PUNE: Sathiyan Gnanasekaran won the clash of giants as he produced a startling performance to blank veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal 3-0 in the ongoing Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4 at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Wednesday.
Sathiyan and Sharath of Chennai Lions went toe-to-toe in the first game as both the paddlers used their experience to win every point. In the end, the Dabang Delhi TTC player held his nerve and won the game through a gold point.
The multiple-time Asian Games medallist looked rusty at the start of the second game as Sathiyan quickly took a hefty lead before clinching the game by 11-3. He was at his imperious best in the third game as well, clinching it 11-6 with accurate forehand shots on both flanks.
World No. 30 Yangzi Liu defeated Sreeja Akula 2-1 in an exciting women’s singles match.
Yangzi was behind at the start of the game as Sreeja used her immaculate backhands to gather points swiftly. However, the Australian paddler changed gear after settling in.