Orawan paranag

Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium: Experienced Indian paddler Sathiyan Gnanasekaran kicked off his fifth season in Dabang Delhi TTC colours with a sensational come-from-behind win over World No. 20 Quadri Aruna, the highest-ranked male player in Ultimate Table Tennis 2024, representing U Mumba TT, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here on Saturday.

Sathiyan found it difficult to get a foothold in his first game of the season and trailed 7-0 right at the start against his much higher-ranked opponent. Aruna took the first game easily, but the Indian Olympian bounced back with a sturdy defence and assertive smashers in games 2 and 3, winning by twin 11-9 scorelines to claim the match. Sathiyan’s win over Aruna was his first against the Nigerian table tennis great in his career.

Despite Sathiyan’s strong start for Dabang Delhi TTC, Sutirtha Mukherjee wrested back control of the tie for her team U Mumba TT in the first women’s singles match. Sutirtha beat youngster Diya Chitale in three straight games, setting the platform for an enticing mixed doubles bout.