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 standings after defeating Maharashtra rivals PBG Pune Jaguars 9-6 at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Thursday.
The defending champions registered their second consecutive victory by recovering from an early setback before taking control through the mixed doubles and sealing the tie in a dramatic men’s singles finish.
PBG Pune Jaguars struck first in the Maharashtra derby as Snehit Suravajjula maintained his unbeaten record this season with a 2-1 win over U Mumba captain Manush Shah in the opening men’s singles match.
Anna Hursey responded for U Mumba by defeating Diya Chitale 2-1 to level the tie before combining with Manush Shah for a dominant 3-0 victory over Snehit Suravajjula and Prithika Pavade in the mixed doubles, giving the reigning champions the advantage.
The decisive contest came in the second men’s singles, where France’s Lilian Bardet recovered after losing the opening game to Egypt’s Omar Assar. The deciding game produced one of the highlights of the evening when Assar hit an around-the-net winner, later named the Bisleri Shot of the Tie. Bardet, however, won the Golden Point to complete a 2-1 comeback victory and put the tie beyond Pune’s reach.
With the overall result already decided, Prithika Pavade claimed a 2-1 win over Anusha Kutumbale in the final women’s singles match. Their encounter featured the longest rally of the season—a 31-shot exchange in the second game. Anusha responded by winning the third game on Golden Point with a backhand winner.
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.
Earlier in the Dream UTT Juniors competition, Dabang Delhi TTC edged UP Prometheans 5-4 to remain in playoff contention, while Ahmedabad APL Pipers defeated PBG Pune Jaguars 5-4. Despite the victory, both Ahmedabad and Pune were eliminated from semifinal contention.
Butterfly UTT Season 7 is being staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and features 42 players, including 14 Olympians.
Friday’s double-header will see Ahmedabad face Kolkata, while Delhi takes on Goa. The matches will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and streamed live on JioHotstar.
Final Score
U Mumba TT 9-6 PBG Pune Jaguars
- Manush Shah lost to Snehit Suravajjula 1-2 (11-6, 9-11, 6-11)
- Anna Hursey bt. Diya Chitale 2-1 (11-9, 9-11, 11-6)
- Manush Shah/Anna Hursey bt. Snehit Suravajjula/Prithika Pavade 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 11-7)
- Lilian Bardet bt. Omar Assar 2-1 (7-11, 11-7, 11-10)
- Anusha Kutumbale lost to Prithika Pavade 1-2 (8-11, 10-11, 11-10)
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