Sharat Kamal’s Passionate Farewell Defeat vs Snehit
Table Tennis Veteran Ends International Career; Rising Star Reaches Semifinals
Chennai, March 29 — A veteran table tennis player’s illustrious international career concluded Saturday at the WTT Star Contender Tournament, while a younger player made history.
End of an Era
The veteran player’s final match saw him face compatriot Sneehe Survajjala in the pre-quarterfinals.Survajjala, a wild card holder, secured the victory with scores of 11-9, 11-8, 11-9.
Following the match, the veteran participated in an exhibition game against Omar Assar of Egypt, showcasing his renowned skills to the audience.
Somewhere I felt that it was enough adn I wanted to seek the possibility of giving something back to the game from the other side of the court.
the 42-year-old player expressed his desire to transition into an administrative role within the sport.
I have done my job as a player.I think I have contributed a lot to the country as a player and I want to contribute as an administrator, or a coach, a mentor or a senior player.
Newcomer Achieves Milestone
Earlier in the tournament, Manav Thakkar, 24, became the first Indian male player to reach the WTT Star Contender semi-finals.
Thakkar advanced to the semi-finals after winning two consecutive matches in five games against Germany’s Andre Burtlesmeyer and south Korea’s lim jong-Hoon, an Olympic medalist.
thakkar defeated Bartelesmeyer 10-12, 12-10, 15–13, 6-11, 11-5 and then defeated Jong-Hun 5-11, 12-10, 3–11, 11-6, 11-1.
Other Tournament Highlights
Snehit’s run ended with a loss to Thibault Porate of France. Porate prevailed with scores of 11-4, 6–11, 11-7, 11-6.
In men’s doubles, south Korea’s Lim jong-Hun and NJ-Hun defeated top seeds Tomokaju Harimoto and Sora Matsushima 11-4, 11–13, 11-2, 11-3 to win the title. The women’s doubles final saw Japan’s Miva Harimoto and Miyu Kihara defeat Shin U-Bin and Ryu Hanna 9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 12-14, 11-5.