India star Achanta Sharath Kamal led Chennai Lions to an 8-7 win over Dabang Delhi TTC in their Ultimate Table Tennis contest in Chennai on Sunday.
Home favourite Sharath, who is the league's highest-ranked male Indian paddler, showed his class in a 2-1 win over Dabang Delhi's Andreas Levenko in the tie's first men’s singles, unleashing a range of powerful smashes on the Austrian who is making his debut in the fifth season of UTT.
Sharaths' win set the tone for Chennai Lions as his teammates followed suit.
In the tie's first women's singles match, Sakura Mori defeated Orawan Paranang 2-1 to extend Chennai Lions' lead. Mori proved her prowess in difficult circumstances, staying in control of the match despite repeated fightbacks from her opponent.
While the Japanese paddler took the opening two games, her Thai counterpart varied her approach in the third and claimed a consolation victory, reducing Dabang Delhi's deficit.
The mixed doubles match between the two teams followed the same trend as Chennai Lions' pairing of Sharath and Mori beat Dabang Delhi's Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Paranang 2-1.
The hosts secured the tie in the very next match, with Jules Rolland defeating local boy Sathiyan two games to one.
In the final match, Dabang Delhi's Diya Chitale scripted personal history. The Mumbai girl, who used to watch UTT as a fan from the stands, won her first match ever in the league in her second year, defeating Poymantee Baisya 3-0.
Chitale also scooped the Indian Player of the Tie award.
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