U Mumba beat Dempo Goa Challengers to set up summit clash against Jaipur Patriots
Ahmedabad, U Mumba TT staged a dramatic comeback to defeat reigning champions Dempo Goa Challengers in the second semifinal and reach their maiden Ultimate Table Tennis final here on Saturday.
Trailing 4-7, U Mumba won the final four games to clinch 8-7 victory. U Mumba will play Jaipur Patriots in the Grand Finale on Sunday, guaranteeing a new UTT champion.
Yashaswini Ghorpade rose to the occasion, winning back-to-back games before clinching the decider 11–10 in a nerve-wracking finish.
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 recovered from 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.
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