Sayali Wani may be ranked a distant World No. 151 compared to Manika Batra’s No. 51, but rankings matter little when the pressure is at its peak.
The 20-year-old displayed remarkable composure beyond her years, producing one of the biggest upsets of Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 by outwitting the 31-year-old veteran, a three-time Olympian and multiple Commonwealth Games medallist, in a gripping three-game decider.
With the tie hanging in the balance (6-6), Sayali held her nerve in a nail-biting contest to clinch a memorable 2-1 victory, sealing UP Prometheans’ maiden win in the league with an 8-7 tie-triumph over Ahmedabad APL Pipers at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Panaji, Goa on Tuesday.
Sayali saved three match points in the third and final game to script one of her and UTT’s memorable victories, making it a hat-tricks of defeats for Manika.
Ahmedabad looked to be in control after pocketing the opening two matches. Payas Jain defeated Sudhanshu Grover 2-1 before Sofia Polcanova overcame Yangzi Liu 2-1, giving Ahmedabad a comfortable 4-2 lead heading into the mixed doubles.
But the momentum shifted dramatically in the third match as UP’s Ricardo Walther and Swastika Ghosh produced one of the biggest upsets of the season. The Indo-German pair stunned the previously unbeaten combination of Polcanova and Payas, cruising to a commanding 3-0 victory, putting UP back in contention as it took a 5-4 lead.
Ahmedabad’s Adrien Rassenfose rose to the occasion winning his first match of the season, overcoming a tough challenge from Walther to take it to a decider. Sayali then provided a nerveless display.
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Published on Jul 14, 2026