Chennai Lions roar past Puneri Paltan

Chennai Lions bounced back from their opening tie debacle to roar to their first win in Ultimate Table Tennis season three, overpowering Puneri Paltan 10-5 at the Thyagaraj Stadium here on Sunday.

Germany's Petrissa Solja and birthday boy Tiago Apolonia of Portugal were the cynosure of the Lions' comprehensive win, setting up the momentum early on.

Solja blanked Commonwealth Championship gold medal winner Ayhika Mukherjee 3-0 in the opening women's singles, while Apolonia staved off a fighting Harmeet Desai of Puneri Paltan 2-1 to hand Lions the firm advantage (5-1) just two matches into the tie.

Sharath Kamal and Petrissa then eased past Desai and Sabine Winter 2-1 in the mixed doubles to seal the match in the Lions' favour.

Petrissa helped the Lions begin on a strong note, with a 3-0 win over Ayhika in an intensely fought women's singles opening encounter. Although ranked 108 places below world number 26 Solja, Ayhika showed great composure and fighting spirit as she made her ...