CHENNAI: Local star and skipper Sathiyan G made best use of his experience and home conditions to help Dabang Delhi TTC beat Athlead Goa Challengers 9-6 in the IndianOil UTT played here in Chennai on Wednesday. Sathiyan put on a splendid show against Goa’s Mihai Bobocica at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor stadium to set the stage for his team’s first win of the match.
In the battle of the Olympians, Bobocica struck first, taking Game 1 11-8 via a 23-shot rally, the longest of the season so far. However, Sathiyan retaliated with an inspired comeback and took games two and three to claim the match.
In the mixed doubles that followed, Paranang got the better of Liu again, this time alongside her partner Sathiyan. The Delhi TTC pair together beat Liu and Harmeet Desai, two games to one. Later, in the second men’s singles, Goa Challengers captain Harmeet bounced back from a game down to beat Andreas Levenko 2-1. Results: Dabang Delhi TTC bt Athlead Goa Challengers 9-6: (Sathiyan G. bt Mihai Bobocia 2-1 (8-11, 11-9, 11-9); Orawan Pranang bt Yangzi Liu 2-1 (11-7, 11-10, 6-11); Sathiyan/Paranang bt Harmeet/Liu 2-1 (11-7, 11-4, 7-11); Andreas Levenko lost to Harmeet Desai 1-2 (11-7, 8-11, 9-11); Diya Chitale bt Yashaswini Ghorpade 2-1 (11-10, 11-6, 3-11).