Sharath Kamal lifts his first title since 2010; Clinches Oman Open

Muscat, March 16 : Indian top paddler Sharath Kamal Achanta defied the odds to lift his first title since 2010 by pinning down Marcos Freitas of Portugal at the ITTF Challenge Plus Oman Open in Muscat here on Sunday. The 37-year-old beat the top-seeded Marcos Freitas, (6-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9, 3-11, 17-15), thus earning his first singles title at an open international tournament after a decade.

 

 

The last title he won was at the 2010 ITTF World Tour Egypt Open in Cairo becoming the first Indian player to win an ITTF World Tour title. Ten years on from that historic triumph Sharath Kamal Achanta found himself seeded fourth for the men’s singles race at the 2020 Oman Open and succeeded to meet the expectations.

Though the fourth-seeded was 3-7 in game two, he obtained eight of the next nine points to take the game. He had successfully turned the match on its head with a successful outing in game three and then extended his advantage to 3-1. The Portuguese player did whatever it takes to be alive in game five and then had a total of five-game points in game six. However, his opponent could not turn the match in his favor as Sharath Kamal Achanta completed a sensational 4-2 win to lift the trophy.

An inspiring performance from the Indian who has shown in this tournament that he still has plenty to give in this sport even at this age. Triumphing in this sport leading him to be called as an all-time great in the nation, Sharath has once again earned his time in the spotlight, landing India its first ITTF Challenge Series men’s singles gold since 2017!