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Sharath, Harmeet sparkle but Mavericks take the spoils in UTT
New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) Indias Achanta Sharath Kamal and Harmeet Desai scored sensational upset victories in the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), drawing the Delhi leg to a successful close at the Thyagaraj Stadium here on Monday.
Sharath Kamal eked out two victories but that was not enough for Warriors TTC to claim the tie.
Harmeet’s stunning win over World No 22 Aruna Quadri, however, proved to be the deciding factor, giving his team RP-SG Mavericks a 11-10 victory and the table top position.
A charged up Sharath Kamal gave the Warriors the early edge, overcoming World No 20 Mattias Karlsson 2-1.
Down 7-11, 1-5, the Indian star dug deep into his bag of experience to pull off his first singles win in UTT 2.
Sharath Kamal continued to call the shots in the mixed doubles too, pairing up with Hana Matelova of Czech Republic, for another 2-1 triumph.
The Warriors’ pair lost the first game 8-11 but soon got the measure of Harmeet Desai and Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem. They wrapped up the clash 11-9, 11-8 for a handy 6-3 lead after three matches.
Earlier, World No 20 Sofia Polcanova put the Warriors ahead, scoring a tight golden-point victory in the third set over Mavericks’ Ayhika Mukherjee.
Ayhika relied on her close-to-the-table defensive play to force errors out of Polcanova. She lost the first set 9-11 but comfortably won the second 11-6. She, however, couldn’t close the match in the decider to lose 10-11.
Karlsson brought the Mavericks back in the contest, taking the fourth match 2-1. The World No. 20 downed Taipei’s Chih Yuan Chuang, unleashing a wide array of attacking shots.
Doo then beat Polcanova 2-1 to narrow the gap to 7-8 for Mavericks. Desai then stunned Aruna Quadri 2-1 to make the score 9-9.
Warriors’ Pooja Sahasrabuddhe put up a good fight but ended up losing 1-2 to hand the tie to Mavericks.
The final leg shifts to Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata from Tuesday with Dabang Smashers taking on Empowerji Challengers.
The semi-finals (June 29 and 30) and final (July 1) will also be held at the same venue.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.