Dabang Delhi TTC made a dramatic entry into the final of this year’s Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) with an 8-6 win over debutant Ahmedabad SG Pipers.
There was a certain 26-year-old who shone the brightest among all the players who were featured on Friday at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
Delhi’s Orawan Paranang, who had an on-and-off season with three wins and two losses, was set to face the Pipers’ skipper Bernadette Szocs, the highest-ranked player in this edition of the UTT.
With her skipper Sathiyan Gnanasekaran managing to snatch just a game off Lilian Bardet in the first match, Paranang would’ve been under tremendous pressure.
However, she showcased the best version of herself and handed a demoralising clean-sweep to Szocs. The southpaw used her variations to perfection as she found success with her top-spin and managed to deceive her opponent on multiple occasions.
“I didn’t feel any pressure ahead of the game, and that’s thanks to my team. They motivated me and asked me to just enjoy my game and not think about anything else. I think I played well,” Paranang said after the end of proceedings.
The Thai paddler did not let the emotions get the better of her and maintained composure throughout the match as she wore a constant smile on her face despite facing minor setbacks. She believes this positive attitude makes her perform well in crunch situations.
“The reason I always carry a smile on my face is that I cannot focus properly on my game when I’m nervous. My coach said, ‘Smile, don’t worry about the points lost, and give your best.’ And when I do that, I somehow feel energised and things go my way,” she said.
But the joy was short-lived as Pranang, who paired up with Sathiyan, lost 0-3 in the mixed doubles match against the unbeaten pair of Szocs and Manush Shah. Andreas Levenko then fetched a crucial 2-1 win against Manush in the men’s singles to make the overall scoreline 6-6 ahead of the final match of the evening.
Then came Diya Chitale, who soaked in all the pressure and pocketed a comfortable 2-0 win over Reeth Rishya in the deciding match as Delhi marched into the summit clash and will face defending champion Goa Challengers.
“I think Diya gave her 120 per cent; she oozes confidence. Even when we were trailing 5-6, she had confidence that Andreas (Levenko) would take another game and restore the overall tally. He eventually did, and that gave a much-needed boost for Diya to play the way she did,” Paranang said.
Delhi has already faced its final opponent, Goa, in the league stage and registered a 9-6 win. Paranang conjured magic in that tie as well, as she beat Yangzi Liu and handed her the first defeat in this UTT season.
Paranang says the league stage win, coupled with the confidence they gained in the semifinal, will be a major boost in confidence ahead of the final. “We played against Goa in the league stage already. They are a strong team, but we beat them. And after the win against the Pipers, we have gained a lot more confidence to face them again,” she concluded.
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