2018 Ultimate Table Tennis

Full house in Pune, Dabang Smashers early leaders

01 Jul 2018

Success for Dabang Smashers in opposition to Warriors brought the first series of team matches, referred to as ties, in the 2018 Ultimate Table Tennis League to conclusion in the Indian city of Pune on the evening of Saturday 16th June.

More significant well over 1,500 spectators, the seats full, relished in the fare on offer on what is most certainly a most intense competition; just if it was a national team, a club team or whatever, the players are here to win, the rivalry is as palpable as in any form of the game.

Incredible team spirit in Pune (Photo : Vaqaas Mansuri / Focus Sports / Ultimate Table Tennis)

by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Manager

Furthermore, that is one striking fact after three days of competition; whether it is match, practice, breakfast, lunch or dinner, the team members are together. There is no animosity with other outfits, simply within a bonding unifying force.

Notably when players who are usually in the same team and are doubles partners, compete against each other there is no quarter asked, no quarter given. Conversely players who are usually at the opposite ends of the court are bosom buddies.

The camaraderie is a major fact but in the three days of play, the fact that everything is so intense, flashing lights, fireworks and being a member of a team; seasoned players show nerves. A match comprises three games and all three are played, on more than one occasion a player of note has lost the first two games before acclimatising to win the next three.

If there is one factor which is beneficial to all when returning to the traditional accepted format of the sport, it is that a gaining in mental strength. Ultimate Table Tennis is place for the faint of heart.

In the opening series of ties, play commenced with the closest possible result of all; an 11-10 win for Falcons, (Liam Pitchford, Alvaro Robles, Bernadette Szocs, Matilda Ekholm, Sanil Shetty, Sutirtha Mukherjee) against Maharashtra United (Kristian Karlsson, João Monteiro, Elizabeta Samara, Lily Zhang, Amalraj Anthony, Madhurika Patkar).

Rather more convincingly but with the individual matches close RP-SG Mavericks (Mattias Karlsson, Kou Lei, Doo Hoi Kem, Sabine Winter, Harmeet Desai, Ayhika Mukherjee) beat Empowerji Challengers (Simon Gauzy, Tiago Apolonia, Lee Ho Ching, Georgina Pota, Manav Thakkar, Arjun Ghosh, Divya Deshpande) 13-8; to be followed by Dabang Smashers (Masaki Yoshida, Cédric Nuytinck, Sakura Mori, Adriana Diaz, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Manika Batra). They recorded a 14-7 win in opposition to Warriors (Chuang Chih-Yuan, Quadri Aruna, Sofia Polcanova, Hana Matelova, Sharath Kamal Achanta, Pooja Sahasrabudhe).

First Series: 1. Dabang Smashers 14pts 2.RP-SG Mavericks 13 pts 3. Falcons 11pts 4. Maharashtra United 10pts 5. Empowerji Challengers 8pts, Warriors 7pts

CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis: Latest News

CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis: Thursday 14th June – Falcons TTC v Maharashtra United

CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis: Friday 15th June – RP-SG Mavericks v Empowerji Challengers

CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis: Saturday 16th June – Dabang Smashers TTC v Warriors TTC

2018 Ultimate Table Tennis Pune

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