Indian youngster Sayali Wani delivered a dramatic Golden Point finish to defeat Manika Batra and seal UP Prometheans’ first victory of Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Powered by ChatGPT Season 7, as UP edged Ahmedabad APL Pipers 8-7 at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.
The tie came down to the final match of the night, with UP staring at defeat before Wani saved three successive tie points and forced a Golden Point, then closed out the comeback to complete a memorable turnaround against one of India’s biggest names in the sport.
Golden Point drama decides a tight 8-7 tie
Wani’s comeback was the defining moment of the contest. After dropping the opening game 11-5, she recovered from 3-7 down in the second to take it 11-8 and push the match to a decider. In the third game, Wani trailed 7-10 with UP on the brink, but she saved all three tie points to force a Golden Point and then sealed the win with composure.
Wani’s 2-1 victory over Batra (5-11, 11-8, 11-10) ensured UP finished on the right side of an 8-7 scoreline in a tie that swung back and forth across the evening.
Butterfly UTT Season 7 is staged under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani. The season features 42 players from around the world, including 14 Olympians, and continues to focus on strengthening the Indian table tennis ecosystem through elite competition and year-round development initiatives.
How the tie unfolded match by match
The night began with Payas Jain recovering from a game down to beat Sudhanshu Grover 2-1 (11-5, 9-11, 5-11), setting the tone for a contest where momentum repeatedly shifted.
Ahmedabad then gained an early edge when Sofia Polcanova fought back to defeat two-time Butterfly UTT MVP Yangzi Liu 2-1 (11-3, 10-11, 6-11).
UP responded through the mixed doubles pairing of Ricardo Walther and Swastika Ghosh, who claimed a straight-games win over Jain and Polcanova. The 3-0 result (11-9, 11-10, 11-10) included two Golden Point wins and swung the tie firmly in UP’s favour.
But Ahmedabad hit back again as Adrien Rassenfosse produced a battling three-game victory over Walther to level the contest once more. Rassenfosse won 2-1 (6-11, 9-11, 11-9), ensuring the Women’s Singles would decide the overall outcome.
That set the stage for Wani’s decisive finish, as she overturned the deficit against Batra and delivered UP’s breakthrough win in unforgettable fashion.
Awards and key takeaways from the night
Wani was named Indian Player of the Tie for her match-winning performance, while Swastika Ghosh received the ChatGPT Match IQ Player of the Tie award. Ricardo Walther took the Foreign Player of the Tie honour, and Adrien Rassenfosse won the Bisleri Shot of the Tie award.
With the tie decided by a single game, the result underlined how fine the margins can be in Butterfly UTT, especially when Golden Point moments come into play—first in the mixed doubles and then again in the final singles match that ultimately separated the teams.
Butterfly UTT Season 7 matches are being broadcast 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.
Match results (UP Prometheans vs Ahmedabad APL Pipers):
Sudhanshu Grover lost to Payas Jain 1-2 (11-5, 9-11, 5-11)
Yangzi Liu lost to Sofia Polcanova 1-2 (11-3, 10-11, 6-11)
Ricardo Walther/Swastika Ghosh bt. Payas Jain/Sofia Polcanova 3-0 (11-9, 11-10, 11-10)
Ricardo Walther lost to Adrien Rassenfosse 1-2 (6-11, 9-11, 11-9)
Sayali Wani bt. Manika Batra 2-1 (5-11, 11-8, 11-10)
