On Day 2 of the Chennai leg, Dabang Smashers and Shaze Challengers took to the court for their first ever CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis Tie. Edge-of-the-seat action followed as the game went down right to the final Match, but Shaze Challengers managed to get themselves over the line.

Match 1 saw the Smashers’ captain Marcos Freitas make light work of Challengers’ Soumyajit Ghosh. The former won the first two Games 11-3, 11-6, but would go on to lose the third 10-11. The Smashers had the lead going into Match 2.

Han Ying here had a tricky challenge ahead of her as Madhurika Patkar stepped up. However, Ying never looked in trouble as she eased to a 3-0 win in the Match. 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 saw Ying give the Challengers the lead.

It would turn out to be a bad day in the office for Patkar as she would succumb to defeat again, this time in the Mixed Doubles Match. The combination of Petrissa Solja and Soumyajit Ghosh proved too hot to handle for Lei and Patkar, as the Challengers pair didn’t drop a Game to rack up a 3-0 win. Kou Lei’s fortunes turned in his next Match, as he locked horns with Andrej Gacina and the Ukrainian got the better of Shaze Challengers’ captain. Kou Lei grabbed the first two Games, but Gacina powered back to claim the third.

Heading into Match 5, Han Ying was riding on her previous emphatic win over Madhurika Patkar. The German went down in the first Game, but mounted a strong comeback to take the remaining two Games 11-9, 11-10 with a Golden Point handing her the Match.

Chennai local Anthony Amalraj stepped onto the court next amidst a fantastic ovation from the crowd. Amalraj is a popular player and one of the most renowned names on the Indian table tennis circuit. This was apparent from the support which drove him onto a first Game win over Andrej Gacina. The Croatian star however, proved too powerful for Amalraj as he clawed his way back into the game, taking the final two Games 11-2, 11-9.

Kim Song I faced Mouma Das next. It was a game between an upcoming star and a veteran. Kim was looking to shrug off her previous defeat, and she did that in fine style. The Dabang Smashers player won all three Games comfortably to give her side hope heading into Match 8.

Freitas returned to the court in his second Game of the night. It was a captain’s performance from the Portuguese as he leaped back from a Game down to win the final two Games 11-6, 11-5 over Li Ping.

Now, into the decider where Tetyana Bilenko clashed against Petrissa Solja. The Challengers needed to win a Game to seal the Tie and they did just that. Solja’s powerful performance in the first Game was enough to take the Challengers to their first ever win. Bilenko won the second Game while Solja grabbed the win in the third.

The Shaze Challengers won their inaugural Tie with a score of 15-12. The Dabang Smashers now face Falcons TTC on Sunday, while Shaze Challengers play Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas on Monday, 17th July.