Harmeet Desai was at his dashing best as Goa Challengers opened its Ultimate Table Tennis season four campaign by crushing Dabang Delhi TTC 10-5 on Saturday.
With his better half Krittwika Sinha Roy cheering for him from the team bench, albeit as a Goa reserve, Harmeet lost just one of the six games he played. The feature of his evening at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City was his whitewash of India teammate and arch-rival G. Sathiyan.
Sathiyan was the star performer during Delhi’s march to the season three final but the wily customer couldn’t turn around his ordinary performances over the last two months. Harmeet, on the other hand, was at his best. While Sathiyan erred with his backhand play, Harmeet’s backhand topspins and winners earned a rousing applause from a decent weekend turnout.
T. Reeth Rishya - whose husband Sanil Shetty was watching the proceedings from the gallery - lost a close encounter against Sreeja Akula in an entertaining duel in the women’s singles. With Sreeja managing to edge past Reeth, the tie was levelled at three games apiece.
But Harmeet turned the tide in favour of Goa in the next two ties. Suthasini Sawettabut, his Thai mixed doubles partner, took a cue from Harmeet and ended the night on a high for Goa by overcoming Barbora Balazova.
Earlier in the evening, southpaw Alvaro Robles of Spain started the tie in Goa’s favour by edging past Sweden’s Jon Persson in an all-European affair.
The result: Dabang Delhi TTC lost to Goa Challengers 5-10 (Jon Persson lost to Alvaro Robles 9-11, 11-8, 4-11; Sreeja Akula bt T. Reeth Rishya 11-7, 6-11, 11-9; G. Sathiyan & Barbora Balazova lost to Harmeet Desai & Suthasini Sawettabut 2-11, 6-11, 11-4; Sathiyan lost to Harmeet 8-11, 5-11, 10-11; Barbora lost to Suthasini 7-11, 9-11, 11-8).
Sunday’s fixture: U Mumba TT vs Chennai Lions (7.30 pm)
