UP to take on Pune, Ahmedabad to play Goa on Sunday, with all the action live on the Star Sports Network and JioHotstar

Goa, July 11, 2025: Payas Jain secured his maiden victory over compatriot Manush Shah to inspire Ahmedabad APL Pipers to a 9-6 win over reigning champions U Mumba TT in Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 powered by ChatGPT at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

After combining with Sofia Polcanova to win a crucial mixed doubles contest, Payas delivered in the decisive men's singles before the Austrian Olympian sealed the tie in the final match, handing Ahmedabad an opening victory and U Mumba a second successive defeat. Earlier, Dabang Delhi TTC looked set for defeat against HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades after Ankur Bhattacharjee upset Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in a marquee Men’s Singles battle, but Asian Games medalist Sutirtha Mukherjee held her nerve to defeat Ayhika Mukherjee in the deciding match, preserving Delhi’s unbeaten start.

Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, Butterfly UTT Season 7 features 42 players from around the world, including 14 Olympians, while continuing to strengthen the Indian table tennis ecosystem through elite competition and year-round development initiatives.

The evening tie swung repeatedly from the outset. Lilian Bardet handed U Mumba the early edge against Adrien Rassenfosse before Anna Hursey continued her impressive start to the season with a 2-1 upset over Manika Batra. Ahmedabad responded through Payas and Polcanova, who edged Manush and Hursey in a tense mixed doubles contest to keep the tie within touching distance.

With the contest delicately poised, Payas produced the defining performance of the clash, overcoming Manush 2-1 to level the tie at 6-6 and register his first-ever win over the Indian international. The experienced Polcanova then held off a spirited Anusha Kutumbale in straight games to complete Ahmedabad's comeback and secure a memorable triumph.

Payas picked up a trifecta to conclude a perfect evening: the ChatGPT Match IQ Player of the Tie, the Indian Player of the Tie, and the Bisleri Shot of the Tie awards. Polcanova was named the Foreign Player of the Tie.

The day’s first tie between Delhi and Kolkata got off to a cagey start. Youssef Abdelaziz recovered from a game down to beat Eduard Ionescu before Singapore's Zeng Jian edged Maria Xiao in a thrilling Women’s Singles to level the scores. Delhi regained the advantage in the Mixed Doubles as Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Xiao combined to win 2-1.

The night's marquee clash then belonged to Ankur Bhattacharjee, who stunned veteran Sathiyan in straight games, winning two Golden Points to put Kolkata within touching distance of victory. But with Delhi on the brink, Sutirtha Mukherjee rose to the occasion, defeating close friend and doubles partner Ayhika Mukherjee in straight games to seal a dramatic comeback win.

Sutirtha was named the Indian Player of the Tie, while Ankur claimed the ChatGPT Match IQ Player of the Tie and the Bisleri Shot of the Tie awards. Zeng Jian was adjudged the Foreign Player of the Tie.

Earlier in the day, in the Dream UTT Juniors, Butterfly UTT's grassroots competition running alongside Season 7, U Mumba TT maintained their perfect start with a convincing 7-2 victory over PBG Pune Jaguars, while Dempo Goa Challengers bounced back to edge UP Prometheans 5-4, handing the latter their first defeat of the campaign.

All Butterfly UTT Season 7 matches will be live on Star Sports Khel (Hindi), Star Sports Tamil 2 HD, and Star Sports Tamil 3 HD, and streamed live on JioHotstar (Hindi, Tamil, and English).

Final Scores

Dabang Delhi TTC 8-7 HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades

Youssef Abdelaziz bt. Eduard Ionescu 2-1 (6-11, 11-7, 11-4)
Maria Xiao lost to Zeng Jian 1-2 (3-11, 11-8, 9-11)
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao bt. Ankur Bhattacharjee/Zeng Jian 2-1 (11-5, 7-11, 11-5)
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran lost to Ankur Bhattacharjee 0-3 (10-11, 6-11, 10-11)
Sutirtha Mukherjee bt. Ayhika Mukherjee 3-0 (11-6, 11-2, 11-7)

Ahmedabad APL Pipers 9-6 U Mumba TT

Adrien Rassenfose lost to Lilian Bardet 1-2 (7-11, 6-11, 11-9)
Manika Batra lost to Anna Hursey 1-2 (7-11, 6-11, 11-4)
Payas Jain/Sofia Polcanova bt. Manush Shah/Anna Hursey 2-1 (11-10, 11-9, 10-11)
Payas Jain bt. Manush Shah 2-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-8)
Sofia Polcanova bt. Anusha Kutumbale 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-4)