Sreeja leads Jaipur Patriots to semis after 9-6 win over PBG Pune Jaguars in UTT

Ahmedabad, Jun 11 (PTI) Jaipur Patriots rode on Sreeja Akula's brilliance to progress to their first-ever Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) semi-finals after securing a 9-6 win over PBG Pune Jaguars in the penultimate league stage game here on Wednesday.

The victory propelled Jaipur Patriots to 41 points which helped the side climb to the second spot in the table, three behind leaders Dempo Goa Challengers.

Meanwhile, PBG Pune Jaguars went out of the playoffs reckoning, with only one berth remaining ahead of Thursday's final league stage match between U Mumba TT and Dabang Delhi TTC.

Jeet Chandra kicked things off in thrilling fashion for Jaipur Patriots, blocking out Anirban Ghosh's counter-punching style to secure a 2-1 win.

Dutchwoman Britt Eerland followed with a similar flair, taking the first two games before Pune's Reeth Rishya took the third on golden point.

These tight wins gave Jaipur a critical buffer heading into the mixed doubles, where Jeet and Eerland responded to an early setback and a 0-1 deficit to take games two and three 11-6 11-7.

Their victory mathematically confirmed Jaipur's spot in the semi-finals, marking their first-ever qualification into UTT's final four.

PBG Pune Jaguars' Alvaro Robles struck back with a composed 2-1 win over Yashansh Malik in the second men's singles contest, adding urgency to their playoff pursuit.

However, Akula closed the tie in style and ended Pune's hopes of a berth in the semis, undefeated through all five league-stage matches. She dominated her clash against South Korea's Zion Lee 2-1, securing Jaipur's 9-6 victory. PTI SSC SSC ATK