Dabang Smashers not only thrashed DHFL Maharashtra United 16-11, but also handed them their first defeat in CEAT Ultimate Tennis League.

The first Match of the Tie saw a shocking result, as the aggressive Chennai paddler, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran defeated World number 8 Wong Chun Ting, 11-3, 11-9 and 9-11. Sathiyan grabbed the first Game with ease before wrapping up the tight second one in a tight finish, much to the joy of the packed Delhi crowd. The Indian was fantastic with his forehand strokes throughout the match, which pushed Ting to commit a lot of un-forced errors. Despite looking frustrated, Ting came back from behind and bagged the final Game to open the account for United.

Kim Song I extended the Smashers’ lead to 4-2 by defeating India’s Pooja Sahasrabudhe in the second Match of the Tie. Despite failing to trouble the Korean in the first two Game, Pooja rallied back brilliantly and showed a lot of grit and determination in the third. Song threatened to make a comeback, but Pooja won the Game with 11-9.

After failing to win a single Game in the previous three Ties, Smashers tasted their first success in the mixed doubles category. The duo of Anthony Amalraj and Tetyana Bilenko got the better of the in-form Harmeet Desai and Liu Jia 11-8, 11-4 and 4-11.

With the healthy lead of 6-3, Wong Chun Ting came back to face Kou Lei in the fourth Match of the Tie. Ting seemed very comfortable against the Ukrainian in the initial proceedings of the first Game and took a 10-7 lead. However, Lei fought back and saved three match-points before closing the Game in the Golden Point. Lei won the tight second Game before Wong hit some fast and ferocious forehand smashes to win the third Game 11-5.

Veteran Fu Yu pulled DHFL Maharashtra United back in the contest with a thumping 3-0 win over Tetyana Bilenko in the fifth Match of the Tie. Yu was supreme with her forehand, which pushed Bilenko way beyond the table on more occasions than one. Yu won the opening Game 11-8, but Bilenko rallied back brilliantly in the second. She saved two game-points, but failed to clinch the decisive point, as she chopped the Yu serve back into the net. Yu took the third Game with ease, 11-6 to reduce the deficit to just one point

In the Sixth Match of the Tie, Marcos Freitas edged the in-form Harmeet Desai 2-1. Freitas won the first Game without any discomfort, but the talented Indian staged a great comeback and sealed the second one, 11-8. The decisive Game went to the wire, as Freitas came back strongly from 6-9 to 9-9, before clinching the Match in a Golden Point to help the Smashers edge ahead 10-8.

Madhurika Patkar pulled off a stunning upset by defeating Fu Yu in the seventh Match of the Tie. Patkar came up with great counter-attacking table tennis in the opening Game and bagged it 11-9. Fu Yu regained control and won the second Game before Patkar warmed the hearts of the Delhi fans by winning the third in a Golden Point. The astonishing win also meant that Patkar became the first Indian woman to win a Match against a foreign opponent in CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis.

In the eighth Match of the Tie, United’s Captain Joao Monteiro faced his own countryman, Marcos Freitas. Monteiro won the opening game, 11-8, but the next Game got really tight, as both players exchanged one point after another. Freitas held the nerve and eventually won it 11-10. Freitas and Monteiro played some spectacular table tennis in the third Game, but the former had the final say, as he won it 11-8.

Despite the Smashers sealing the Tie, the final Match between Kim Song I and Liu Jia turned out to be an enticing affair. With the help of some amazing chops and forehand smashes, Song won the first Game, but Jia recovered well and claimed the second in her favour. Jia was well-ahead of Song in the third Game, but the talented South Korean saved a few match-points, before winning the Game 11-10.

With this victory, Dabang Smashers TTC climbed to the second spot in the league table, while DHFL Maharashtra United also climbed to fourth spot despite the loss, having played their third game. Tomorrow’s Tie will see two teams who are desperate for a win in CEAT UTT. Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas will take on RP-SG Mavericks in Day 3 of the Delhi leg, and the contest promises to be mouth-watering.