Empowerji Challengers' Divya Deshpande fought neck and neck against Lily Zhang of Maharashtra United, an opponent ranked 361 places above her, before the American pipped the Indian 2-1 in a thrilling CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis tie here today.
The audience at the Thyagraj Sports Complex was treated to an exciting battle in the first match itself.
The 28-year-old Deshpande, who had yet to win a game this season, rattled Zhang with her smart returns to win the first game 11-6 and continued to hustle in the next two. But the 22-year-old Zhang recovered well and displayed her superiority in tight finishes to prevail 11-10, 11-10 on golden points.
Maharashtra United gained a 2-1 lead with the win but Empowerji Challengers' captain Simon Gauzy levelled the scores with a 2-1 (11-7, 11-9, 10-11) victory over Anthony Amalraj.
Both teams were tied 3-3 after the first two matches.
After the Pune leg, Challengers were at the bottom of the six-team table with 15 points while Maharashtra were placed fourth with 20 points.
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