Panaji (Goa), July 25 (IANS) Captain Manush Shah and Anna Hursey starred as defending champions U Mumba TT booked their place in the final of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 with a commanding 8-3 victory over HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades in the second semifinal at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigao near Panaji on Saturday.
The pair combined to deliver an unbeaten performance in the Mixed Doubles, setting up a title clash against unbeaten league leaders Dempo Goa Challengers.
Hursey contested six games across Women’s Singles and Mixed Doubles, winning five, while captain Manush remained flawless, winning all five games he played across his two matches. The result brings the season full circle, with the final set to be a repeat of the tournament opener between Goa and U Mumba.
Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), UTT Season 7 features 42 players from around the world, including 14 Olympians, while continuing to strengthen the Indian table tennis ecosystem through elite competition and year-round development initiatives.
Kolkata made the brighter start as Romanian international Eduard Ionescu edged Lilian Bardet in a hard-fought three-game contest. Ionescu claimed the opening two games 11-9 and 11-10 before Bardet pulled one back, handing the ThunderBlades an early 2-1 advantage. Hursey,
however, quickly restored parity for the defending champions with a composed victory over Ayhika Mukherjee. The Welshwoman took the opening two games before Ayhika claimed the third, leaving the tie level at 3-3 heading into the pivotal Mixed Doubles.
From there, U Mumba seized complete control. Manush and Hursey overwhelmed Ankur Bhattacharjee and Ayhika in straight games for their fifth consecutive win, conceding just 14 points across the final two games to hand their side a decisive 6-3 lead. Needing only two more games to seal qualification, Manush produced another captain’s performance against Ankur. The Indian international won 11-7 and 11-5 to complete an unbeaten evening, sending the defending champions into a second successive UTT final, where they will meet Dempo Goa Challengers in a clash between two former champions.
Manush was named the Indian Player of the Tie, while Hursey claimed the ChatGPT Match IQ Player and the Foreign Player of the Tie award. Bardet completed an awards sweep for U Mumba by collecting the Bisleri Shot of the Tie honour.
Final scores:
U Mumba TT 8-3 HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades
Lilian Bardet lost to Eduard Ionescu 1-2 (9-11, 10-11, 11-8)
Anna Hursey bt. Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 (11-8, 11-5, 8-11)
Manush Shah/Anna Hursey bt. Ankur Bhattacherjee/Ayhika Mukherjee 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-2)
Manush Shah bt. Ankur Bhattacharjee 2-0 (11-7, 11-5)
–IANS
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