Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas defeated the RP-SG Mavericks 16-11 in their Ultimate Table Tennis tie at the Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.
Portugal’s world No 31, Tiago Apolonia provided the Mavericks with a solid start, as he thumped India’s Jubin Kumar 3-0 (11-5, 11- 6, 11-9) in the men’s singles (Foreign vs Indian), the day’s opening match.
Doo Hoi Kem, however, squared it 3-3 for Oilmax Stag Yoddhas as she overcame 17-year-old Indian Archana Kamath 3-0 (11-9, 11-3, 11-6) in the in the women s singles (Indian vs Foreign).
Quadri Aruna and Manika Batra quelled a spirited challenge by RP-SG Mavericks’ Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sofia Polcanova 2-1 (11-10, 8-11, 11-8) in the mixed doubles to put Oilmax Stag Yoddhas ahead 5-4.
However, Apolonia won his second match of the day when he brushed aside Croatian Tomislav Pucar 3-0 (11-5, 11-9, 11-5) in the men’s singles to hand Mavericks a 7-5 lead after four matches.
In the fifth match, Hoi Kem once again put the Yoddhas in the lead by beating the 44th ranked Austrian Polcanova 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-5) in the women’s singles (Foreign player category) for her second victory for the day to help the Yoddhas regain the lead at 8-7.
Indian veteran Sharath Kamal’s 2-1 (11-5, 11-3, 6-11) win over Pucar in the sixth match once again saw the scores level between the two teams. But, Batra once again put the Yoddhas ahead in the fray by a slender 11-10 margin as she defeated Sabine Winter 2-1 (11-10, 9-11, 11-6) in the seventh match.
Aruna’s 3-0 (11-8, 11-0, 11-5) win over Stefan Fegerl ensured that the Yoddhas took an unassailable 14-10 lead in the tie. In the final match, Mikhailova defeated Winter 2-1 ((10-11, 11-7, 11-9) to decisively end the tie 16-11 in their favour.