PBG Bengaluru Smashers Triumph Over Jaipur Patriots in Ultimate Table Tennis 2024
PBG Bengaluru Smashers took a significant step toward playoff qualification in Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 by resoundingly beating Jaipur Patriots 11-4 at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.
Key Players and Matches
Spearheaded by Manika Batra and Alvaro Robles, the team from Bengaluru prolonged their unbeaten streak and registered their third straight win, increasing their points tally to 32. Batra herself added to the flourish by defeating Suthasini Sawettabut in the tie’s final match 3-0, winning two Golden Points along the way.
The tie’s first match between Robles and Cho Seung-min produced rousing rallies and sensational comebacks, especially from Robles, who became the first paddler to beat the South Korean in UTT. Robles trailed both games one and two at the time-out but rallied back to win both, thus taking the match. Cho swung one back in his team’s favour with a win in the third.
Lily Zhang followed in her captain’s footsteps by securing PBG Bengaluru Smashers’ second tie win, over Jaipur Patriots’ Nithyashree Mani. Zhang took all three games – 11-5, 11-10, 11-5 – increasing her side’s lead to 5-1. Nithyashree and Cho then partnered in the mixed doubles round to avenge their previous defeats, beating Anthony Amlaraj and Zhang 3-0.
Comeback Theme
‘Comeback’ was the theme of the men’s singles. Just as his captain had done earlier, Jeet Chandra twice came from behind at the time-outs to beat Snehit SFR in a clean sweep. Jeet trailed 1-5 in the first game, and 2-5 in the second, but took the match with an 11-8, 11-9, 11-6 scoreline.
Awards and Honors
For their contributions to PBG Bengaluru Smashers’ win, Jeet and Zhang were named the Indian and Foreign Player of the Tie, respectively. Robles claimed the ACT Fastest Rally of the Tie honour, while Zhang also took the DafaNews Shot of the Tie honour.
Upcoming Matches
Friday’s doubleheader will see Chennai Lions take on U Mumba TT at 5 PM and Dabang Delhi TTC square off against Puneri Paltan Table Tennis after 7:30 PM.
Doubts Revealed
PBG Bengaluru Smashers -: This is a team that plays table tennis, a sport where players hit a small ball back and forth across a table using paddles. They are from Bengaluru, a city in India.
Jaipur Patriots -: This is another team that plays table tennis. They are from Jaipur, another city in India.
Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 -: This is a big table tennis competition happening in the year 2024. Teams from different places come to play against each other.
Manika Batra -: She is a famous Indian table tennis player who is very good at the sport.
Alvaro Robles -: He is a table tennis player from another country who plays for the Bengaluru team.
Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium -: This is a big indoor place where sports events happen. It is named after Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.
Lily Zhang -: She is another table tennis player who plays for the Bengaluru team. She is not from India.
Jeet Chandra -: He is an Indian table tennis player who played well in this match.
Indian and Foreign Player of the Tie -: These are special awards given to the best Indian player and the best player from another country in a particular match.
Niraj Bajaj -: He is one of the people who help organize the table tennis league. He is from India.
Vita Dani -: She is another person who helps organize the table tennis league. She works with Niraj Bajaj.
Table Tennis Federation of India -: This is the main organization in India that takes care of table tennis activities and competitions.