Ace paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal led the way with a dominating performance as Chennai Lions thrashed Puneri Paltan Table Tennis 12-3 to record the biggest win in the event’s history and reach the threshold of the semifinals of the Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

The result means that if Jaipur Patriots win this season’s final league tie against Ahmedabad SG Pipers on Wednesday then Chennai Lions will qualify for the semifinals. But if the Ahmedabad-based franchise wins by eight points or more, the home team may get knocked out.

Chennai Lions exploded right off the blocks, piling up an insurmountable 9-0 lead by winning the first three matches without dropping a single game. Veteran war horse Sharath put Chennai Lions off to a rip roaring start with a 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-2) drubbing of talented 17-year-old Ankur Bhattacharjee in the first men’s singles. Sharath stamped his class and authority all over the match. Several of his shots were simply unplayable, leaving the young Ankur clearly out of his depth.

Poymantee Baisya did well to blank the dangerous Ayhika Mukherjee 3-0 (11-10, 11-9, 11-10) in the first women’s singles, clinching two Golden Points along the way. The match was a much tighter affair than the one-sided scoreline suggests, with Ayhika putting up a stiff fight in each game even as Poymantee held her nerves to emerge victorious.

That handed Chennai Lions a 6-0 lead and the home team continued their rampaging ways by claiming the mixed doubles match with another 3-0 margin as the formidable pair of Sakura Mori and Sharath thrashed Natalia Bajor and Anirban Ghosh 3-0 (11-3, 11-8, 11-8) to put the issue beyond any doubt.

Jules Rolland maintained the unbeaten run for the Chennai Lions, beating Joao Monteiro 2-1 (11-7, 2-11, 11-3) in the second men’s singles.

With the Chennai Lions needing to win another two games to seal their spot in the knockout stage, Natalia broke the hearts of the home crowd as she broke Sakura’s unbeaten run this season with a 2-1 (11-10, 8-11, 11-3) verdict in the second women’s singles. However, that proved to be too little, too late for Puneri Paltan as far as this tie was concerned.

Detailed scores

Achanta Sharath Kamal bt Ankur Bhattacharjee 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-2)

Poymantee Baisya bt Ayhika Mukherjee 3-0 (11-10, 11-9, 11-10)

Sakura Mori/Sharath Kamal bt Natalia Bajor/Anirban Ghosh 3-0 (11-3, 11-8, 11-8)

Jules Rolland bt Joao Monteiro 2-1 (11-7, 2-11, 11-3)

Sakura Mori lost to Natalia Bajor 1-2 (10-11, 11-8, 3-11)