<p> Marcos Freitas and Kim Song I recorded two wins each to spur Dabang Smashers T to a 16-11 victory over DHFL Maharashtra United in the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) at the Thyagaraj Stadium on Saturday.<br /><br />G Sathiyan put Smashers ahead in the opening match with a stunning 11-3, 11-9, 7-11 win over Hong Kong World No 8 Wong Chun Ting in the men’s singles.<br /><br />Sathiyan ran away with the opening game and then rallied back to clinch the second. Ting, however, came back strongly to win the third and bag a point for his team.<br /><br />North Korea World No 19 Song I extended Smashers’ lead to 4-2 with a 11-2, 11-5, 9-11 victory over Pooja Koparkar in the women’s singles. In-form Song I dominated the Indian World No 279 in the first two games but Pooja rallied to win the third game.<br /><br />In mixed doubles, Smashers’ Anthony Amalraj and Tetyana Bilenko registered a 11-8, 11-4, 4-11 victory over Harmeet Desai and Liu Jia to extend their team’s lead to 6-3.<br /><br />China-born Ukraine international Kou Lei, ranked No 28, then pulled off a thrilling 11-10, 11-9, 5-11 win over Ting in the men’s singles to give Smashers a commanding 8-4 lead over United after four matches.<br /><br />However, Fu Yu scored a straight games win over Bilenko in the women’s singles to bring United back in contention at 7-8. But Marcos Freitas quelled a spirited challenge by United’s Harmeet Desai 11-6, 8-11, 11-10 to stretch Smashers’ lead to 10-8.<br /><br />Madhurika Patkar held her nerves when it mattered the most to beat Fu 11-9, 7-11, 11-10 in the women’s singles to help Smashers move to a 12-9 lead. She became the first Indian woman to beat a foreign player in the league.<br /><br />Freitas then returned to beat his countryman Joao Monteiro o United 8-11, 11-10, 11-8 in the men’s singles to hand Smashers’ an unassailable 14-10 lead.<br /><br />Song I then wrapped up the tie for Smashers with a 11-6, 9-11, 11-10 win over Liu Jia in the women’s singles category.<br /><br /></p>
<p> Marcos Freitas and Kim Song I recorded two wins each to spur Dabang Smashers T to a 16-11 victory over DHFL Maharashtra United in the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) at the Thyagaraj Stadium on Saturday.<br /><br />G Sathiyan put Smashers ahead in the opening match with a stunning 11-3, 11-9, 7-11 win over Hong Kong World No 8 Wong Chun Ting in the men’s singles.<br /><br />Sathiyan ran away with the opening game and then rallied back to clinch the second. Ting, however, came back strongly to win the third and bag a point for his team.<br /><br />North Korea World No 19 Song I extended Smashers’ lead to 4-2 with a 11-2, 11-5, 9-11 victory over Pooja Koparkar in the women’s singles. In-form Song I dominated the Indian World No 279 in the first two games but Pooja rallied to win the third game.<br /><br />In mixed doubles, Smashers’ Anthony Amalraj and Tetyana Bilenko registered a 11-8, 11-4, 4-11 victory over Harmeet Desai and Liu Jia to extend their team’s lead to 6-3.<br /><br />China-born Ukraine international Kou Lei, ranked No 28, then pulled off a thrilling 11-10, 11-9, 5-11 win over Ting in the men’s singles to give Smashers a commanding 8-4 lead over United after four matches.<br /><br />However, Fu Yu scored a straight games win over Bilenko in the women’s singles to bring United back in contention at 7-8. But Marcos Freitas quelled a spirited challenge by United’s Harmeet Desai 11-6, 8-11, 11-10 to stretch Smashers’ lead to 10-8.<br /><br />Madhurika Patkar held her nerves when it mattered the most to beat Fu 11-9, 7-11, 11-10 in the women’s singles to help Smashers move to a 12-9 lead. She became the first Indian woman to beat a foreign player in the league.<br /><br />Freitas then returned to beat his countryman Joao Monteiro o United 8-11, 11-10, 11-8 in the men’s singles to hand Smashers’ an unassailable 14-10 lead.<br /><br />Song I then wrapped up the tie for Smashers with a 11-6, 9-11, 11-10 win over Liu Jia in the women’s singles category.<br /><br /></p>
