HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades Pip U Mumba In UTT Thriller; Both Reach Semifinals

Published 21 July 2026 · local

HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades Pip U Mumba In UTT Thriller; Both Reach Semifinals Published By, Last Updated: July 21, 2026, 22:57 IST HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades defeat

HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades Pip U Mumba In UTT Thriller; Both Reach Semifinals Published By, Last Updated: July 21, 2026, 22:57 IST HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades defeat U Mumba TT 8-7 in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7. Both teams advance to semifinals. Taneesha Kotecha stars. Rapid Read Taneesha Kotecha in action against U Mumba TT (Picture credit: Butterfly UTT) HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades ended U Mumba TT’s winning streak with a thrilling 8-7 win in Season 7 of Ultimate Table Tennis at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Tuesday. Despite the loss, U Mumba bagged a semifinal berth as well, with their superior game count and favourable results elsewhere ensuring qualification alongside HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades and league leaders Dempo Goa Challengers. Youngster Taneesha Kotecha starred for HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades by inflicting Anna Hursey’s first loss of the campaign, while Zeng Jian kept her composure in the deciding game of the final match to seal the tie. The result confirmed both teams’ progression to the knockouts ahead of the final two league games, leaving just one spot vacant.

Kolkata struck first through Eduard Ionescu, who recovered from a game down to beat Manush Shah, before Taneesha delivered one of the upsets of the season with a commanding straight-games win against the previously unbeaten Hursey. U Mumba responded in the mixed doubles, with Manush and Anna Hursey overturning an early deficit to beat Ankur Bhattacharjee and Taneesha Kotecha in three games, keeping the defending champions’ hopes alive. Frenchman Lilian Bardet then got the better of Ankur in another closely contested three-game match, pulling U Mumba to within one point of Kolkata. Nithyashree Mani followed it up with a composed performance against Zeng Jian, winning the opening two games to level the tie at 7-all. With everything resting on the final game, Jian responded, sealing an 11-5 win to hand Kolkata the tie while ensuring both teams progressed to the semifinals. All 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.

Final Score HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades 8-7 U Mumba TT Eduard Ionescu bt Manush Shah 2-1 (9-11, 11-8, 11-7) Taneesha Kotecha bt. Anna Hursey 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-4) Ankur Bhattacharjee/Taneesha Kotecha lost to Manush Shah/Anna Hursey 1-2 (11-8, 4-11, 7-11) Ankur Bhattacharjee lost to Lilian Bardet 1-2 (9-11, 8-11, 11-6) Zeng Jian lost to Nithyashree Mani 1-2 (10-11, 5-11, 11-5) News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Key Questions Answered Which teams will compete in the UTT Season 7 semifinals? HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades and U Mumba TT have secured semifinal berths in UTT Season 7. They join league leaders Dempo Goa Challengers. The final semifinal spot was still vacant as of July 21, 2026. How did Taneesha Kotecha achieve such a significant upset? Taneesha Kotecha achieved a significant upset by defeating Anna Hursey 3-0, marking Hursey's first loss of the campaign. This victory was part of HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades' thrilling 8-7 win over U Mumba TT. What impact will this win have on Kolkata ThunderBlades' momentum?