RPSG Mavericks kicked-off their CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 2 with a victory, beating Empowerji Challengers in the second tie. Mavericks scored 13 tie points, 5 more than the Challengers. The winners bagged three women’s singles, two men’s singles and the mixed doubles in the tie.

The day’s action began with the first match between Mavericks’ Ayhika Mukherjee and Challengers’ Lee Ho Ching. Ching took the lead, winning the first game with patient and effective smashes against Mukherjee, who majorly depended on her defensive skills. Mukherjee staged a comeback in the next, taking the game 2-11. She looked more confident as the game proceeded. Mukherjee frustrated Ching with her solid defensive game, forcing her to make mistakes, and took the final game 11-5.

Mavericks’ Kou Lei faced Challengers’ Manav Thakkar in the second match of the day. Thakkar started dominantly, going 5-0 up before Lei could register his first point. Thakkar won Game 1 with ease (4-11) and took the match in the next game (7-11). Quick rallies and intelligent choice of shots silver-lined Thakkar’s brilliant play, but Lei made a comeback in the final game, snatching the Golden Point and ending 1-2 against the young Indian. The tie was drawn at 3-3 after the match.

Mavericks’ skipper Harmeet Desai paired with Doo Hoi Kem for the mixed doubles match against Challengers’ Lee Ho Ching and Arjun Ghosh. The Doo-Desai pair outwitted their opponents in the first game (11-9) with their quick returns and Doo’s strong backhand. Ching and Ghosh provided stiff competition to their opponents, but lost the next game, losing the match 2-0. However, they managed to secure one point winning the final game. Mavericks led Challengers 5-4 after the mixed doubles.

Aiming to take the lead, the Challengers sent world No. 12 Simon Gauzy against Mavericks’ Mattias Karlsson. Though Karlsson started off dominantly, Gauzy took the first game away. The second game unfolded quite the same way, with Gauzy trying to make a comeback, but Karlsson won the game, drawing level in the match. Karlsson had the final word, winning the final game 11-7 and the match 2-1. Mavericks went up by 7-5 at this stage.

Doo Hoi Kem was next from the Mavericks’ contingent, who started with an aggressive 11-1 in the first game against the Challengers’ Georgina Pota. Pota had a brilliant start to the next game, but Doo got herself back on track and won the match 2-0 straight away. Pota managed one point for the Challengers in the final game.  Doo’s 2-1 (11-1, 8-11, 6-11) took Mavericks to 9-6 against Challengers, which meant a win in the next match could seal them the tie.

For a match where Challengers needed to do a 3-0, Tiago Apolonia walked out against Mavericks’ skipper Harmeet Desai. The first game remained nip and tuck, but Desai’s risky yet effective shots got him the game 11-8. Apolonia started off well, making his brilliant smashes count, and drew level (11-6). The two ace players gave each other an equal fight, and the match was decided on a Golden Point in the final game.

Divya Deshpande and the Challengers needed a 3-0 victory to win the tie, but Mavericks’ Sabine Winter made sure she secured a victory for her side. Though the first game was tight, Winter won it, ending the Challengers’ hope for a win in the day’s tie. Despite putting up a good fight in the next game, Deshpande fell short. Winter completed a 3-0 (11-8, 9-11, 11-5) victory in the final match, taking the Mavericks to a strong finish.

Rally of the day [Men’s]: Simon Gauzy and Mattias Karlsson (14)

Rally of the day [Women’s]: Doo Hoi Kem and Georgina Pota (18)

Indian Oil Indian Player of the Day: Ayhika Mukherjee

CEAT Foreign Player of the Day: Doo Hoi Kem

Kellogg’s Muesli Unstoppable Player of the Day: Mattias Karlsson

Shot of the Day: Tiago Apolonia