Harmeet Desai bounced back in style after an early setback, partnering Yangzi Liu to secure success in the mixed doubles round, and helped reigning champions Athlead Goa Challengers beat debutants Jaipur Patriots in the first tie of IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

Athlead Goa Challengers won the toss and served first (Men’s Singles), with captain Harmeet securing the maiden point of IndianOil UTT 2024. The Indian star paddler raced into a 5-0 lead and took the first game by a whopping 11-2 scoreline. Cho Seungmin, however, retaliated in the second game, mirroring Harmeet’s efforts from the first; the debuting South Korean amassed a massive lead quickly and closed out the game 11-1. The debutant maintained his assertive shots in the deciding game and emerged victorious, 2-1.

The indomitable Liu turned the tables around in the second match (Women’s Singles), propelling Goa Challengers into the lead by defeating the experienced Suthasini Sawettabut 3-0.

Harmeet, Liu, and Suthasini returned to the table and were joined by Ronit Bhanja for the Mixed Doubles. Harmeet and Liu, playing their first tie together, showed incredible coordination to take the first game 11-1. While Suthasini and Ronit recovered in game two, Harmeet and Liu took the match by edging the Jaipur Patriots pair in the deciding game.

Ronit faced Athlead Goa Challengers’ Mihai Bobocica in the fourth match (Men’s Singles), with the Italian making his league bow aged 37. Two-time Olympian Bobocica came from behind to win 2-1, increasing his team’s lead to eight points and giving them a tie win.

Match five (Women’s Singles) between Yashaswini Ghorpade and Nithyashree Mani witnessed the first Golden Point of IndianOil UTT 2024, which the latter claimed, en route to securing a 2-1 win.

Debutants Ahmedabad SG Pipers will begin their IndianOil UTT 2024 campaign with the first tie of tomorrow’s double header against Puneri Paltan Table Tennis at 17:00. Later, PBG Bengaluru Smashers will play hosts Chennai Lions.

IndianOil UTT 2024 will be broadcast live on Sports18 Khel and streamed online on JioCinema (India) and Facebook Live (Outside India). Tickets are available online on BookMyShow and offline near Gate no. 1 of the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. The league will run for the subsequent 16 days, culminating in the final scheduled on September 7.

Brief Scores:

Athlead Goa Challengers bt Jaipur Patriots 9-6:

Harmeet Desai lost to Cho Seung-min 1-2 (11-2, 1-11, 5-11); Yangzi Liu bt Suthasini Sawettabut 3-0 (11-3, 11-6, 11-4); Harmeet/Liu bt Ronit/Suthasini 2-1 (11-1, 6-11, 11-7); Mihai Bobocica bt Ronit Bhanja 2-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-5); Yashaswini Ghorpade lost to Nithyashree Mani 1-2 (10-11, 11-5, 7-11)