Goa Challengers continued their flawless run in the seventh edition of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), defeating debutants UP Prometheans 10-5 in a league-stage encounter at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Panaji on Wednesday to finish the league phase unbeaten.
The two-time champions, who had already secured a semifinal berth before the contest, registered their sixth consecutive victory to cement their place at the top of the standings. UP Prometheans, meanwhile, bowed out of the competition after managing just one tie win in their debut campaign. The final semifinal spot will now be decided by the winner of Thursday’s clash between Dabang Delhi and Pune Jaguars.
Asked about the secret behind Goa’s remarkable consistency, head coach Elena Timina smiled and replied, “Maybe, luck,” before suggesting that strong team bonding had also played a role in the side’s success.
Goa made a dominant start through Spain’s Alvaro Robles, who comfortably defeated Sudhanshu Grover in straight games. Robles controlled the contest with aggressive long shots and sharp backhand winners before celebrating the victory with his family in the stands.
The hosts doubled their advantage when World No. 24 Bernadette Szocs overcame India’s Sayali Wani in a closely fought contest. Wani came close to pulling off an upset after levelling the deciding game at 9-9, but a wide forehand handed the initiative back to Szocs, who sealed the match.
Szocs then teamed up with teenager Abhinandh P. B. in the mixed doubles, where the pair defeated Swastika Ghosh and Ricardo Walther 3-0 to put the tie beyond UP’s reach.
Abhinandh, one of the breakout performers of this UTT season, carried his impressive form into the singles against India international Manav Thakkar. The 18-year-old from Chennai, who has earned a reputation as a “giant-slayer” with victories over several established players this season, pushed Manav in long rallies but eventually went down 2-1. It marked only his second singles defeat of the tournament, with his first coming against Omar Assar.
In the final match of the evening, Australia’s Yangzi Liu edged West Bengal youngster Syndrela Das 2-1 in a hard-fought contest featuring several extended rallies.
As the final points were played and the dhols echoed around the arena, Goa Challengers completed a perfect league campaign, carrying unbeaten momentum into the semifinals and reinforcing their status as one of the favourites for the UTT 2026 title.
