Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas registered a comprehensive, 16-11 win against RP-SG Mavericks at the Thyagaraj Stadium in Delhi, on Sunday.

The Mavericks got off to a flying start, as Tiago Apolonia thumped Jubin Kumar of Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas, 3-0. After losing all three Matches in the Previous Ties, this was Apolonia’s first win in the CEAT UTT. He attacked right from the start and won the first two Games easily 11-5 and 11-6. The third Game got tight, but the Portuguese paddler held his nerve and edged it 11-9 eventually.

With huge cheers from the Delhi crowd, Archana Kamath faced Doo Hoi Kem in the second Match of the Tie. The 17-year-old started off well, leading 7-4 in the opening Game, but Kem came back brilliantly from behind to seal the Game 11-9 in her favour. The second Game was a one-way tussle, as Kem won it with ease, before staging another comeback to win the third, 11-6.

Match 3 of the Tie turned out to be an enticing affair, as the Yoddhas’ duo of Aruna Quadri and Manika Batra edged past Sharath Kamal and Sofia Polcanova. The Mavericks’ duo had no answers to Quadri’s ripping forehands, which were consistent throughout the Match.

After trouncing Jubin Kumar, Tiago Apolonia came back to face Tomislav Pucar in the fourth Match of the Tie. Apolonia continued his dominance and won the opening Game easily, beating his opponent by 6 points. Pucar fought back well in the following Game, but his service error at a crucial moment handed Apolonia his fifth consecutive Game in the Tie. The Portuguese had no discomforts in the third, as he bagged it comfortably to put the Mavericks 7-5 ahead in the Tie.

The lead, however, didn’t last long! Doo Hoi Kem came back and thumped Sofia Polcanova, 3-0 in the fifth Match of the Tie. The first Game was evenly poised at 9-9, but Kem kept her cool to seal it. Despite the tight first Game, Kem had no problems in the next two Games and she won it comprehensively, 11-7, 11-5 to get her team in front at 8-7 in the Tie.

In the sixth Match of the Tie, Sharath Kamal defeated Tomislav Pucar, 2-1. The Indian veteran trounced the Croatian in the first two Games, 11-5 and 11-3, but couldn’t complete a clean sweep. Pucar came up with astonishing shots and winners to wrap the Game up at 11-6. After losing to Par Gerell on opening day, Kamal was imperious in the Men’s Singles category and this was his third consecutive win in the league.

Buoyed by the support of the rapturous Delhi fans, Manika Batra pulled off an emphatic 2-1 win against Sabine Winter in the sixth Match of the Tie. Winter had dominated the Indian opponents prior to this clash. However, she couldn’t replicate her form against the talented Delhi paddler. Batra was aggressive and hit the ball to both corners of the table, and that pushed Winter way beyond. She clinched the first Game in a Golden Point, but Winter staged a comeback and won it, 11-9. The third Game was a one-sided affair, as Batra won it, 11-6 to put the Yoddhas ahead, 11-10 in the Tie.

Quadri sealed the Tie for the Yoddhas by thumping Stefan Fegerl, 3-0 in the eighth Match.  The talented Nigerian won the first Game 11-8. In the next however, Fegerl started off well and was leading 10-6. The Austrian couldn’t sustain the momentum though, as Quadri saved four match points before sealing the Game with the Golden Point. Fegerl had no answers to Quadri’s belligerent forehands in the final Game, as the latter grabbed it with 11-5.

Although the final Match of the Tie turned out to be a dead rubber, Sabine Winter and Polina Mikhailova gave everything to make it an exciting contest for the crowd. The German won the first Game 11-10, but Mikhailova fought back and won the second as well as the nail-biting third to close the Tie at 16-11 in favour of the Yoddhas.

With this victory, Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas climb to third place, while RP-SG Mavericks remain fourth in the League table with 48 points. Tomorrow’s clash in CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis League will see Shazé Challengers go up against DHFL Maharashtra United in what will be the penultimate day of the Delhi leg at the Thyagaraj Stadium.