Dempo Goa Challengers Reach Butterfly UTT Season 7 Final with 8-2 Win Over Dabang Delhi TTC

Dempo Goa Challengers became the first team to secure a place in the Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 final after registering a commanding 8-2 victory over former champions Dabang Delhi TTC in the first semi-final on Friday.

Olympian Alvaro Robles produced a flawless performance, winning both his men's singles and mixed doubles matches as the unbeaten Challengers moved within one win of lifting the title. The second semi-final will see Kolkata face U Mumba on Saturday.

Robles Gives Goa the Perfect Start

Goa seized the initiative early as Robles defeated Youssef Abdelaziz in straight games. After comfortably winning the opening two games, the Spaniard rallied from 7-10 down in the third to complete an impressive 3-0 victory (11-8, 11-4, 11-10), giving the hosts a 3-0 lead.

Dabang Delhi TTC fought back through Maria Xiao, who recovered after losing the opening game to Bernadette Szocs to claim a 2-1 victory (10-11, 11-6, 11-4), briefly reducing the deficit.

Mixed Doubles Puts Goa in Control

Goa quickly regained control as Robles partnered teenage paddler Syndrela Das to defeat the Delhi pairing of Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Maria Xiao in straight games (11-9, 11-8, 11-3), moving the Challengers to the brink of qualification.

With the tie hanging in the balance, Abhinandh P.B. displayed nerves of steel to edge Delhi captain Sathiyan Gnanasekaran 11-9 in the deciding men's singles clash, sealing Goa's place in the final.

Historic Run Continues

Having become the first team in Ultimate Table Tennis history to complete the league stage unbeaten, Dempo Goa Challengers have now extended their remarkable run into the knockout stage and stand just one victory away from completing a historic title-winning campaign.

Awards

• ChatGPT Match IQ Player: Alvaro Robles
• Foreign Player of the Tie: Alvaro Robles
• Indian Player of the Tie: Syndrela Das
• Bisleri Shot of the Tie: Maria Xiao

Match Results

Match	Result
Men's Singles	Alvaro Robles bt. Youssef Abdelaziz 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 11-10)
Women's Singles	Maria Xiao bt. Bernadette Szocs 2-1 (10-11, 11-6, 11-4)
Mixed Doubles	Alvaro Robles/Syndrela Das bt. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran/Maria Xiao 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-3)
Men's Singles	Abhinandh P.B. bt. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran 1-0 (11-9)

Butterfly UTT Season 7, staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), features 42 players from around the world, including 14 Olympians, and continues to strengthen the Indian table tennis ecosystem through elite competition and player development initiatives.

All Butterfly UTT Season 7 matches are being broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar in Hindi, Tamil and English.

 

(Inputs from Press Release)