Pune, Jul 16 (IANS): High on confidence after defeating Season 3 finalist Dabang Delhi TTC in their previous tie Goa Challengers will now look to build on the winning start in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 4 when they face Puneri Paltan Table Tennis at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Monday.
The franchise-based league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), has started on a positive note for Goa Challengers, who will look to ride the momentum against Puneri Paltan.
Harmeet Desai and Alvaro Robles will once again be the key players for the Goa-based franchise after their dominating victories in the last tie.
"Beating a strong side like Dabang Delhi TTC certainly gives us a lot of confidence going into our upcoming tie in the league. All of the players played brilliantly and we didn't expect to win with such a big margin, so, it is definitely a confidence booster ahead of our tie against Puneri Paltan Table Tennis," commented Harmeet Desai ahead of the tie.
"We will just like to continue the way we have played in our first tie. All the players have been moulded in this environment really well and want to give their best in the league," Harmeet was quoted as saying by the organisers in a release on Sunday.
On the other hand, Puneri Paltan Table Tennis, who lost their last tie, will look to register their first victory in Season 4.
All eyes will be on Hana Matelova, who was the only paddler from Puneri Paltan Table Tennis to win a match in their last tie against Chennai Lions.
"It's an honour to be a part of the franchise and I would like to continue the way I performed in the first tie of Season 4. I am looking forward to playing with my teammates and we will try to go as far as possible in the tournament," she stated ahead of the match.
World No.23 Omar Assar, along with Manush Shah and Archana Kamath will also look to produce improved performances for Puneri Paltan Table Tennis.
Squads:
Goa Challengers: Players: Suthasini Sawettabut, Harmeet Desai, Alvaro Robles, T Reeth Rishya, Krittwika Sinha Roy and Anthony Amalraj. Coaches: Elena Timina, Parag Agrawal
Puneri Paltan Table Tennis: Players: Omar Assar, Manush Shah, Archana Kamath, Snehit SFR, Anusha Kutumbale and Hana Matelova. Coaches: N. Ravichandran, Zoltan Batorfi.