Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) 2017, day 12, highlights: Shazè Challengers prevail 15-12 over Maharashtra United

Preview: In the Penultimate day of the Delhi leg in CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis, DHFL Maharashtra United square off against the Shazè Challengers at the Thyagaraj Stadium in Delhi on Monday. After two back-to-back wins, United suffered a shocking 11-16 defeat at the hands of Dabang Smashers, while the Shazè Challengers are heading into the fixture after a comprehensive victory against the table-toppers Falcons TTC in their previous game. For DHFL Maharashtra United, the biggest concern heading into the clash is the troublesome form of the tournament’s highest seed, Wong Chun Ting. The 25-year-old has endured three defeats in the last four Matches. Surprisingly, the Indian opponents are proving to be tough for Ting, as two of his defeats were against Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran. [caption id=“attachment_3851133” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of DHFL Maharashtra United’s Harmeet Desai. Image courtesy: Maharashtra United via Twitter[/caption] Chun Ting will look to bounce back against the Challengers and get a few wins under his belt. Harmeet Desai, who has been a revelation for United, succumbed to defeat in both the Singles and mixed doubles category against the Smashers. The talented Indian paddler will be desperate to claim a few points in today’s Tie. In the Women’s division, the men in Orange rely a lot on Fu Yu, but the experienced Chinese paddler has been blowing hot and cold in the tournament so far. She thumped Tetyana Bilenko, 3-0 in the previous Tie, before suffering a shocking defeat against India’s Madhurika Patkar. Yu has to come good along with Liu Jia in order to taste success in today’s encounter. Meanwhile, Shazè Challengers pulled off an emphatic victory against Falcons TTC, thanks to Han Ying’s stunning victory against the dominant Wu Yang in the final Match of the Tie. The experienced German paddler plagued Yang with her breathtaking defensive rallies, and sealed all three points in a mouth-watering contest. Ying is the only player in CEAT UTT to have not lost a Match, and no doubt, that her outrageous form will be a big headache for DHFL Maharashtra United going into the clash. Andrej Gaciana and Soumyajit Ghosh have will hope to find form in today’s Tie, as both the players suffered defeats in the previous Tie against Falcons TTC. DHFL Maharashtra United are placed sixth in the league table, while Shazè Challengers sit fifth, having played three Ties each. It’s going to be a tricky contest, but there is no denying that Shazè Challengers have an upper hand after thrashing the table toppers, Falcons TTC in their Previous Tie. The CEAT UTT Tie between Shazè Challengers and Maharashtra United will be shown LIVE on Star Sports Select 2 HD, Star Sports Select 2, Hotstar and Jio TV.