Ultimate Table Tennis: Ayhika shines as Dabang Delhi beats U Mumba TT to clinch second win

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 25 : India's Ayhika Mukherjee, World Number 135, upset World Number 26 Lily Zhang as Dabang Delhi TTC beat U Mumba TT 11-4 to register their second victory in the ongoing Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) season 4 at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi in Pune on Monday.
Ayhika fought for every point and won 2-1 against Lily of the USA to lay the foundation for her franchise's victory.
The first game saw a nail-biting battle as Lily and Ayhika showcased immaculate backhands to win points. In the end, it was the American paddler who pocketed the game through a golden point.
Both players continued their fighting spirit in the second game as well which went into the favour of Ayhika through a golden point. The West Bengal-born paddler showed tremendous mental fortitude as she won the decider through a golden point to clinch the match.
Earlier, Jon Persson defeated Manav Thakkar 3-0 in an exciting contest. Manav looked out of touch early on as Persson quickly reached 10-2 in the opening game before Manav earned six back-to-back points to enthral the audience. However, the Swedish paddler held his nerve to win the first game 11-8 with an accurate forehand.
The second game also saw the Surat-based paddler making Persson sweat for every point before the Dabang Delhi TTC player took the game by 11-8. Persson won the following game 11-7 with his incredible shots on both flanks.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Barbora Balazova beat Manav and Lily 2-1 in the third match (Mixed doubles) of the tie to further extend Dabang Delhi TTC's lead. The first game went to the U Mumba TT's pair by 11-5 before Sathiyan and Barbora clinched the next two 11-5, 11-8 to win the match.
World No. 18 Quadri Aruna defeated Sathiyan 2-1 in the penultimate tie but could not save U Mumba TT from a defeat. Quadri clinched the first two games 11-6, 11-6 before the Indian paddler took the third by 11-8 to take his franchise to win.
In the last match of the tie, Sreeja Akula beat Diya Chitale 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-8) to complete a perfect victory for Dabang Delhi TTC.
Tie Result:
Dabang Delhi TTC 11-4 U Mumba TT
Jon Persson 3-0 Manav Thakkar (11-8, 11-8, 11-7)
Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 Lily Zhang (10-11, 11-10, 11-10)
Sathiyan/Barbora 2-1 Manav/Lily (5-11, 11-5, 11-8)
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran 1-2 Quadri Aruna (6-11, 6-11, 11-8)
Sreeja Akula 3-0 Diya Chitale (11-8, 11-9, 11-8).