New Delhi: Achanta Sharath Kamal registered a comfortable win over Vietnam’s Quyinh Tran Tuan of Vietnam 11-1, 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 in the third round and is just a couple of matches away from sealing his London berth at the ongoing Asian Olympic Qualification Table Tennis Tournament at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong this afternoon.
The top Indian pro is taking on North Korea’s Jang Song Man who earlier accounted for A. Amal Raj 4-2 in draw B. In the same draw Soumyajit Ghosh also lost to Kim Song Nam of North Korea 1-4, but the two Indians can still make the Olympics grade provided they win their next round matches.
Sharath, who is one match away from what could be a dream effort, to finish among the top four paddlers at the Qualifiers has the ability to put it across his North Korean rival, who is a defensive player.
However, Sharath enhanced his qualification chance this afternoon. As a draw A loser, Sharath defeated Iran’s top player Nima Alamian 4-2 (11-7, 3-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8 to progress into draw B. Laater when he triumphed over the Vietnamese in a one-sided match, his approach was simple and plain as he just went about attacking his opponent who brooked no challenge. “Sharath brought his aggressive style to the fore and it paid dividends,” said national coach Bhawani Mukherjee. “If he continues in the same vein later tonight against Jang Song Man, he should book his London berth tomorrow,” he added.
As for Amal Raj and Ghosh, Mukherjee said that all was not lost for the two Indians. As draw B losers they still have chances tomorrow and could well be the surprise package said Mukherjee. “The two have put up very good fights against their top opponents and are well in course to surprise with at least one more berth,” said Mukherjee.
Poulomi Ghatak faltered to deceive after a fine show last evening and bowed out of the tournament while Ankita Das and K. Shamini kept their Olympics dreams alive on Friday.
By Indian Sports News Network
