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Sreeja Akula led Jaipur Patriots to their first Ultimate Table Tennis semi-finals with a 9-6 victory over PBG Pune Jaguars, securing second place in the table.
Sreeja Akula in action at UTT Ahmedabad (Picture credit: UTT)
Undefeated Sreeja Akula propelled Jaipur Patriots to their first Ultimate Table Tennis semi-finals, after their 9-6 win against the PBG Pune Jaguars in the penultimate league stage match of Season 6 on Wednesday.
With their victory over Pune, Jaipur accrued a total of 41 points and climbed to the second spot in the table, three behind leaders Dempo Goa Challengers.
Meanwhile, Pune were put out of the reckoning for the playoffs, with only one berth remaining ahead of tomorrow’s final league stage game between U Mumba TT and Dabang Delhi TTC.
Jeet Chandra kicked things off in thrilling fashion for Jaipur, blocking out Anirban Ghosh’s counter-punching style to secure a 2‑1 victory.
Dutchwoman Britt Eerland followed with a similar flair, taking the first two games before Pune’s Reeth Rishya took the third on Golden Point.
These tight victories gave Jaipur a critical buffer heading into the mixed doubles, where Jeet and Eerland responded to a setback and a 0‑1 deficit to take games two and three 11‑6, 11‑7.
Their win confirmed Jaipur’s spot in the semi-finals, marking their first-ever qualification into UTT’s final four.
Pune’s Alvaro Robles struck back with a composed 2‑1 victory over Yashansh Malik in the second men’s singles, adding urgency to their playoff pursuit.
However, Sreeja closed the tie in style and ended Pune’s hopes of a semis berth; undefeated through all five league-stage matches, she dominated her clash with South Korea’s Zion Lee 2‑1, securing Jaipur’s 9‑6 win.
For their starring role in Jaipur’s victory, Jeet was named the Indian Player of the Tie and Eerland the Foreign Player of the Tie.
Zion’s round-the-net shot in her singles rubber versus Sreeja earned her the Shot of the Tie honour.
Final Scores
Jaipur Patriots 9-6 PBG Pune Jaguars
Jeet Chandra bt. Anirban Ghosh 2-1 (11-8, 11-9, 10-11)
Britt Eerland bt. Reeth Rishya 2-1 (11-9, 11-6, 10-11)
Jeet Chandra/Britt Eerland bt. Alvaro Robles/Reeth Rishya 2-1 (9-11, 11-6, 11-7)
Yashansh Malik lost to Alvaro Robles 1-2 (4-11, 11-6, 3-11)
Sreeja Akula bt. Zion Lee 2-1 (11-5, 6-11, 11-8)
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A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you live updates, breaking news, opinions and photos from the wide world of sport. Follow @News18Sports
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