Dabang Delhi had a near-perfect outing against U Mumba as the previous edition’s finalist all but assured itself of a place in the semifinals of Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4.
Thanks to a 11-4 landslide win — the joint-highest margin of the season, equalling Chennai Lions’ scoreline against Goa Challengers over the weekend — Dabang climbed to the second spot in the standings with the last league round remaining for all the six teams.
The Delhi thinktank had its plans in place, pitting Ayhika Mukherjee — the unorthodox Indian — against World No. 26 Lily Zhang in singles. Brimming with confidence after watching teammate Jon Persson roll over Manav Thakkar in the opening rubber, Ayhika responded to the challenge with a stunning win over Zhang.