Desai upsets Robles to lead Mavericks' charge in UTT semis

Kolkata  :   Harmeet Desai scored a massive upset victory over World No.56 Alvaro Robles to give RP-SG Mavericks the early lead in the second semifinals of the Ultimate Table Tennis at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here on Saturday.

The Mavericks captain, ranked 81, made the most of the brilliant 2-1 start provided by Sabine Winter in the opening clash, winning the first two games 11-6, 11-10 to give his side a 4-2 advantage after the first two matches.

Desai lost the third game 6-11.

Earlier, Winter maintained her winning record against Sutirtha Mukherjee with a 2-1 (11-8, 11-8, 9-11) win. But unlike the earlier league match on Friday where the Indian national champion lost 0-3, she put up a better display snatching a crucial point for her team by winning the third game.

The winner of this battle will lock horns with Dabang Smashers in the final on Sunday.