Jaipur Patriots will be looking for a third straight win in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 when they take on Ahmedabad SG Pipers on Saturday. Later table-toppers U Mumba TT will clash with Stanley’s Chennai Lions, who are looking for their maiden win of the campaign.
Jaipur head into the day’s first tie with strong momentum. Sreeja Akula remains unbeaten this season, including a standout win over world No. 12 Bernadette Szocs – riding a lethal forehand that boasts the joint-highest success rate in the league. USA’s Kanak Jha has also hit form, winning back-to-back ties and setting up a possible high-octane clash with Ricardo Walther. Jeet Chandra and Britt Eerland also opened their accounts in Jaipur’s last outing, as the Patriots appear to be locking in their core quartet.
Ahmedabad SG Pipers, fresh off their first win, will look to disrupt Jaipur’s rhythm. Walther has won two on the trot and pairs well with Ayhika Mukherjee in doubles, where they’ve notched two wins from three. With Walther’s razor-sharp forehand (32% win rate) and Ayhika’s growing confidence after her first singles win, Ahmedabad have the firepower to test Jaipur’s depth. Both Snehit Suravajjula and Giorgia Piccolin will be pushing for their first victory in the campaign.
Later in the evening, U Mumba TT – currently at top of the league with 23 points – will aim to bounce back from their first defeat. Despite recent losses, Szocs and Bardet remain among the sharpest in the league, with Szocs leading in forehand effectiveness (33% success rate) and among the best on serve (33% success rate). Szocs’ mixed doubles pairing with Akash Pal has brought stability, and while Akash is yet to win a singles match, his game wins have been significant, evidenced by Mumbai’s top spot.
Chennai Lions, despite three losses, sit fourth on the tablea testament to IndianOil UTT’s unique format where every game counts. The Lions have claimed 20 games so far, and with Fan Siqi in unstoppable form–the Chinese paddler has won 8 of her 9 games–they’ll feel they’re close to turning the corner. Captain Kirill Gerassimenko is coming off his first win of the season and could face a stiff test against Bardet in a match-up loaded with implications.
Squads:
Tie 1
Jaipur Patriots: Britt Eerland (Netherlands), Kanak Jha (USA), Sreeja Akula, Jeet Chandra, Pritha Vartikar, Yashansh Malik
Ahmedabad SG Pipers: Ayhika Mukhejree, Ricardo Walther (Germany), Snehit Suravajjula, Giorgia Piccolin (Italy), Divyansh Srivastava, Yashini Sivashankar
Tie 2
U Mumba TT: Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Lilian Bardet (France), Yashaswini Ghorpade, Swastika Ghosh, Akash Pal, Abhinandh PB
Stanley’s Chennai Lions: Fan Siqi (China), Kirill Gerassimenko (Kazakhstan), Payas Jain, Sudhanshu Grover, Poymantee Baisya, Nikhat Banu.
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