Latest news with #Szocs
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Leader Szocs soaks in U Mumba's triumph
Days after winning a silver medal in women's doubles at the World Table Tennis Championship, Bernadette Szocs, the Romanian paddler, arrived in Ahmedabad with an eye on building on the World Championship glory. Three weeks later, on Sunday night, Szocs couldn't hide her emotions after lifting the glittering Ultimate Table Tennis trophy as the U Mumba captain. Moments after a prolonged celebration at the EKA Arena and before joining her teammates at the hotel for a party, Szocs recalled her statement at the pre-tournament media briefing on May 29. 'I waited so much for this. In the first interview I gave, I said that I would like to bring the first title for U Mumba, and I did it,' an elated Szocs said. 'I am very proud of myself and my teammates and the support staff. They have given everything for us for this title. We were a dream team. We had an amazing spirit in the team, and this is our secret for bringing the title home for U Mumba.' Ever since UTT's inception, the Mumbai outfit has been one of the underachieving outfits. On Sunday, though, with Szocs winning five of her six points, U Mumba defeated Jaipur Patriots to claim its maiden title. 'This gives me a lot of motivation for the future, a lot of confidence. When I came here, I was under a little pressure. I'm very happy after this dream result,' Szocs said. While one would have expected the victory party to carry on till early morning, with the tight schedules that top paddlers work around, there was very little time. Even before sunrise, Szocs and her French teammate Lilian Bardet had to board a flight for a WTT event in Slovenia. 'I want to celebrate it very well, but I am going to Slovenia for WTT, so I don't have time. But I will make sure that I celebrate it with the people who were next to me, who supported me and believed in me'.
India Gazette
5 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
UTT Season 6: U Mumba TT secure first-ever title, beat Jaipur Patriots
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 16 (ANI): U Mumba TT etched their name into the history books, clinching their maiden Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) title with a dominant 8-4 win over Jaipur Patriots in the Season 6 Grand Finale on Sunday, thanks to a stellar team performance. Wins for Lilian Bardet and Bernadette Szocs gave U Mumba an early lead, before Szocs 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 win in the fourth match. Although Yashaswini Ghorpade did not feature in the final, her standout semi-final display epitomised U Mumba's collective strength this season--hallmarks of a campaign expertly managed from the dugout by coaches John Murphy and Jay Modak, as per a press release from UTT. For their performances in the final, Akash and Szocs were named the Indian and Foreign Player of the Final, respectively, while Jeet Chandra claimed the Shot of the Final. Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, UTT continues to grow as a premier professional league. Over 16 action-packed days, all 23 ties took place at Ahmedabad's EKA Arena. Bardet set the tone for U Mumba with a gritty comeback against Kanak Jha in the opening rubber, turning a one-game deficit into a 2-1 win. 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 victory, handing Sreeja her first loss of the season. Szocs returned alongside Akash to dominate the mixed doubles, cruising past Jeet and Britt Eerland in straight games. With each game increasingly one-sided, the U Mumba duo went from 5-5 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 Patriots alive with a composed start in Match 4, winning the first two games against U Mumba's Abhinandh. But the 17-year-old U Mumba paddler held his nerve in a tense third game; locked at 6-6, Abhinandh surged ahead 10-8 before sealing it 11-8, clinching U Mumba TT's first-ever UTT title with an 8-4 overall win. Dempo Goa Challengers' skipper Harmeet Desai and U Mumba TT captain Bernadette Szocs were named the Male and Female MVPs of UTT Season 6, respectively, for their standout performances, while the 'Shot of the League' went to Adriana Diaz for her stunning winner against Krittwika Sinha Roy in 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, the title sponsors, were 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. Final Scores 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). (ANI)
India.com
5 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
UTT 6: U Mumba TT Clinch Maiden UTT Title With Commanding Win Over Jaipur Patriots
U Mumba TT etched their name into the history books, clinching their maiden Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) title with a dominant 8-4 win over Jaipur Patriots in the Season 6 grand finale on Sunday, thanks to a stellar team performance. Wins for Lilian Bardet and Bernadette Szocs gave U Mumba an early lead, before Szocs 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 win in the fourth match. Although Yashaswini Ghorpade didn't feature in the final, her standout semi-final display epitomised U Mumba's collective strength this season - hallmarks of a campaign expertly 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, respectively, while Jeet Chandra claimed the Shot of the Final. Bardet set the tone for U Mumba with a gritty comeback against Kanak Jha in the opening rubber, turning a one-game deficit into a 2-1 win. 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 victory, handing Sreeja her first loss of the season. Szocs returned alongside Akash to dominate the mixed doubles, cruising past Jeet and Britt Eerland in straight games. With each game increasingly one-sided, the U Mumba duo went from 5-5 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 Patriots alive with a composed start in Match 4, winning the first two games against U Mumba's Abhinandh. But the 17-year-old U Mumba paddler held his nerve in a tense third game; locked at 6-6, Abhinandh surged ahead 10-8 before sealing it 11-8, clinching U Mumba TT's first-ever UTT title with an 8-4 overall win. Dempo Goa Challengers' skipper Harmeet Desai and U Mumba TT captain Bernadette Szocs were named the Male and Female MVPs of UTT Season 6, respectively, for their standout performances, while the Shot of the League went to Adriana Diaz for her stunning winner against Krittwika Sinha Roy in Kolkata ThunderBlades' league stage tie against Goa. The final 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.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
UTT Season 6: U Mumba TT secure first-ever title, beat Jaipur Patriots
U Mumba TT etched their name into the history books, clinching their maiden Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) title with a dominant 8-4 win over Jaipur Patriots in the Season 6 Grand Finale on Sunday, thanks to a stellar team performance. Wins for Lilian Bardet and Bernadette Szocs gave U Mumba an early lead, before Szocs 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 win in the fourth match. Although Yashaswini Ghorpade did not feature in the final, her standout semi-final display epitomised U Mumba's collective strength this season--hallmarks of a campaign expertly managed from the dugout by coaches John Murphy and Jay Modak, as per a press release from UTT. For their performances in the final, Akash and Szocs were named the Indian and Foreign Player of the Final, respectively, while Jeet Chandra claimed the Shot of the Final. Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, UTT continues to grow as a premier professional league. Over 16 action-packed days, all 23 ties took place at Ahmedabad's EKA Arena. Bardet set the tone for U Mumba with a gritty comeback against Kanak Jha in the opening rubber, turning a one-game deficit into a 2-1 win. 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 victory, handing Sreeja her first loss of the season. Szocs returned alongside Akash to dominate the mixed doubles, cruising past Jeet and Britt Eerland in straight games. With each game increasingly one-sided, the U Mumba duo went from 5-5 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 Patriots alive with a composed start in Match 4, winning the first two games against U Mumba's Abhinandh. But the 17-year-old U Mumba paddler held his nerve in a tense third game; locked at 6-6, Abhinandh surged ahead 10-8 before sealing it 11-8, clinching U Mumba TT's first-ever UTT title with an 8-4 overall win. Dempo Goa Challengers' skipper Harmeet Desai and U Mumba TT captain Bernadette Szocs were named the Male and Female MVPs of UTT Season 6, respectively, for their standout performances, while the 'Shot of the League' went to Adriana Diaz for her stunning winner against Krittwika Sinha Roy in 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, the title sponsors, were 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).
NDTV
5 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
UTT 6: U Mumba Beat Dempo Goa Challengers To Set Up Summit Clash Against Jaipur Patriots
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 (UTT) final in Ahmedabad 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.
