UTT Season 7: Kolkata edge U Mumba in a thriller as both teams seal their place in the semi-finals

ByTech Word News

Kolkata Thunder Blades booked their place in the semi-finals of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 after defeating defending champions U Mumba TT 8-7 in a dramatic league encounter at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.

The win ended U Mumba’s winning streak in the tournament, but the defending champions also progressed to the last four, whose better run tally saw them qualify alongside Kolkata and league leaders Dempo Goa Challengers. There are two league games left and only one semi-final place is still up for grabs.

Kolkata laid the foundation for victory through Eduardo Ionesco, who bounced back after dropping the opener to bowl Manush Shah. The momentum shifted further in Kolkata’s favor as youngster Taneesh Kotech produced one of the biggest upsets of the season as previously unbeaten Anna Hursey inflicted her first defeat with a dominant straight-match win.

U Mumba responded in the mixed doubles as Shah and Hursey recovered from the loss in the opening game to beat Ankur Bhattacharjee and Taneesh to reduce the deficit and maintain a tie.

French paddler Lilian Bardet then edged Ankur in another hard-fought contest to bring U Mumba within striking distance before Nithyashree Mani leveled the aggregate at 7-7. The Indian seed defeated Zeng Jian in the opening two games of the women’s singles to ensure that the final game of the evening would decide the outcome.

By increasing the pressure, Jian produced when it mattered most. The Chinese paddler dominated in an 11-5 decision to seal the match for Kolkata and spark celebrations as both teams confirmed their places in the knockout stages.

Taneesha was named Indian Player of the Tie after her impressive win over Hursey, while Bardet was awarded both MatchIQ Player and Foreign Player of the Tie. Ankur Bhattacharjee took home the honor of Shot of the Tie.

Final score

HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades 8-7 U Mumba TT

  • Eduard Ionescu beat Manush Shah 2-1 (9-11, 11-8, 11-7)
  • Taneesha Kotech bt Anna Hursey 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-4)
  • Ankur Bhattacharjee/Taneesha Kotecha lost to Manush Shah/Anna Hursey 1-2 (11-8, 4-11, 7-11)
  • Ankur Bhattacharjee lost to Lilian Bardet 1-2
  • Zeng Jian lost to Nithyashree Mani 1-2 (10-11, 5-11, 11-5)

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

22 Jul 2026 15:45 IST