Ayhika Mukherjee from Dabang Delhi TTC Wins against World No. 26 Lily Zhang, Know More about Table Tennis Season 4

U Mumba TT loses to Dabang Delhi TTC, Ayhika Mukherjee (world no. 135) battled down Lily Zhang (world no. 26) for points in the thrilling franchise-based game.

Written by: Arjita Gupta

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: July 25, 2023

Dabang Delhi TTC defeated U Mumba TT 11-4 on Monday at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi in Pune to earn their second victory in the current IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4. India's Ayhika Mukherjee, ranked 135 in the world, stunned No. 26 in the world Lily Zhang. Ayhika battled Lily of the USA for every point, defeating her 2-1 to create the groundwork for her franchise's triumph. Under the sponsorship of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani are promoting the franchise-based competition.

Lily and Ayhika battled it out for points in the first game with flawless backhands. The American paddler ultimately won the match by scoring a golden point. Both players maintained their competitive spirit in the second game, which Ayhika won thanks to a golden point. The paddler, who was born in West Bengal, displayed incredible mental toughness by winning the decisive game with a golden point to seal the victory.

Earlier, in a thrilling match, Jon Persson defeated Manav Thakkar 3-0. Manav initially appeared out of it as Persson swiftly advanced to a 10-2 lead in the first game before Manav scored six straight points to captivate the crowd. With a precise forehand, the Swedish paddler managed to hold his composure and win the opening game 11-8. In the second game, the paddler from Surat made Persson work hard for every point.

Eventually, the Dabang Delhi TTC player won it 11-8. Persson scored spectacular goals on both flanks to win the ensuing game 11-7. In the third match (Mixed doubles) of the tie, Barbora Balazova and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran defeated Manav and Lily 2-1 to further increase Dabang Delhi TTC's lead. The U Mumba TT's pair won the opening game by a score of 11-5 before Sathiyan and Barbora won the next two games by scores of 11-5 and 11-8 to win the match.

In the penultimate match, world No. 18 Quadri Aruna defeated Sathiyan 2-1 but was unable to save a loss for U Mumba TT. Before the Indian paddler won the third game by a score of 11-8 to give his team the victory, Quadri won the first two games 11-6, 11-6. Sreeja Akula defeated Diya Chitale 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-8) in the last round of the tie to give Dabang Delhi TTC a flawless victory.