Falcons TTC held a slender 7-5 lead over DHFL Maharashtra United after four matches in the ongoing tie as the race for knockout spots heated up in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) at the NSCI in Mumbai last evening.
Briton Liam Pitchford put Falcons TTC ahead with a 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-9) win over Harmeet Desai (DHFL Maharashtra United) in the men's singles, the tie's opening clash.
Sutirtha Mukherjee rallied strongly to pull off a surprise 2-1 (7-11, 11-5, 11-9) win over China-born Portuguese international Fu Yu (DHFL Maharashtra United) in the women's singles to extend Falcons TTC's lead to 5-1.
Next up was mixed doubles where Harmeet Desai and his China-born Austrian partner Liu Jia of DHFL Maharashtra United won the opening two games before Sanil Shetty and Lee Ho Ching pulled one back for Falcons TTC, who led 6-3.
Portuguese Joao Monteiro of DHFL Maharashtra United won the first two games convincingly but Sweden's Par Gerell clinched the third in the men's singles to help Falcons TTC stay ahead at 7-5. Five more matches remain in the ongoing tie.
With the final leg of India's first ever professional league CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis moving to Mumbai -- the city where the league was conceptualized, the event kicked off in grandeur with batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood icon Abhishek Bachchan gracing the match between Falcons TTC and DHFL Maharashtra United here at the NSCI Stadium on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Shaze Challengers will lock horns with RP-SG Mavericks in the final tie of the league stage.
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