Marcos Freitas set the tone early on in the game with a dominant victory over Sanil Shetty. Shetty tested Freitas on different parts of the table, but the Dabang Smashers captain relied on his experience to make light work of Shetty’s challenge. Shetty did have a few positives to take from the game, particularly his powerful cross-court forehands that would serve him well in the mixed doubles later in the evening.

If Freitas was unplayable in the first game, it was the opponents’ Wu Yang’s turn to display aggression in the second game for Falcons TTC against Mousumi Paul in the women’s singles game. Yang raced to 7-3 early in the first game, but Mousumi scored three points to keep the contest interesting. Yang switched gears to finish the game 11-9 and then went on to win the next two games in dominant fashion to level the tie.

Match three saw local boy Sathiyan Gnanasekaran pair up with Tetyana Bilenko for the Dabang Smashers, as they took on Sanil Shetty and Lee Ho Ching in the mixed doubles. The pair of Shetty and Lee looked more in synchrony though, as they grabbed victory in game one. Game two saw Sathiyan and Bilenko mount pressure on their opponents but were kept at bay by some composed gameplay from the other end of the table. It was heartbreak for the local fans though, as the Falcons completed a clean sweep in the third match to give themselves the lead.

The next match saw a clash of the captains, as the Smashers’ Marcos Freitas took on Par Gerell of the Falcons. With the Falcons in the lead heading into the tie, the scenario was set for Freitas to be a hero and deliver a victory for his team. And deliver he did! Freitas won all three games to continue his dominance in the tie, and Gerell had no response as the Smashers leveled the tie. The Portuguese captain now has 10 wins in 12 games and is in red-hot form.

Bilenko and Lee were back on the court for match five of the tie. Bilenko started off very aggressively, racing to an 8-0 lead, and went on to win the game 11-9 as Lee tried to stage a comeback. But the momentum stayed with Lee as she won the next two games, getting progressively dominant in the fixture. Bilenko also seemed to be playing through some discomfort in her right arm, but all that mattered ultimately was that the Falcons edged the Smashers eight games to seven.

The next game between local lad Sathiyan and Par Gerell witnessed something that no one would’ve expected to see. Up against a much experienced and higher-ranked opponent, Sathiyan pulled off something of an upset, winning the match two games to one. Sathiyan began strongly from the word go and took the game to the Swede with good shot selection and measured aggression. It was heartening to see him win this match after a shaky start in the mixed-doubles, and he had the fans’ backing him all the way! Gerell would’ve been understandably happy to retire to the dugout and will have to review his gameplay to make sure that he improves his personal score.

Match seven witnessed Sutirtha Mukherjee take on Kim Song I of the Dabang Smashers. Probably taking inspiration from fellow Indian Sathiyan, Sutirtha was unfazed as she came up with some wonderful backhand responses to Kim, but Kim’s experience just got the better of the spirited youngster. Kim built on the wins of Sathiyan to give the Smashers the lead at 12-9 at this point.

Arjun Ghosh stepped on the court in place of Liam Pitchford in match eight, who had to withdraw from the match due to dehydration. Ghosh grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he won the first game 11-4 against Kou Lei with some explosive shots. Ghosh was pumped and looked set to win the second game too, but Lei dug deep into his experience to take the game to the Golden Point and won the game 11-10. That loss seemed to take the bite out of Ghosh’s game, and Kou Lei strolled to victory effectively winning the tie as Smashers recorded 14 wins.

The best was saved for last, as Wu Yang took on Kim Song I in match nine of the tie. The two women are not far apart in terms of world ranking, but Yang showed exactly what experience can yield, as she was an epitome of calmness throughout the game. Yang played to her strengths and forced Kim Song I to make errors, winning all three games and ending the tie with 13 wins in all for the Falconry.

The last two wins were crucial for the Falcons, as it ensured that they remain top of the table of the CEAT UTT. Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas take on Shaze Challengers in the next tie on the 17th of July.