Review system, the need of the hour in UTT

On a day that saw two disputes involving umpiring decisions in both the matches, the coaches and players hoped for the Table Tennis Review (TTR) system to be implemented in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT).

“The technology is available, so we could use it here also when it comes to the net service and the hidden service rules. We got booked for hidden service, but actually when I see how some of the opponents are serving, then you could call every serve as well. Normally the umpire should see this but otherwise technology can be helpful,” said Chris Pfeifer, the Ahmedabad SG Pipers coach.

Ahmedabad’s Ricardo Walther was yellow-carded on Saturday after stressing on the replays to be shown for a net service call that was ruled in favour of his opponent, Jaipur Patriots’ Jeet Chandra.

“It was a very crucial point. From my chair, you could see that it was a net but there are two umpires over here and I think it was a bad day for the umpires as well.”

TTR has been selectively implemented at various tournaments across the globe. Sachin Shetty, the Jaipur Patriots coach, disagreed with Pfeifer’s assessment of the controversial point but echoed the sentiment over the TTR implementation.

“UTT should introduce the review system. We should introduce it in future. I think they are looking at it. It can even come in handy for deciding on the service trajectory,” Shetty said.

“With regard to the point, I can understand Ricardo felt bad about it but all of us on the bench were convinced that it wasn’t a net serve, so I don’t think the call was wrong.”

In the late match, U Mumba’s Bernadette Szocs was stunned to see Poymantee Baisya, the Chennai Lions paddler, being awarded a point after it bounced off the net camera and to the side of the net. While the rulebook clarifies that camera as an external equipment is considered as net, the TTR would have helped determine whether the ball touched the edge or the side of the table.

“The review system will help but it didn’t matter in that game and the match eventually, but everyone will support the review system,” said Szocs’ teammate Yashaswini Ghorpade, after surprising China’s Fan Siqi.