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Dabang Delhi TTC (DDTTC) player Gnanasekaran Sathiyan said that they would like to face Goa Challengers in the playoffs after his team qualified for the semifinals of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) season 4 on Wednesday, July 26.
Delhi defeated defending champions Chennai Lions by 9-6 in their final tie of the league stage and pipped them to the top spot in the points table with 42 points. DDTTC won three of their five ties, including 14 matches in the league. They suffered defeats against Goa Challengers (10-5) and Puneri Paltan (8-7).
Speaking to reporters after outmaneuvering Chennai, Sathiyan was asked about which team he'd like to face in the semifinals. The 30-year-old responded:
“The way we are playing now we can take on any side. We would really like to play Goa (Challengers) and do that revenge in the playoffs.”
Goa Challengers are currently placed third in the table with 36 points. The last game of the league between Puneri Paltan and U Mumba TT will be a virtual quarterfinal given both teams are tied at 28 points and will vie for the final semifinal berth.
The only Goa will remain in third place is if U Mumba beats Puneri Paltan by an 8-7 margin.
Sathiyan gave Delhi a clinical lead after blanking India and Tamil Nadu teammate Sharath Kamal in straight sets with an 11-10, 11-3, 11-6 scoreline. He was aggressive in his game, launching some powerful shots to keep Sharath on the backfoot.
On his emphatic win against the poster boy of Indian Table Tennis, Sathiyan said:
“It's always a great pleasure to play Sharath for the entire Indian Table Tennis fraternity. It's a treat to watch. I think I was in good shape today, hitting the balls well. Happy because I didn't expect this scoreline, but 3-0 was something fantastic, especially with Sharath.”
"The best revenge would be if we beat them again in the finals" - G Sathiyan on Chennai Lions
Chennai Lions pulverised Dabang Delhi TTC in the 2019 Ultimate Table Tennis final by a heavy margin of 8-1. Sathiyan, who is the only member remaining at the Delhi franchise since that humiliating loss, is hankering to drub Chennai in the final this season and exact revenge.
“I think the best revenge would be if we beat them again in the finals. That would be the real revenge. But topping the table is always a great feeling,” Sathiyan said.
The semifinal match-ups will be revealed after the conclusion of the tie between U Mumba TT and Puneri Paltan.
