IndianOil UTT Season 6: Ankur Bhattacharjee Shocks World No. 55 as Kolkata ThunderBlades Sneak Past Chennai Lions in a 8-7 Nail-Biter

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India's rising table tennis prodigy, 18-year-old Ankur Bhattacharjee, produced a sensational performance on debut, dismantling Olympian and World No. 55 Kirill Gerassimenko in straight games to give Kolkata ThunderBlades a dream start in their Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 journey.

The newcomers clinched a narrow 8-7 victory over Stanley's Chennai Lions in a nail-biting encounter held at EKA Arena, Ahmedabad.

With the tournament officially underway, Star Sports Khel, Star Sports 2 Tamil, and JioCinema (Hotstar) are bringing the action live to viewers across India. Organised by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, UTT Season 6 promises high-voltage clashes over 16 days, featuring 23 ties, all staged at a single venue.

Bhattacharjee stole the limelight from the very first serve, dominating the far more experienced Gerassimenko, who is ten years his senior and ranked 104 spots higher. With nine blistering backhand winners in the opening game alone, Ankur's confidence surged. He edged the second game on Golden Point and wrapped up the match 11-7 in the third. His display earned him both the Indian Player of the Tie and Shot of the Tie accolades.

Chennai found their footing through World No. 36 Fan Siqi, the most expensive pick in the league auction and only the second Chinese woman to feature in the UTT. She brushed aside Selena Selvakumar in straight games, who made a comeback to the league after six years.

Chennai continued their charge by winning the mixed doubles pairing of Fan and Payas Jain, overcoming Ankur and Adriana Diaz, though the Kolkata pair salvaged a game late thanks to Diaz's explosive smashes.

Kolkata clawed their way back through Diaz again. Although Payas Jain managed to take a game off World No. 27 Quadri Aruna, the Nigerian veteran sealed the match for Chennai 2-1. That left the tie poised for a dramatic finish. Diaz, ranked 17 globally, powered to a fast 5-0 start against Poymantee Baisya and sealed the decider 11-6 to secure Kolkata's maiden UTT victory. Fan Siqi was named Foreign Player of the Tie for her commanding debut.

In the Dream UTT Juniors, Sahil Rawat starred for Dempo Goa Challengers, helping them edge Dabang Delhi TTC 5-4, while Trishal Surapureddy and Shreya Dhar guided Jaipur Patriots to a 5-4 win over PBG Pune Jaguars.

Match Summary - Kolkata ThunderBlades 8-7 Chennai Lions

Ankur Bhattacharjee def. Kirill Gerassimenko 3-0 (11-4, 11-10, 11-7)

Selena Selvakumar lost to Fan Siqi 0-3 (8-11, 10-11, 6-11)

Bhattacharjee/Diaz lost to Payas Jain/Fan 1-2 (6-11, 4-11, 11-8)

Quadri Aruna def. Payas Jain 2-1 (11-3, 8-11, 11-9)

Adriana Diaz def. Poymantee Baisya 2-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-6)