NEW DELHI: Down two game points and staring at a 1-3 deficit, A Sharath Kamal’s body language was a picture. A couple of cries of anguish, resembling a toddler who had just been pulled up for eating one too many candies.
There were errors down both wings, and he wasn’t able to get his attack going. When he did stitch together a few impressive shots, 13-year-old Japanese Tomokazu Harimoto was at his defensive best, pulling balls back in play and making the Indian work overtime to just stay within touch.
The 11th seed, coming off a national title, did find a second wind to level the match against the junior world champion. However, more errors meant that Harimoto, whose screaming will make quite a few tennis players proud, never needed to be in top gear as he beat the only remaining Indian to advance to the final of the ITTF World Tour Indian Open.
Sharath was crushed and his reaction said as much. “I could’ve broken something today,” he said. One thing he could have broken was his right hand, as he slammed it against one of the large steel boxes kept inside the arena. “It was an opportunity for me to play in the final.” A stage he has not experienced at this level for quite some time. It hurt more because of the manner of the defeat. “I knew I had him. But I made too many errors while receiving, and even on service.”
He thought this was going to be his night when he pulled back to level the match. “I thought I could win it then, there was nothing dangerous. But then, way too many errors.”
A word the 34-year-old used more than half a dozen times. He did have some praise for the teen, who will play the final against Germany’s top seed Dimitrij Ovtcharov on Sunday. “He’s good, I’ll give him that. I can see him becoming a top 20 player. But it was 50-50 (me beating myself as much as the kid beating me), and that’s why this is going to be painful.”
The tournament has been a positive one for him, as he accomplished his stated aim of a semifinal appearance. “It’s been good,” the Chennai lad said. “I was just doing the math and I think I’ll be in the top 50 in the rankings.”
A positive after a crushing disappointment.
Results (SF): Men: Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Ger) bt Koki Niwa (Jpn) 8-11, 11-2, 9-11, 12-10, 14-16, 11-2, 11-8; Tomokazu Harimoto (Jpn) bt Sharath Kamal (Ind) 11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-9, 11-9. Women: Matilda Ekholm (Swe) bt Hoi Kem Doo (Hkg) 11-8, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-3; Sakura Mori (Jpn) bt Wing Nam Ng (Hkg) 13-11, 12-10, 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6.