Ayhika Mukherjee Hands Sofia Polcanova First Defeat as HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades Beat Ahmedabad APL Pipers 9-6 in UTT Season 7

Asian Games medallist Ayhika Mukherjee produced one of the standout performances of Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 Powered by ChatGPT, becoming the first player to defeat Austria's Sofia Polcanova as HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades secured a 9-6 win over Ahmedabad APL Pipers on Friday.

The victory marked Kolkata's second win of the campaign, strengthening their push for a place in the playoffs. Ayhika's comeback victory over the previously unbeaten Polcanova capped an impressive all-round performance from the ThunderBlades.

Held 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, including 14 Olympians, while continuing to promote the growth of table tennis in India through elite competition and grassroots initiatives.

Ahmedabad Make Bright Start

Ahmedabad APL Pipers opened the tie strongly as Adrien Rassenfosse edged Ankur Bhattacharjee in a thrilling three-game contest. After losing the opening game, the Belgian claimed the final two games on Golden Point to give his side an early advantage.

Manika Batra then extended Ahmedabad's lead by defeating Zeng Jian in another closely contested three-game match, sealing the decider 11-10 after Jian had levelled the contest.

Kolkata Stage Impressive Comeback

The momentum shifted in Kolkata's favour during the mixed doubles contest. Ankur Bhattacharjee and Ayhika Mukherjee dominated Payas Jain and Sofia Polcanova in the opening two games before Ahmedabad claimed the third, allowing Kolkata to narrow the deficit.

Romanian paddler Eduard Ionescu then levelled the tie with a commanding straight-games victory over Payas Jain, winning 11-7, 11-6, 11-7.

With the tie evenly poised, Ayhika delivered the defining performance of the evening. After dropping the opening game against Polcanova, the Indian star raised her intensity to win the next two games, finishing with a dominant 11-3 scoreline in the decider to secure the victory for Kolkata.

Individual Honours

• ChatGPT Match IQ Player: Eduard Ionescu
• Foreign Player of the Tie: Eduard Ionescu
• Indian Player of the Tie: Ayhika Mukherjee
• Bisleri Shot of the Tie: Manika Batra

Dream UTT Juniors Semi-final Line-up Confirmed

Earlier in the day, Dream UTT Juniors, the league's grassroots competition running alongside Season 7, saw Dabang Delhi TTC defeat PBG Pune Jaguars 6-3 to book a place in the semi-finals.

The result confirmed the final four teams, with Dabang Delhi TTC joining UP Prometheans, U Mumba TT and Dempo Goa Challengers in the knockout stage.

Later on Friday, Dabang Delhi TTC were scheduled to face Dempo Goa Challengers in a rematch of the 2024 final between two former champions.

Match Result

Fixture	Result
HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades vs Ahmedabad APL Pipers	HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades won 9-6

Individual Results

• 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 beat Payas Jain / Sofia Polcanova 2-1 (11-9, 11-3, 4-11)
• Eduard Ionescu beat Payas Jain 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-7)
• Ayhika Mukherjee beat Sofia Polcanova 2-1 (8-11, 11-8, 11-3)

(Inputs from Press Release)