Indian star Sathiyan Gnanasekaran steadied the Dabang Delhi TTC ship with a fine performance, registering crucial wins in the men’s singles and mixed doubles matches as the former champions beat Ahmedabad APL Pipers 9-6 in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) here on Monday.
Event Context
Facing off at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, home to Butterfly UTT this season, Delhi and Ahmedabad traded early blows before Sathiyan combined with Maria Xiao to reclaim the advantage in the mixed doubles.
The Delhi skipper then took complete control of the tie with a commanding straight-games victory over Payas, laying the foundation for the franchise’s third win of the campaign.
Delhi struck first as Youssef Abdelaziz edged Adrien Rassenfosse in a gripping three-game contest, sealing victory on Golden Point.
Ahmedabad’s standout foreign ace Sofia Polcanova restored parity with another Golden Point triumph over Maria Xiao, continuing her outstanding campaign this season.
Ahmedabad skipper Manika Batra rounded off the evening with an impressive singles win over Sutirtha Mukherjee, but Delhi had already done enough to secure victory and strengthen their playoff hopes.
Player Focus
With the tie finely poised, captain Sathiyan produced a statement performance. Having found himself on the wrong side of recent meetings against Payas, the Indian stalwart responded emphatically with a commanding victory to put Delhi in complete control.
Match Outlook
The momentum then swung Delhi’s way as Sathiyan and Xiao returned to winning ways in the mixed doubles, defeating Payas and Polcanova to hand the former champions the initiative.
