G. Sathiyan might have been unhappy when his side, Dabang Delhi, conceded a 2-8 defeat to Goa Challengers to exit in the Ultimate Table Tennis 2026 semifinals, but the India international was gracious in defeat.
“We have to give credit to Goa. Alvaro [Robles] was phenomenal. It looked like I was playing a top-ten-ranked player in the world on the court today. He was firing on all cylinders. I think Alvaro took the team through. Even in the mixed doubles, both of them [Robles and Syndrela Das] were really good. We lose the mixed doubles, we lose the tie — we knew that. But really happy with the way we fought and came all the way to the playoffs for the seventh time,” Sathiyan told reporters after the match.
“They probably planned a little bit better in the draft. They got Alvaro for a cheaper price (smiles) and picked up a very strong team right from the auction. Abhinandh P. B. being the surprise package for them. It really completed the team,” he added.
During the first rubber of the tie, the men’s singles clash, former India international Sharath Kamal revealed in the commentary that Sathiyan was originally slated to face Robles. But the team decided to send in Youssef Abdelaziz. The Dabang Delhi veteran backed this strategy.
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“We wanted to change it up because I also lost 0-3 in the league stage [to Robles]. He [Abdelaziz] had lost 0-3 to Abhinandh before. So we didn’t want to have the same pattern again and get the same result. I think it was not a bad option. I think I did have a better chance with Abhinandh than Youssed, and he also fought very hard with Alvaro, but credit is due. Whoever was the opponent the way he played today, it wouldn’t have mattered,” Sathiyan said.
The Indian paddler also said it was disheartening not to see table tennis at the ongoing Commonwealth Games, but the Chennai local looked ahead.
“The Commonwealth Championships is happening. I think it’s good that it’s happening at the same time. To have the same team which is going for the Asian Games, we’ll have great team bonding and team spirit. We’ll be participating in multiple events as well. So it’s great preparation for the Asiad. I’m pretty sure, with the way we have been playing in UTT now, we’ll be confident going into the Commonwealth Championships. We hope to do well at the Asian Games and to have the best-ever showing for India,” he signed off.
A little while later, Robles, accompanied by his toddler son, spoke to the media and lauded the balance of youth and experience his team has.
“To be honest, Elena [Timina], the coach, said that we couldn’t have a better team, and it’s a great combination of experience and youngsters. They are very talented and humble. They keep learning, asking, and they are also performing in important moments. It wasn’t like that in my case. I needed time to get experience and had many ups and downs. I’m sure they too have those phases but happy to see that they are getting consistent from a very early age,” the towering southpaw admired.
Alvaro Robles said the youngsters in the Goa Challengers team have been stepping up and performing at important junctures. | Photo Credit: UTT
Robles also revealed that his country, Spain, winning the FIFA World Cup earlier this month has motivated him further.
“I told my teammates that I was hyped up because of Spain. This is what I said right after my match. We are having a great time in the country. Football’s the biggest sport there, everyone is in the streets celebrating. It’s like cricket here. I was really happy when Spain won,” he said.
After the media duties, Robles picked his son up, who was otherwise kept occupied by the wonders of an unplugged walkie-talkie. Once up in his father’s arms, he squeaked, “Vamos (come on),” as the duo walked back to the team ahead of Sunday’s final.
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Published on Jul 25, 2026