A. Sharath Kamal, the old warhorse, was in his element as Chennai Lions displaced Goa Challengers from the top position in style with a lopsided win in the Ultimate Table Tennis season four match.
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Riding on Sharath’s clean sheet and his Australian teammate Yangzi Liu’s support act, the lions raced to a dominant 11-4 win, the largest victory margin of the season, in the battle of table-toppers at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex.
The victory also meant the Lions had one put in the knockouts, having opened up a healthy lead in the first of the three ties of the penultimate round of the league stage.
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Had it not been for Sharath being at his sensational best, the Chennai outfit would have been stretched by the Challengers.
Sharath and Yangzi wiped out Harmeet Desai and Suthasini Sawettabut 3-0 to open up a handy lead. Sharath then stormed past his India junior Harmeet to display his class.
Harmeet did his best by targeting Sharath’s forehand with his down the line blocks but Sharath proved to be too quick for his opponent. Yangzi then overcame a spirited T. Reeth Rishya 2-1, with the Chennai outfit pocketing eight points in succession.
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The result: Chennai Lions bt Goa Challengers 11-4 (Benedikt Duda bt Alvaro Robles 11-5, 8-11, 11-7; Sutirtha Mukherjee lost to Suthasini Sawettabut 11-8, 10-11, 6-11; A. Sharath Kamal & Yangzi Liu bt Harmeet Desai & Suthasini 11-6, 11-6, 11-10; Sharath bt Harmeet 11-9, 11-9, 11-8; Yangzi bt T. Reeth Rishya 11-4, 11-10, 8-11).
The standings: Chennai Lions 35 points (4 ties); Goa Challengers 30 (4); U Mumba TT 24 (3); Dabang Delhi TTC 22 (3); Puneri Paltan TT 21 (3); Bengaluru Smashers 18 (3).
Sunday’s fixture: Bengaluru Smashers vs Puneri Paltan TT (7.30pm).