Age and experience are proving to be no match for the fearless ambition of 18-year-old PB Abhinandh, whose penchant for orchestrating stunning upsets has made him a ‘giant killer’ in the Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7. The Kerala teenager has emerged as the linch pin of the Dempo Goa Challengers’ squad, routine ly outplaying seasoned internationals to keep his team’s campaign firmly on track. These perfor mances quickly propelled the young Indian tal ent, ranked 209 in the world, into the spotlight, showcasing his aggressive forehand and ability to absorb pressure against top-tier international competition.
Living up to his ‘giant killer’ moniker, the young paddler has shown nerves of steel in the high-stakes men’s singles format. His lethal combination of lightning reflexes and re lentless aggression has transformed him into one of Goa’s most reliable assets, consistently delivering victories pre cisely when the pressure peaks. While he acknowledged that dropping a game in the mixed doubles was a tough challenge, he bounced back emphatically, crediting his rigorous training and technical skill for the swift turnaround. “It is for the first time I have ever won a golden point. The entire team match was incredibly tough, pushing us to an 8-7 victory. But it has been a fantastic start for the team,” he said. Revealing his strategy going into the match and the key moments that shifted the momentum in his favour, Abhinandh said, “In the first game I was down 1-3 and then I scored seven consecutive points to lead 8-3. I had to alter my tactics.
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Since it is a three-game match, everything happens very quickly. I have to adapt and change on the fly.” When asked if the weight of expectations acted as pres sure or motivation, he explained that turning up for the Dempo Goa Challengers in front of a partisan home crowd gave him the ultimate confidence boost to conquer his op ponents. “It was more motivation than pressure. The whole crowd is rooting for you. I absolutely feel no pressure here; it is just guns blazing for me. I have the best support system backing me from the dugout, and I feel truly blessed to be a part of this set-up,” he said confidently. Speaking about his personal goals for the remainder of the UTT season and the specific areas of his game he in tends to fine-tune, the teenager said, “I need to analyse my entire performance and take the next step. I want to keep improving, focusing mainly on my technical skills and my mental fortitude.”
