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The fifth day of the main draw of the Singapore Smash 2024 saw some incredibly thrilling matches take place at the Singapore Sports Hub. Achanta Sharath Kamal, the only Indian still in contention in the USD 1,500,000 tournament, has had a remarkable run so far.
But the 41-year-old Indian’s campaign came to an end in the quarterfinals when he was beaten by World No. 6 French paddler Felix Lebrun 9-11, 2-11, 7-11, 11-9, 8-11.
A closer look at Achanta Sharath Kamal’s quarterfinal result at the Singapore Smash 2024
Sharath Kamal had been playing some phenomenal table tennis throughout the Singapore Smash 2024 tournament. The Indian paddler beat higher-ranked opponents on his way to the last eight and became the first Indian to reach the quarterfinals of a WTT Grand Smash event.
In the quarterfinals, Achanta Sharath Kamal took on France’s Felix Lebrun. Leburn currently sits at the sixth spot in the world rankings, while Sharath Kamal is 82 positions lower at the 88th spot.
The match began with the 17-year-old French paddler dominating the proceedings, winning three games on the trot. Despite being outplayed and trailing, Sharath Kamal held his nerve and used his wealth of experience to adapt and change his tactics. He took the fourth game 11-9.
However, Lebrun quickly found his rhythm once again and narrowly took the fifth game 11-8 to seal the match and end Kamal’s dream run at the tournament.
Sharath Kamal’s journey to the quarterfinals included victories over World No. 22 Omar Assar of Egypt, World No. 13 Darko Jorgic of Slovenia, and World No. 51 Nicolas Burgos of Chile. He also beat Andre Istrate, Yuta Tanaka, and Deni Kozul in the qualifying rounds.
Other notable performances from Indian paddlers
Apart from Achanta Sharath Kamal, India’s Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee showcased their brilliance by reaching the Round of 16 in the women's doubles category. Sutirtha Mukherjee also battled it through the qualifying rounds and made it to the main draw in the women’s singles event.
Another impressive performance in the women's singles category was from Sreeja Akula, who went down in a five-game thriller against World No. 4 Wang Manyu from China.
