Sharath Stuns Top Star in Asian Cup

 JAIPUR:India’s top player Sharath Kamal stunned World No 8 Chuang Chih-Yuan to begin his campaign in style at the 28th Asian Cup Table Tennis tournament here on Friday.

Placed in a tough Group B, 49th-ranked Sharath defied the odds to overpower his Chinese Taipei opponent 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 11-3 at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium.

The 32-year-old still has lots to do for going further in the premier continental event. Only two progress to the quarterfinals from his group of four and that means the Indian will have to beat either World No 3 Fan Zhendong or 16th ranked Joo Saehyuk in his remaining league matches to be held later in the day.

In another possible scenario, Sharath will have to take the play-off route to advance to the last eight if he finishes third in the group.

The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist said the win over Chuang has given his confidence a big boost. He had beaten the same opponent en route to finishing an impressive sixth in the tournament’s 2014 edition in Wuhan, China.

Sharath, who relies more on forehand, upped his back hand game to outsmart Chuang on Friday. He played positive from the word go and came back strongly after slipping in the second game.

He attributed his success to the time spent time in Denmark and Sweden with Chinese players and coaches in the run up to the tournament. “I’ve lost to Chuang Chih-Yuan many times in the past but recently I have done much better against him,” said Sharath.

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The New Indian Express
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