UTT 2019: Matilda Ekholm, Sanil Shetty's attacking game helps RP-SG Mavericks Kolkata cruise to victory over Puneri Paltan

New Delhi: Sweden’s World No 25 Matilda Ekholm and India’s Sanil Shetty put up a fine display of attacking table tennis to register a comfortable 10-5 victory for RP-SG Mavericks Kolkata in the UTT here on Tuesday. The 37-year-old Matilda began her team’s charge with an emphatic 3-0 win in the opening Women’s Singles encounter against Puneri Paltan. [caption id=“attachment_7083711” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] RPSG Mavericks Kolkata cruised to a glorious win. Image courtesy: Twitter/@RPSGMavericks[/caption] Sanil closed it for them, pouncing on the opportunity to put pressure on his Indian counterpart, Harmeet Desai and forcing him into mistakes. He surprised him with a 2-1 win to clinch the tie for RP-SG. In between, Sanil and Matilda joined hands to eke out a crucial 2-1 victory in the Mixed Doubles to put RP-SG in the driver’s seat. Earlier, Matilda Ekholm set the tone for the day, getting the better of Germany’s Sabine Winter 3-0. It began as an even contest but Matilda slowly asserted herself, even winning a spectacular rally that lasted 30 shots. After taking the first set 11-9, she raced away in the remaining two (11-5, 11-6) to give RP-SG an early 3-point lead. German recruit Benedikt Duda (No. 53), then ripped out an upset, overcoming Chuang Chih-Yuan (No. 28) rather comfortably. He won the first two sets on 6 and 4 before yielding the third at 8-11. The Mixed Doubles was a close affair, with Sanil and Matilda locked in an intense battle with Harmeet and Sabine for supremacy. Sabine defended smartly to help Puneri take the first set. But then, Sanil-Matlida came into their own, attacking with gusto. The match was evenly poised till 7-7 before RP-SG pulled away for a 11-8 victory. The final set too was dominated by Sanil-Matlida, at one point putting them 9-4 ahead. Harmeet-Sabine fought back to 9-10 but couldn’t finish it off. In the reverse men’s singles, Harmeet stormed away to a 6-2 lead only to see Sanil Shetty claw his back in. Sanil dragged the set to 8-10 but that’s where it stopped. The second set was tantalisingly close, with neither player conceding ground. They went neck and neck all the way till 10-10 till Sanil gobbled up the golden point. The same story unfolded in the final set too, though Sanil was well poised at 10-8. Harmeet saved two match points but eventually lost on another golden point. India’s star player Manika Batra tamed Ayhika Mukherjee 2-1 in the final fixture.