Mumbai, June 9: Youngsters Raegan Albuquerque and Manasi Chiplunkar were the star performers as King Pong registered the second successive win by defeating ACE 7-2 in a Group-A league match of the Capital First-Mumbai Super League (MSL) Table Tennis Championships, organized by 11Even Sports Pvt. Ltd. under the auspices of MCDTTA and MSDTTA, and played at NSCI, Worli on Friday.
Raegan and Manasi showed good understanding in the junior boys and junior girls mixed doubles tie and they later won their respective singles matches, which ensured that King Pong won by a handsome margin. Priti Bhosale, played a good supporting role as she first won her women’s singles rubber and later she paired up with Mudit Dani to win the mixed doubles match, which put King Pong firmly on the road to victory.
Meanwhile, defending champions Supreme Fighters succumbed to their second consecutive defeat going down 4-5 to MTC Royals in another Group-A league match, which was a closely fought affair.
King Pong took off on the right track as Kiran Salian won the first rubber defeating Dinkar Shelarkar 11-4, 11-9, 11-2 in the veteran singles match, but in the second rubber, Mudit lost the men’s singles to Omkar Targalkar 4-11, 4-11, 7-11. In the third rubber Priti prevailed over Dyuti Patki in the women’s singles and later Raegan and Manasi combined to defeat Hrishikesh Molhotra and Vidhi Dhoot 11-6, 11-9 11-2 in the junior boys/junior girls mixed doubles encounter and give King Pong a 3-1 lead. Havish Asrani increased the lead when he tamed Chaitanya Ahuja 11-4, 11-7, 11-7 in the cadet boys’ singles tie before Mudit and Priti won the mixed doubles rubber as they overcame the ACE pairing of Omkar Torgalkar and Dyuti Patki 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11 as King Pong sat pretty with a 5-1 lead.
Manasi made it 6-1 in favour of King Pong when she outplayed Vidhi Dhoot 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 in the junior girls’ singles match. Raegan completed the margin of victory with a fine come from behind 11-13, 11-6, 13-11, 11-3 win over Hrishikesh Malhotra in the junior boys singles, concluding rubber. Earlier, the King Pong pair of Kiran Salian and Mudit Dani lost to Dinkar Shelarka and Omkar Torgalkar 6-11, 18-20, 11-8. 6-11 in the veteran men/men mixed doubles encounter.
In Group-B second round league matches, Blazing Bashers got the better of Kool Smashers 5-4 and High Tide defeated Century Warriors 6-3.
Results (round-2): Blazing Bashers bt Kool Smashers 5-4 (Sarosh Shroff lost to Rajesh Singh 6-11, 7-11, 10-12 - veteran singles; Noel Pinto lost to Sanil Shetty 7-11, 13-11, 12-14, 5-11 - men’s singles; Shweta Patre bt Ruchira Manerkar 11-7, 11-3, 11-7 - women’s singles; Shaurya Pedhnekar/Mihika Rohira bt Tanamay Rane/Vidhi Shah 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9 - junior boys/junior girls mixed doubles; Om Chopde lost to Kunal Patel 11-1, 2-11, 8-11, 5-11 - cadet boys singles; Noel Pinto/Shweta Patre bt Sanil Shetty/Ruchira Manerkar 11-6, 11-9, 11-8 - men/women mixed doubles ; Mihika Rohira bt Vidhi Shah 11-5, 13-11, 11-9 - junior girls singles; Sarosh Shroff/Noel Pinto lost to Rajesh Singh/Sanil Shetty 9-11, 8-11, 6-11 - veteran men/men doubles; Shaurya Pedhnekar bt Tanmay Rane 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 - junior boys singles).
King Pong bt ACE 7-2 (Kiran Salian bt Dinkar Shelarka 11-4, 11-9, 11-2 – veteran singles; Mudit Dani lost to Omkar Torgalkar 4-11, 4-11, 7-11 - men’s singles; Priti Bhosale bt Dyuti Patki 6-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5 - women’s singles; Raegan Albuquerque/Manasi Chiplunkar bt Hrishikesh Molhotra/Vidhi Dhoot 11-6, 11-9 11-2 – junior boys/junior girls mixed doubles; Havish Asrani bt Chaitanya Ahuja 11-4, 11-7, 11-7 - cadet boys singles; Mudit Dani/Priti Bhosale bt Omkar Torgalkar/Dyuti Patki 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11 - men/women mixed doubles; Manasi Chiplunkar bt Vidhi Dhoot 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 – junior girls singles; Kiran Salian/Mudit Dani lost to Dinkar Shelarka/Omkar Torgalkar 6-11, 18-20, 11-8. 6-11 – veteran men/men mixed doubles; Raegan Albuquerque bt Hrishikesh Malhotra 11-13, 11-6, 13-11, 11-3 – junior boys singles).
MTC Royals bt Supreme Fighters 5-4 (PG Kelkar bt Harish Shrisat 11-7, 11-7, 6-11, 10-12, 12-10 – veterans singles; Nishad Shah bt Mandar Hardikar 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 - men’s singles; Madhurika Patkar bt Mrunmayee Mhatare 12-10, 10-12, 11-3, 11-5 - women’s singles; Maanav Shah/Riya Suryavanshi lost to Ashwin S/Manushree Patil 2-11, 5-11, 8-11 – junior boys/junior girls mixed doubles; Vineet Deepak lost to Kushal Patel 11-13, 5-11, 6-11 - cadet boys singles; Nishad Shah/Madhurika Patkar bt Mandar Hardikar/Mrunmayee Mahtare 9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-2 - men/women mixed doubles; Riya Suryawanshi lost to Maushree Patil 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 – junior girls singles; PG Kelkar/ Nishad Shah bt Harish Shrisat/Mandar Hardikar 11-6, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9 veteran men/men doubles; Maanav Shah lost to Ashwin S 9-11, 5-11,3-11 – junior boys singles).
High Tide bt Century Warriors 6-3 (Rajesh Mudam lost to 8-11, 7-11, 7-11 – veterans singles; Shubham Ambre bt Eric Fernandes 11-5, 12-10, 6-11, 12-10 - men’s singles; Senhora D’Souza bt Ashlesha Trehan 12-10, 11-8, 11-6 - women’s singles; Shivam Das/Diya Chitale bt Parthav Kelkar/Tanvita Thakur 11-2, 11-9, 11-3 – junior boys/junior girls mixed doubles; Yashash Todi lost to Krish Shetty 8-11, 8-11, 7-11 - cadet boys singles; Shubham Ambre/Senhora D’Souza lost to Eric Fernandes/Ashlesha Trehan 7-11, 11-4,11-7, 9-11,6-11 - men/women mixed doubles; Diya Chitale bt Tanvita Thakur 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 – junior girls singles; Rajesh Mudam/Shubham Ambre bt Ravi Chopra/Eric Fernandes 11-5, 11-5, 11-9 veteran men/mens doubles; Shivam Das bt Parthav Kelkar 11-9, 16-14, 11-7 – junior boys singles).