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U Mumba TT staged a dramatic comeback to defeat reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers in the second semi-final of IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Saturday.
Trailing 4-7, U Mumba won the final four games to clinch an 8-7 victory and book their first-ever spot in the Grand Finale, as per UTT press release. With Goa just one game away from the final and U Mumba needing a clean sweep in the last rubber, Yashaswini Ghorpade rose to the occasion, winning back-to-back games before clinching the decider 11-10 in a nerve-wracking finish. U Mumba now face Jaipur Patriots on Sunday, June 15, guaranteeing a new name on the UTT champions list. Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, UTT continues to grow as a premier professional league. All 23 ties, over 16 action-packed days, are taking place at Ahmedabad's EKA Arena. Harmeet Desai gave Dempo Goa Challengers a strong start with a composed 3-0 win over Lilian Bardet, sealing the third game on Golden Point after Bardet had rallied from 2-6 down. But U Mumba TT hit back through Bernadette Szocs, who handed Zeng Jian her first defeat of the season. Szocs took the first two games with sharp counterplay before Zeng salvaged the third 11-7. In mixed doubles, U Mumba struck back as Akash Pal and Szocs sprang from a 3-6 deficit to seal games one and three, winning their rubber 2-1. That victory trimmed Goa's lead to a slender 5-4 heading into the remaining matches. Vitor Ishiy nearly sealed the tie for Dempo Goa Challengers, racing through the first two games against Abhinandh PB with scores of 11-6 and 11-4. But Abhinandh refused to let U Mumba's campaign end quietly. Down 6-9 in the third, he clawed back with four consecutive points to snatch the game 11-9, keeping his side in the hunt heading into the final match. Yashaswini grabbed the opportunity with both hands thereon, defeating Krittwika Sinha Roy across three close games to propel U Mumba to their maiden UTT final. For her efforts, Yashaswini won both the Indian Player of the Tie and the Shot of the Tie awards, while Szocs claimed the Foreign Player of the Tie honour. Final Scores U Mumba TT 8-7 Dempo Goa Challengers Lilian Bardet lost to Harmeet Desai 0-3 (8-11, 4-11, 10-11) Bernadette Szocs bt. Zeng Jian 2-1 (11-5, 11-9, 7-11) Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs bt. Harmeet Desai/Zeng Jian 2-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-9) Abhinandh PB lost to Vitor Ishiy 1-2 (6-11, 4-11, 11-9)Yashaswini Ghorpade bt. Krittwika Sinha Roy 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-10). (ANI)
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