HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades and defending champions U Mumba TT booked their places in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 semifinals following a closely fought league encounter at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.
Kolkata emerged with an 8-7 victory, but both teams achieved the result they needed to progress after entering the contest level on 41 points. Requiring at least five points each to guarantee a semifinal berth, the two sides secured qualification in a dramatic finish.
Eduard Ionescu gave the Thunder Blades an early advantage by defeating left-hander Manush Shah in the opening match. Kolkata then tightened their grip on the tie through Taneesha Kotecha, who produced the standout performance of the evening by defeating World No. 34 Anna Hursey 3-0.
Although Hursey, ranked more than 100 places above Kotecha, was visibly affected by a stomach illness, the Indian paddler capitalised with a composed and consistent display, repeatedly exploiting her opponent’s limited movement to record a memorable upset.
Hursey returned later in the tie to partner Manush Shah in the mixed doubles, helping U Mumba collect two valuable points and remain firmly in contention for a semifinal place.
Frenchman Lilian Bardet then played a decisive role for the defending champions by winning the opening two games against Ankur Bhattacharjee, a result that confirmed U Mumba’s qualification for the knockout stage. Bhattacharjee fought back impressively, producing a series of backhand winners to claim the third game and keep Kolkata’s hopes alive.
The tie headed into its final contest with Kolkata leading 7-5. U Mumba opted to field Nithyashree Mani ahead of the in-form Anusha Kutumbale, and the decision almost transformed the outcome. Nithyashree made a flying start by taking the opening two games against Singapore’s Zeng Jian, pushing the match to a deciding game.
However, Zeng relied on her experience to hold her nerve in the decider, sealing the final game and securing an 8-7 victory for Kolkata.
While the Thunder Blades finished the league stage with a narrow win, U Mumba’s overall points haul was enough to ensure the defending champions also advanced, setting up an exciting semifinal stage in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7.
