The round 4 of the 2nd edition of the iProspect-Mumbai Super League (MSL) Table Tennis Championship organized by 11Even Sports and played at the NSCI on Saturday evening , witnessed some close fights. It was the last round to qualify for the knock out stage semi finals. And, the best match of the day was between TopSpinners and High Tide, with TopSpinners scoring a 5-4 narrow victory over their opponents. But, their efforts went in vain, as both the teams failed to qualify, with 150 and 170 points respectively. The two teams qualified from their group were MTC Royals(250) and Ace (190).
Supreme Fighters mixed doubles pair of Ravindra Kotiyan and Mrunmayee Mhatre (left) are seen in action during their Group ‘B’ league match
In Group ‘B’ Maharashtra state champion Ravindra Kotiyan and Mrunmayee Mhatre were instrumental in leading Supreme Fighters to a 6-3 win over Blazing Bashers in the best-of-9-game league match . This was third consecutive victory for Supreme Fighters and with a tally of 180 points they occupy the top position in the group and are assured of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Harish Shirsat set the tone for Fighters win by defeating Jayant Kulkarni 3-0 in the veterans’ singles first game before their ace player Ravindra got the better of Bashers Paresh Murekar, also by a 3-0 scoreline, in the men’s singles game. Fighters extended their lead when Mrunmayee easily accounted for Bashers Misbah Sumar in 3 straight games in the women’s singles game.
Fighters’ winning momentum was broken when their junior boys and girls doubles pairing of Hrishikesh Malhotra and Manushree Patil lost to Shaurya Pednekar and Shrushti Haleangadi 1-3. But they soon returned to winning ways T.K. Srikanth won the cadet singles game against Mainak Nitsala 3-1. In the sixth match Ravindra and Mrunmayee combined well to put it across Paresh and Misbah Sumar in the mixed doubles tie to give their team a commanding 5-2 lead in the match. Ravindra later teamed up with Harish to also win the veteran/men doubles encounter defeating Bashers duo of Jayant Kulkarni and Paresh Murekar in 3 quick games, as Fighter went on to clinch a deserving 6-3 verdict.
Meanwhile, MTC Royals completed the Group matches with an all-win record after they handed Ace a 7-2 defeat to top in Group ‘A’ with 250 points and sail into the semi-finals.
Results –
Group ‘A’: MTC Royals bt Ace 7-2 (Prakash Kelkar lost to Suhas Kulkarni 11-9, 5-11, 13-11, 5-11, 8-11 – Veteran singles; Noel Pinto bt Omkar Torgalkar 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 – Men’s singles; Madhurika Patkar bt Ashlesha Trehan 11-9, 11-4, 11-8 – Women’s singles; Parthav Kelkar/Pranjal Shinde bt Shivam Das/Manasi Chiplunkar 13-11, 12-10, 11-7 – Junior boys/Junior girls mixed doubles; Jash Modi bt Kushal Patel 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 – Cadet singles; Noel Pinto/Madhurika Patkar bt Omkar Torgalkar/Ashlesha Trehan 8-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-9 – Men/Women mixed doubles; Pranjal Shinde lost to Manasi Chiplunkar 4-11, 9-11, 11-7, 7-11 – Jr Girls singles; Prakash Kelkar/Noel Pinto bt Suhas Kulkarni/Omkar Torgalkar 17-15, 11-9, 11-9 – Men/Veteran doubles; Parthav Kelkar bt Shivam Das 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 – Jr Boys singles).
Group ‘A’: The Topspinners beat High Tide 5-4 (Rajjesh Mudam lost to Nitin Walawalkar 10-12, 4-11, 11-9, 11-6, 9-11 – VS; Nishant Kulkarni bt Bhavitavya Shah 6-11 ,11-7, 11-8, 11-9 – MS; Shweta Parte bt Charvi Kawle 12-10, 11-8, 11-8 – WS; Dev Shroff/Dyuti Patki bt Mandar Hardikar/Diya Chitale 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 9-11,6-11, 13-11 – JB/JG MD; Sahaj Singh lost to Rajveer Shah 6-11, 6-11, 7-11 – CS; Nishant Kulkarni/Shweta Parte bt Bhavitavya Shah/Charwi Kawle 11-6, 11-6, 11-2 – M/W MD; Dyuti Patki lost to Diya Chitale 8-11, 7-11, 11-4, 9-11 – JGS; Rajesh Mudam/Nishant Kulkarni bt Nitin Walawalkar/Bhavitavya Shah 11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 3-11, 11-4 – V/M D; Dev Shroff lost to Mandar Hardikar 4-11, 4-11, 4-11 – JBS).
Group ‘B’: King Pong beat Phantom Stars 6-3 (Rajesh Singh bt Yogesh Desai 11-8, 11-2, 11-9 – VS; Niloy Basak lost to Jignesh Rathwal 7-11; 14-16; 11-7; 5-11 – MS; Priti Mokashi lost to Divya Deshpande 2-11, 9-11, 7-11 – WS; Mudit Dani/Mihika Rohira bt Ashwin Subramanian/Aditi Sinha 11-9, 7-11, 11-9,10-12, 13-11- JB/JG MD; Krish Shetty bt Vivan Mohule 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 – CS; Niloy Basak/Priti Mokashi bt Jignesh Rathwal/Divya Deshpande 12-10, 11-7, 11-9 – M/W MD; Mihika Rohira lost to Aditi Sinha 11-13, 5-11, 11-7, 4-11 – JGS; Rajesh Singh/Niloy Basak bt Yogesh Desai/Jignesh Rathwal 11-5, 4-11, 11-1, 11-9 – V/M D; Mudit Dani bt Ashwin Subramanian 11-3, 11-8, 11-9 – JBS).
Group ‘B’: Supreme Fighters beat Blazing Bashers 6-3 (Harish Shirsat bt Jayant Kulkarni 11-8, 14-12, 11-4 – VS; Ravindra Kotiyan bt Paresh Murekar 11-1, 11-6, 13-11 – MS; Mrunmayee Mhatre bt Misbah Sumar 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 – WS; Hrishikesh Malhotra/Manushree Patil lost to Shaurya Pednekar/Shrushti Haleangadi 7-11, 7-11, 11-9, 7-11 JB/JG MD; T.K. Srikanth bt Mainak Nitsala 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, 11-9 – CS; Ravindra Kotiyan/Mrunmayee Mhatre bt Paresh Murekar/Misbah Sumar 11-5, 11-4, 11-3 –M/W MD; Maushree Patil lost to Shrushti Haleangadi 4-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-5, 6-11 – JGS; Harish Shirsat/Ravindra Kotiyan bt Jayant Kulkarni/Paresh Murekar 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6 – V/M D; Hrishikesh Malhotra lost to Shaurya Pednekar 2-11, 11-7, 7-11, 6-11 – JBS).
Points position (after round 4):
Group ‘A’: 1. MTC Royals – 250 points (10 points for every game won), 2. Ace – 140. 3. High Tide – 130, 4. The Topspinners – 110, 5. Century Warriors – 90.
Group ‘B’: 1. Supreme Fighters – 180 points, 2-3. Kool Smashers – 150, Phantom Stars – 150, 4. King Pong – 140, 5. Blazing Bashers – 100.