Maria Xiao won the decisive tie for Delhi to maintain their winning run in UTT 2025.
Harmeet Desai downed Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in an epic battle between two of India’s top men’s paddlers, yet it wasn’t enough for reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers, who went down 6-9 against Dabang Delhi TTC in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT 2025) Season 6.
A rematch of last season’s final, the tie opened with 19-year-old Izaac Quek putting Dabang Delhi on the front foot, blanking Tiago Apolonia 3-0 in a generational clash between the league’s youngest and oldest foreign players. Diya Chitale, then, fought hard against Singapore’s Zeng Jian but couldn’t prevent a straight-games defeat, levelling the tie at 3-3.
Also Read: Ultimate Table Tennis 2025: Full schedule, fixtures, results, squads, live streaming details
Delhi struck back through the experienced duo of Sathiyan and Maria Xiao, who held their nerve in the mixed doubles against Harmeet and Zeng to win 2-1 and regain the lead. However, in a much-anticipated men’s singles match, Harmeet edged Sathiyan 2-1 in a thriller, sealing it 11-9 in the decider, after the two had traded close games.
But it was Xiao who had the final say. The Spanish star dominated her singles rubber against young Sayali Wani, wrapping up a 3-0 win and clinching the tie for Dabang Delhi TTC, who remain unbeaten in Season 6. For his efforts, Harmeet Desai claimed the Indian Player and the Shot of the Tie honours, while Xiao took home the Foreign Player of the Tie award.
Earlier, at the Dream UTT Juniors, U Mumba TT cruised to a 7-2 win over Ahmedabad SG Pipers, with Prateek Tulsani and Ananya Muralidharan starring in both singles and doubles. In a tighter contest, Jaipur Patriots edged Stanley’s Chennai Lions 5-4, thanks to a dominant opening by Trishal Surapureddy and crucial doubles point alongside Shreya Dhar.
Dabang Delhi TTC 9-6 Dempo Goa Challengers
- Izaac Quek bt. Tiago Apolonia 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-9)
- Diya Chitale lost to Zeng Jian 0-3 (9-11, 5-11, 6-11)
- Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao bt. Harmeet Desai/Zeng Jian 2-1 (8-11, 11-5, 11-8)
- Sathiyan Gnanasekaran lost to Harmeet Desai 1-2 (11-8, 9-11, 9-11)
- Maria Xiao bt. Sayali Wani 3-0 (11-3, 11-7, 11-6)
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