U Mumba TT Win Maiden UTT Title With Commanding Victory Over Jaipur Patriots
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U Mumba TT clinched their first Ultimate Table Tennis title, defeating Jaipur Patriots 8-4 in the Season 6 Grand Finale.
U Mumba TT etched their name into the history books, clinching their maiden Ultimate Table Tennis title with a dominant 8-4 victory over the Jaipur Patriots in the Season 6 Grand Finale on Sunday, June 15, thanks to a stellar team performance.
Wins for Lilian Bardet and Bernadette Szocs gave Mumbai an initial lead, before the latter and Akash Pal swept the mixed doubles 3-0 to take them to the brink.
Teenager Abhinandh PB sealed the title with a clutch game victory over Jeet Chandra in the fourth match.
Although Yashaswini Ghorpade did not feature in the final, her standout semi-final display epitomised Mumbai's collective strength this season, hallmarks of a campaign managed from the dugout by coaches John Murphy and Jay Modak.
For their performances in the final, Akash and Szocs were named the Indian and Foreign Player of the Final, while Jeet claimed the Shot of the Final.
Bardet set the tone for Mumbai with a gritty comeback against Kanak Jha in the opening rubber, turning a one-game deficit into a 2-1 victory. That momentum carried into a marquee clash between the league's top-ranked player, Szocs and India's highest-ranked paddler on the international circuit, Sreeja Akula.
Szocs showcased elite defence and composure under pressure to claim a hard-fought 2-1 win against Sreeja, handing the latter her first defeat of the season, which turned decisive.
Szocs returned alongside Akash to dominate the mixed doubles, cruising past Jeet and Britt Eerland in straight games.
With each game one-sided, the Mumbai duo went from 5-all to 11-5 in the second game and closed out the third with the same scoreline.
With the tie on the line, Jeet kept Jaipur alive with a composed start in Match 4, winning the first two games against Mumbai's Abhinandh.
But the teenage Mumbai paddler held his nerve in a tense third game; locked at 6-all, Abhinandh surged ahead 10-8 before sealing it 11-8, clinching his team's first-ever UTT title with an 8-4 overall victory over Jaipur.
Dempo Goa Challengers' captain Harmeet Desai and Mumbai skipper Bernadette Szocs were named the Male and Female MVPs of UTT Season 6, for their standout performances, while the Shot of the League went to Adriana Diaz for her brilliant winner against Krittwika Sinha Roy in the Kolkata ThunderBlades' league stage tie against Goa.
The Grand Finale was graced by several dignitaries and distinguished guests, including UTT Co-Promoters Vita Dani and Niraj Bajaj.
Also in attendance were TTFI Secretary General Kamlesh Mehta and Arjuna awardee Monalisa Mehta, along with ITTF Group CEO Steve Dainton and ITTF Foundation Director Leandro Olvech.
IndianOil was represented by senior officials, including Sanjib Behera and Ashok Jain. The evening also saw participation from Rakesh Khanna, Sameer Koticha and Kiran Bir Sethi, with each guest playing a ceremonial role in honouring the season's standout performers.
U Mumba TT 8-4 Jaipur Patriots
Lilian Bardet bt. Kanak Jha 2-1 (4-11, 11-5, 11-7)
Bernadette Szocs bt. Sreeja Akula 2-1 (11-9, 10-11, 11-5)
Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs bt. Jeet Chandra/Britt Eerland 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-5)
Abhinandh PB lost to Jeet Chandra 1-2 (5-11, 8-11, 11-8)
First Published:
June 15, 2025, 23:21 IST
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