Sharath powers Chennai to win over Delhi; Jaipur opens account

CHENNAI: After losing the season opener to Bengaluru Smashers 4-11 a couple of days back, home favourites and runners-up from the previous season, Chennai Lions registered their first victory beating Dabang Delhi 8-7 to get their campaign back on track at the Ultimate Table Tennis on Sunday.

Diya Chitale’s dominating 3-0 win came too late for Delhi as they remain winless in the fifth season of the competition. In the second fixture of the day, Jaipur Patriots opened their account with a dominating 9-6 win over U Mumba despite Manav Thakkar’s efforts in mixed doubles and men’s singles fixtures.

A Sharath Kamal made a strong comeback for Chennai after a stunning 3-0 loss to Bengaluru’s Jeet Chandra in the first match. Sharath showed his class in a 2-1 win over Delhi’s Andreas Levenko in the tie’s first men’s singles, unleashing a range of powerful smashes on the Austrian making his debut. His teammate Sakura Mori from Japan followed suit in the women’s singles as she defeated Orawan Paranang, 2-1, to extend Chennai Lions’ lead.