Ultimate Table Tennis | Reeth begins revival before Manush and Szocs seal issue

Debutant Ahmedabad SG Pipers defeat U Mumba TT 9-6, securing a top spot in the Ultimate Table Tennis League.

Debutant Ahmedabad SG Pipers outplayed U Mumba TT 9-6 and jumped to the top of the table with 24 points from three matches in the Ultimate Table Tennis League here on Tuesday.

U Mumba’s Manav Thakkar continued his winning streak in singles, defeating Manush Shah 2-1 in the opening rubber.

In a battle between friends, Manav kept neutralising Manush’s powerful forehand shots with his retrieving ability. The latter made quite a few unforced errors and went down in three games.

Reeth Rishya was under pressure as she took on Sutirtha Mukherjee. The 29-year-old, who had lost her singles contests against Goa Challengers and Puneri Paltan, fought back to prevail 2-1.

After losing the first game, she stormed into contention by taking the second 11-8. In the decider, Reeth matched her opponent shot for shot during the short and long rallies. Her win pulled Pipers level (4-4).

In mixed doubles, Manush and Bernadette Szocs proved too strong for Manav and Maria Xiao.

As Pipers’ Lilian Bardet and U Mumba’s Quadri Aruna took the stage, an exciting encounter was on the cards as both are known for their attacking style.