Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 15: Manika Batra of Bengaluru Smashers made a winning start in the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4 as she defeated Diya Chitale of U Mumba TT by 2-1 here at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi in Pune on Thursday. Bengaluru Smasherswere up by 4-2 team points against U Mumba TT till the time of writing with three matches to go in an exciting tie of the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4, powered by DafaNews. In the first match of the tie (Men's Singles), World No.58 Kirill Gerassimenko upset World No. 18 Quadri Aruna by 2-1 to gain two crucial team points for his franchise. The Bengaluru Smashers paddler began the match with positive intent and played some precise shots to defeat Quadri by 11-3, 9-11, 11-8 in a thrilling contest. Manika played the second match of the tie (Women's Singles category) and beat Diya 2-1 to extend her franchise's lead by 4-2 in the tie. She was in top gear from the start of the match and won it by 11-10, 7-11, 11-6 with her aggressive and creative net play. Manika Batra, India’s Table Tennis Star, Says Strategising for Every Game Proving Beneficial.

In Saturday's action Season 3 finalist Dabang Delhi TTC will look to grab the title this time around in the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4 as they have a strong set of players. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran is the star attraction for the Delhi franchise, while Sreeja Akula and Ayhika Mukherjee also carry the experience of playing in big tournaments. Anirban Ghosh is the young talent in the team, while Barbora Balazova and Jon Persson bring an international flavour to Dabang Delhi TTC.

"I have been a part of Dabang Delhi TTC for all the seasons of UTT and to be back here with the team feels like a homecoming. The league has played a tremendous role in nurturing Indian talent, and we have a great squad this season as well. We are looking forward to our ties and our focus is to win the title," commented Sathiyan ahead of the tie quoted from UTT press release.

On the other hand, Goa Challengers will bank on their foreign signings Alvaro Robles and Suthasini Sawettabut besides Indian stars Harmeet Desai, Anthony Amalraj, T Reeth Rishya and Krittwika Sinha Roy. (ANI)

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