Having acquired the services of two of India’s in-form paddlers for the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis’ second edition, Dabang Smashers TTC has hopes to better its third-place finish in the inaugural season.
The Smashers paddlers displayed their swag in abundance as they thumped defending champion Falcons TTC 17-4 on Monday night at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex.
The win catapulted Smashers to the top of the points table with 31 while Falcons remained in the fourth position with 15.
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Manika Batra continued her giant-killing spree by accounting for World No. 30 Matilda Ekholm in the opening match. The Indian displayed tremendous control with her long-pimpled rubber, after losing the opening game.
Once Manika had given the impetus, Smashers dominated the next two matches, with Japanese Yoshida Masaki thumping India’s Sanil Shetty and the mixed doubles combination of Sathiyan and Sakura Mori rolling over Shetty and Bernadette Szocs.
Even though Liam Pitchford overcame Masaki, the Englishman only delayed the inevitable for Falcons.
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When Puerto Rican Adriana Diaz, the youngest among the 24 Olympians participating in the league, stunned Szocs in the first two games, Falcons had pocketed the tie with seven games to spare.
With virtually nothing to lose, Sathiyan showcased his artistry with forehand top-spins and side-spin serves to outsmart lower-ranked Spaniard Alvaro Robles in straight games.
Mori then capped off a perfect evening for her team by making short work of Falcons’ Sutirtha Mukherjee, the National women’s champion.
The results: Dabang Smashers TTC bt Falcons TTC 17-4 (Manika Batra bt Matilda Ekholm 8-11, 11-10, 11-10; Yoshida Masaki bt Sanil Shetty 11-5, 11-4, 11-8; G. Sathiyan & Sakura Mori bt Sanil Shetty & Bernadette Szocs 11-9, 11-4, 11-4; Masaki lost to Liam Pitchford 11-10, 11-9, 6-11; Adriana Diaz bt Szocs 11-9, 11-8, 9-11; Sathiyan bt Alvaro Robles 11-10, 11-6, 11-6; Mori bt Suthirtha Mukherjee 11-3, 11-7, 11-10).