Captain G. Sathiyan led from the front as Dabang Delhi TTC kept its Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 semifinal hopes alive with a hard-fought victory over Ahmedabad APL Pipers at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Monday.
Sathiyan’s clean sweep of Payas Jain, an opponent who had troubled him over the past couple of seasons, proved decisive in a closely contested tie. The result means Delhi will head into its final league fixture against PBG Pune Jaguars on Thursday precisely knowing the permutations.
With Dempo Goa Challengers, U Mumba TT and HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades having already secured the first three semifinal berths, both Delhi and Ahmedabad needed a convincing victory to stay in the race. After the opening three matches, there was little to separate the teams, with Delhi holding a slender 5-4 advantage. The onus then fell on Sathiyan to deliver against Payas.
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The youngster looked set to turn the contest in Ahmedabad’s favour as he surged to a 10-6 lead in the opening game, his powerful winners repeatedly piercing Sathiyan’s defensive wall. But the veteran responded with trademark composure, reeling off five consecutive points to snatch the game. Buoyed by the comeback, Sathiyan switched gears and adopted a more aggressive approach to take the second game comfortably.
Even when he trailed 2-5 in the third, Sathiyan refused to relent. He continued to pile pressure on Payas, forcing errors at crucial moments before completing a straight-games victory.
Ahmedabad stayed alive only because Manika Batra blanked Sutirtha Mukherjee in the final match. Had Sutirtha prevailed, Delhi would have knocked the Pipers out of semifinal contention.
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Published on Jul 20, 2026