![\"Ying](\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Ying-Han-of-Shaze-Challengers.jpg\")
Mumbai: Han Ying won both her matches and Li Ping held his nerves when it mattered most as Shaz\u00e9 Challengers beat Dabang Smashers TTC 14-9 in the second semifinal of the inaugural CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), the country\u2019s newest franchise sports league, at the NSCI in Mumbai on Saturday. Shaz\u00e9 Challengers will lock horns with Falcons TTC in the final on Sunday. <\/p>\n
The team that secures 14 points first is declared winner in the knockouts. Shaz\u00e9 Challengers had edged out Dabang Smashers 15-12 in the League phase. Portuguese world No 14 Marcos Freitas, a southpaw, put Dabang Smashers ahead with a 2-1 win over attacking 85-ranked Soumyajit Ghosh, who pulled back the third game in the men\u2019s singles (Foreign v Indian) to hand Shaz\u00e9 Challengers one point. <\/p>\n
In-form China-born German world No 9 Han Ying made it 4-2 for Shaz\u00e9 Challengers as she brushed aside Madhurika Patkar 3-0 in the women\u2019s singles (Foreign v Indian). Next up was mixed doubles (Foreign\/Indian pair) and the clash saw Soumyajit Ghosh and his partner Petrissa Solja rally to beat A Amalraj and Tetyana Bilenko 2-1 to extend Shaz\u00e9 Challengers\u2019 lead to 6-3. <\/p>\n
Croatian Andrej Gacina then edged past China-born Ukraine Kou Lei 2-1 in a closely-fought men\u2019s singles (Foreign player category) clash to further Shaz\u00e9 Challengers lead to 8-4. The experienced Han Ying followed up it up by winning her second match of the day to strengthen Shaz\u00e9 Challengers\u2019 grip on the tie at 10-5, as she rallied to beat North Korean world No 19 Kim Song I 2-1 in the women\u2019s singles (Foreign player category). <\/p>\n
G Sathiyan pulled off a surprise win over China-born Qatar Li Ping 2-1 in the men\u2019s singles (Foreign v Indian) to hand Dabang Smashers their second win of the day. Shaz\u00e9 Challengers, however, continued to lead at 11-7. Kim Song I (Dabang Smashers) returned to table to thump Mouma Das 2-1 in the women\u2019s singles (Foreign v Indian), but the 135-ranked Indian won the close third game to help Shaz\u00e9 Challengers take a step closer to victory at 12-9. Li Ping closed it for Shaz\u00e9 Challengers 14-9 by winning the first two games against Freitas in the men\u2019s singles (Foreign player category), the eighth and penultimate match. <\/p>\n
Earlier in the evening, Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi, Bajaj Group chairman Rahul Bajaj and former Railway minister Dinesh Trivedi graced the occasion of second semifinal. <\/p>\n
Final score: Dabang Smashers lost to Shaze Challengers 9-14<\/p>\n
MS \u2013 Marcos Freitas beat Soumyajit Ghosh 2-1 (11-7, 11-6, 9-11)<\/p>\n
WS \u2013 Madhurika Patkar lost to Han Ying 0-3 (4-11, 6-11, 7-11)MD \u2013 Amalraj Anthony\/ Tetyana Bilenko lost to Soumyajit Ghosh\/ Petrissa Solja 1-2 (11-8, 7-11, 5-11), <\/p>\n
MS \u2013 Kou Lei lost to Andrej Gacina 2-1 (9-11, 11-6, 7-11)<\/p>\n
WS \u2013 Kim Song I lost to Han Ying 1-2 (11-6, 9-11, 10-11)<\/p>\n
MS \u2013 Sathiyan Gnanasekaran beat Li Ping 2-1 (11-9, 5-11, 11-4)WS \u2013 Kim Song I beat Mouma Das 2-1 (11-4, 11-4, 10-11)MS \u2013 Marcos Freitas lost to Li Ping 0-2 (9-11, 7-11)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mumbai: Han Ying won both her matches and Li Ping held his nerves when it mattered most as Shaz\u00e9 Challengers beat Dabang Smashers TTC 14-9 in the second semifinal of the inaugural CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), the country\u2019s newest franchise sports league, at the NSCI in Mumbai on Saturday. Shaz\u00e9 Challengers will lock horns with Falcons TTC in the final on Sunday. <\/p>\n
The team that secures 14 points first is declared winner in the knockouts. Shaz\u00e9 Challengers had edged out Dabang Smashers 15-12 in the League phase. Portuguese world No 14 Marcos Freitas, a southpaw, put Dabang Smashers ahead with a 2-1 win over attacking 85-ranked Soumyajit Ghosh, who pulled back the third game in the men\u2019s singles (Foreign v Indian) to hand Shaz\u00e9 Challengers one point. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[97],"tags":[22512,22400,22497,6480,466,22499,22421,260],"class_list":["post-35280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-table-tennis-table-tennis","tag-dabang-smashers-ttc","tag-falcons-ttc","tag-han-ying","tag-indian-sports","tag-indian-sports-news","tag-li-ping","tag-shaze-challengers","tag-table-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\n