JOIN USUP Dangal defeated Delhi Sultans 4-3 in the Pro Wrestling League at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here on Monday.
Down 2-3 in the seven contest duel, UP's Icon Vinesh Phogat and Abdurakhmonob Bekzod won the last two bouts of the day to maintain their team's unbeaten run and strengthen their chances of making to the knockouts. Delhi have now lost all their three ties and are virtually out of the semifinals reckoning.
Vinesh, the 2017 Commonwealth champion who came into the tie without dropping a single point, steamrolled Maroi Mezien 15-0 in the women's 50 kg competition via technical superiority to make it 3-3 for Delhi.
Bekzod, the Asian championship goldmedalist, then hammered Vinod Omprakash 9-0 in the 74 kg competition to complete the rout for UP.
In the fifth bout of the day, Jamalladin Magomedov of Azerbaijan registered a comfortable 6-2 victory through pinfall over India's Hitender in the super heavyweight clash to keep UP stay afloat.
Earlier, UP won the toss and forced world champion Haji Aliev out of the equation; Delhi Sultans, on the other hand, decided to block Geeta Phogat.
Delhi logged in the first win of the day, with Sandeep Tomar beating compatriot Nitin Rathi.
Nitin, however, had raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening period. But Tomar, 2016 Asian Championship gold medalist, launched a great comeback to tie the score 8-8 at the end of regulation time in the men's 57 kg competition. The referees awarded the match in Tomar's favour, thanks to his big-scoring move in the second period.
European Championship silver medalist Zsanett Nemeth of Hungary, however, restored parity for UP when she overcame Samar Hamza of Egypt 3-2, via a fall in the 76-kg women's event.
World Championship bronze medalist Alborov Aslan of Delhi then defeated Junior National silver medalist Vicky 7-1 in men's 92 kg to send the home team 2-1 ahead in the tie.
Commonwealth champion Sangeeta Phogat caused the biggest upset of the tournament when she beat world champion Vanesa Kaladzinskaya 7-4 in the 57-kg women's contest.