Published: July 19, 2026 at 8:29 pm
Romanian ace Bernadette Szocs and Indian teenage sensation Syndrela Das starred as Dempo Goa Challengers extended their unbeaten run in Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 Powered by ChatGPT, edging PBG Pune Jaguars 8-7 in a dramatic contest at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa on Sunday.
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While Szocs delivered a flawless three-game victory to swing momentum Goa’s way, Syndrela held her nerve in the deciding match to seal the tie and keep the league leaders perfect this season.
Syndrela Das delivered under pressure against Diya Chitale. Pics: Butterfly UTT
The Challengers had to dig deep after Pune twice fought through Omar Assar and Snehit Suravajjula, who handed Abhinandh PB and Alvaro Robles rare defeats. But with the tie hanging in the balance, Syndrela produced a composed display in the decider against Diya Chitale to ensure Goa remained unbeaten heading into the closing stages of the league phase.
Goa’s afternoon began with a setback as Omar Assar rallied from a game down to hand Abhinandh PB his first singles defeat of the season. Szocs immediately turned the tie, producing a dominant straight-games victory over Prithika Pavade before Pune cut the deficit through Anirban Ghosh and Diya Chitale in the mixed doubles. Snehit Suravajjula then overturned an early setback to edge Robles in three games, leaving Goa needing a result in the final match.
Snehit SFR then overturned an early setback to edge Robles in three games, leaving Goa needing a result in the final match
Syndrela delivered under pressure. The teenager claimed the opening game before Diya forced a decider, but Syndrela responded with a composed 11-8 victory to clinch both the match and the tie, preserving Goa’s unbeaten record.
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Assar was named the ChatGPT Match IQ Player, Syndrela the Indian Player of the Tie, and Szocs the Foreign Player of the Tie. Anirban claimed the Bisleri Shot of the Tie award for his stunning winner in the mixed doubles.
U Mumba crowned Dream UTT Juniors champs
Earlier, U Mumba TT were crowned Dream UTT Juniors champions after defeating Dabang Delhi TTC 5-2 in the final. Somdev Sengupta laid the foundation with victory in the boys’ singles before partnering Ahona Ray to win the mixed doubles. Ahona then sealed U Mumba’s maiden Dream UTT Juniors title with victory in the girls’ singles.
Staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, Butterfly UTT Season 7 features 42 players from around the world, including 14 Olympians, while continuing to strengthen the Indian table tennis ecosystem through elite competition and year-round development initiatives.
Anirbhan Ghosh and Diya Chitale won their mixed doubles tie against Dempo Goa Challengers
HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades will take on UP Prometheans in the evening tie. All Butterfly UTT Season 7 matches will be live on Star Sports Khel (Hindi), Star Sports Tamil 2 HD and Star Sports Tamil 3 HD, and streamed live on JioHotstar in Hindi, Tamil and English.
Results: Dempo Goa Challengers beat PBG Pune Jaguars 8-7
Abhinandh PB lost to Omar Assar 1-2 (11-10, 5-11, 8-11); Bernadette Szocs beat Prithika Pavade 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-5); Alvaro Robles/Syndrela Das lost to Anirban Ghosh/Diya Chitale 1-2 (10-11, 11-4, 6-11); Alvaro Robles lost to Snehit Suravajjula 1-2 (11-2, 8-11, 10-11); Syndrela Das beat Diya Chitale 2-1 (11-7, 7-11, 11-8).
