Sreeja Akula did the star turn for Jaipur Patriots against U Mumba in an UTT match in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

In a unique team championship format like Ultimate Table Tennis where individuals compete for franchise glory, often does it seem that the most high-profile clash proves to be a decisive affair in the eventual outcome of a tie. The same was on display on Thursday at the EKA Arena as Sreeja Akula’s upset over favourite Bernadette Szocs was instrumental in Jaipur Patriots edging past U Mumba TT to register its second consecutive win in Season 6.

Riding on Sreeja’s stunning win against Szocs, the Romanian who is ranked No. 12 in the women’s singles World rankings, Patriots sealed the narrow 8-7 win with Britt Eerland, the seasoned Dutch, winning the first two games before falling in the long-pimpled trap of Yashaswini Ghorpade in the last game.

The marquee clash, however, turned out to be the one between the highest-ranked Indian in UTT at 35 and Szocs, the highest-ranked player in UTT. With Sreeja having surrendered in straight games in their only meeting on the world circuit earlier this year, Sreeja had her task cut out. She set the tone by clinching the opening game before Szocs displayed her class by passing Sreeja through her forehand corner frequently.

Sreeja opened up an early lead and at 4-2, played two outstanding points that kind of surprised Szocs. The first one was clinched with a crosscourt forehand top-spin from the backhand corner that Szocs had no answer to. The next point saw a fierce rally that Sreeja managed to close out with a powerful forehand winner.

Sreeja’s win also spurred Jeet Chandra on as he surprised Akash Pal in an all-Indian men’s singles tie to level the scores heading into the decider. Eerland then sealed the deal before Ghorpade earned the crucial last point to keep U Mumba in the hunt for the semifinals.

The results: Jaipur Patriots bt U Mumba TT 8-7 (Kanak Jha bt Lilian Bardet 11-6, 7-11, 11-9; Sreeja Akula bt Bernadette Szocs 11-9, 8-11, 11-5; Sreeja & Jha lost to Szocs & Akash Pal 8-11, 6-11, 6-11; Jeet Chandra bt Akash Pal 5-11, 11-10, 11-7; Britt Eerland bt Yashaswini Ghorpade 11-7, 11-4, 7-11).

Ahmedabad SG Pipers bt Stanley’s Chennai Lions 8-7 (Ricardo Walther 11-4, 11-9, 11-5; Ayhika Mukherjee bt Poymantee Baisya 11-9, 7-11, 11-10; Mukherjee & Walther bt Baisya & Baisya & Kirill Gerassimenko 11-2, 11-6, 7-11; SFR Snehit lost to Kirill Gerassimenko 7-11, 11-3, 7-11; Fan Siqi bt Giorgio Piccolin (11-9, 11-4, 11-2)

Friday’s matches: PBG Pune Jaguars vs Dempo Goa Challengers (5 pm); Dabang Delhi TTC vs Kolkata ThunderBlades 7.30 p.m.