The first game of the inaugural edition of CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis lived up to every expectation as the fans were treated to 9 action-packed games. Having won the Toss, RP-SG Mavericks captain Sharath Kamal opted to be ‘Team B’ for the Tie.

The first game pitted the two captains against each other, as Par Gerell of Falcons TTC took on RP-SG Mavericks’ Sharath Kamal. The former drew first blood taking the first Game 11-6 but Kamal got the crowd behind him to draw himself back into the game. The Match however, would go Gerell’s favour as he edged it 11-9. This meant that the Falcons had 2 Team Points compared to Mavericks’ 1. 

Match 2 saw the excellent Sabine Winter up against Sutirtha Mukherjee. The first Women’s Singles Match of CEAT UTT proved to be a breeze for Winter as she won in straight Games to give the Mavericks the lead. 

Match 3 saw Falcons TTC conquer RP-SG Mavericks as the combination of Lee Ho Ching and Sanil Shetty overcame Sofia Polcanova and Sharath Kamal 11-8, 8-11, 11-5 in what was an enticing encounter. 

In Match 4, Liam Pitchford and Stefan Fegerl put on a show for the crowd as the match travelled at a blistering pace. Fegerl took the first two Games, but Pitchford wouldn’t let his head down as he grabbed an all-important win in Game 3.

In what was the most anticipated Match of the Tie, Sabine Winter locked horns with Wu Yang – the first pick in the Player Draft. Winter pressed and pressed and pressed, but Wu Yang’s defense held steady throughout the Match. It was that very sturdy display that saw her through, comfortably at that, as Yang didn’t drop a single Game and won the Match 3-0.

Sanil Shetty then took on Tiago Apolonia in Match 6. The odds were heavily stacked in Apolonia’s favour, but Shetty would let his paddle do the talking. It would seem like everything was in order as Apolonia grabbed the first Game. However, Shetty mounted a comeback for the ages. A powerful display by the Falcons player saw him win the next two Games and consequently the Match. The Falcons would have a two-point lead going into Match 7. 

Heading into Match 7, Wu Yang faced 17-year-old Archana Kamath. The experienced Yang never looked in trouble as she breezed through the game, winning the Match 3-0 as Kamath’s inexperienced told.
Another Match that got the spectators on their feet saw Par Gerell face Tiago Apolonia. After going a Game down, Gerell rallied all his energy to take the Match 2-1.

On the final Match of the night, Polcanova squared-off against Ho Ching in a match that wasn’t going to affect the outcome of the tie but could still prove to be vital in the league. The Falcons had an unassailable lead as they headed into the Match 15-9. For Polcanova, it would turn out to be a comfortable victory as she went on to win the final Match 3-0, giving her side a much needed boost going further into the league.

The Tie would end in favour of Falcons TTC 15-12, who grabbed the first ever win in the inaugural game of CEAT UTT.