UTT Season 7: Dempo Goa Challengers equal biggest win with Delhi demolition, Ayhika Stars as Kolkata Beat Ahmedabad

Ayhika's impressive triumph over the Austrian star capped another strong all-round display from Kolkata, who climbed further into playoff contention.

Updated on: Jul 17, 2026, 22:39:23 IST

Edited by Aratrick Mondal

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Two-time champions Dempo Goa Challengers recorded a commanding 12-3 victory over Dabang Delhi TTC in Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 on Friday, equalling the biggest margin of victory in the five-match format and strengthening their grip at the top of the standings. Earlier in the day, Ayhika Mukherjee became the first player to defeat Sofia Polcanova this season as HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades registered a crucial 9-6 victory over Ahmedabad APL Pipers to boost their playoff hopes.

Manika Batra got her first win in the season (Butterfly UTT)

Goa’s victory was built on absolute domination throughout, with Alvaro Robles, Abhinandh PB, Syndrela Das, and Bernadette Szocs all winning their respective singles matches. Robles and Das also combined to hand Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Maria Xiao their second successive Mixed Doubles defeat. Kolkata, meanwhile, recovered from an early deficit through a decisive mixed doubles win, a clinical Eduard Ionescu performance and Ayhika's landmark comeback against Polcanova.

Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, Butterfly 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.

Unbeaten ahead of the tie, Goa set the tone immediately as Robles swept aside Sathiyan in straight games before Syndrela edged fellow teenager Divyanshi Bhowmick in a high-quality contest between two of the league's and the country’s brightest young prospects. Robles and Syndrela then combined superbly in the mixed doubles, overpowering the normally formidable pairing of Sathiyan and Xiao across the opening two games to stretch Goa's advantage.

Abhinandh continued his remarkable unbeaten run with another commanding straight-games victory, this time over Youssef Abdelaziz, before reigning MVP Bernadette completed the rout by defeating Xiao. Abhinandh picked up the Match IQ Player of the Tie, the Indian Player of the Tie, and the Bisleri Shot of the Tie awards, while Robles was named the Foreign Player of the Tie.

In the day’s first tie, Ahmedabad made the brighter start as Adrien Rassenfosse edged Ankur Bhattacharjee in a dramatic contest, winning the final two games on Golden Point, before Manika Batra overcame Zeng Jian in another three-game battle to hand the Pipers an early advantage.

Kolkata responded emphatically. Ankur and Ayhika dominated the mixed doubles before Ionescu levelled the tie with a commanding straight-games victory over Payas Jain. Ayhika then completed a memorable comeback, recovering after losing the opening game to become the first player to defeat Polcanova this season and seal Kolkata's second victory of the campaign. Ionescu was named both the ChatGPT Match IQ Player and Foreign Player of the Tie while Ayhika claimed Indian Player of the Tie honours. Manika earned the Bisleri Shot of the Tie.

Earlier, Dream UTT Juniors, UTT's grassroots competition running alongside Season 7, saw Dabang Delhi TTC defeat PBG Pune Jaguars 6-3 to seal their place in the semifinals. The result confirmed the final four lineup, with Delhi joining UP Prometheans, U Mumba TT and Dempo Goa Challengers in the knockout stage.

Final Score

HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades 9-6 Ahmedabad APL Pipers

Ankur Bhattacharjee lost to Adrien Rassenfosse 1-2 (11-10, 10-11, 10-11)

Zeng Jian lost to Manika Batra 1-2 (7-11, 11-6, 10-11)

Ankur Bhattacharjee/Ayhika Mukherjee bt. Payas Jain/Sofia Polcanova 2-1 (11-9, 11-3, 4-11)

Eduard Ionescu bt. Payas Jain 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-7)

Ayhika Mukherjee bt. Sofia Polcanova 2-1 (8-11, 11-8, 11-3)

Dempo Goa Challengers 12-3 Dabang Delhi TTC

Alvaro Robles bt. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-9)

Syndrela Das bt. Divyanshi Bhowmick 2-1 (11-9, 10-11, 11-4)

Alvaro Robles/Syndrela Das bt. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao 2-1 (11-8, 11-5, 9-11)

Abhinandh P.B bt. Youssef Abdelaziz 3-0 (11-4, 11-10, 11-8)

Bernadette Szocs bt. Maria Xiao 2-1 (11-5, 11-10, 10-11)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aratrick Mondal
Aratrick Mondal is a senior sports journalist based in New Delhi. In his eight years as a sports writer, Aratrick has worked at leading media organisations, including The Times of India, Times Now, Zee, India TV and currently works at a senior position at Hindustan Times Digital. He writes on cricket, football, pickleball and tennis, among other sports. He has extensively covered India's evolving cricket landscape, the country's new-found love for private leagues such as Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), Ultimate Kho Kho League (UKK), Rugby Premier League (RPL) and several tennis leagues. He has closely covered emerging sports such as pickleball. His coverage of major franchise events lends an atmospheric flavor to his ground reports. His recent story on how SA20 (the domestic cricket league of South Africa) had opened up its grounds to create a carnival-like fan experience garnered major international attention, including appreciation from major cricketers. Tennis holds a special place in his heart. Aratrick has built a strong niche in analytical tennis stories—ranging from Grand Slam narratives and player profiles to tactical breakdowns and ranking trends. His long-form features often decode grand slams, career highs and lows of tennis greats and the upward trajectory of emerging stars. He also closely follows India's tennis landscape, having covered the Davis Cup, Bengaluru Open and Tata Open, among others. His reporting is backed by strong data capabilities, with hands-on experience using tools like Python, Tableau, and Excel to produce visually rich, insight-led stories. This data-first approach enhances accuracy, transparency, and trust. In leadership roles, he has managed editorial shifts, overseen homepage strategy, optimised SEO workflows, and mentored peers to deliver consistent, high-traffic journalism. He recently won the HT DigiStar award for the third quarter of financial year 2025-26. Aratrick is trusted for his balanced reportage, sound sourcing, and ability to translate complex sporting events into engaging narratives that speak to a wide audience. He believes sports is for everyone, not just for the enthusiasts and has a unique ability to bring people together - just like the sumptuous meals you'll often find him cooking on a weekend evening.Read More

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