WTT Star Contender: Sharath Kamal makes winning start in farewell event

Achanta Sharath Kamal started off the final tournament of his table tennis career with two wins in both men’s singles and double in front of his cheering home fans at the WTT Star Contender 2025 in Chennai on Thursday (March 27).

Sharath, who will retire after this World Table Tennis (WTT) tournament, first won in the men’s first-round doubles match (Round of 16) partnering Snehit Suravajjula. They defeated Australia’s Nicholas Lum and Finn Luu 3-2 (11-6, 7-11, 13-11, 6-11, 11-9) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Also read: Exclusive interview with Sharath Kamal on his retirement, and more

Later, in the first round of men’s singles, 42-year-old Sharath won against compatriot Anirban Ghosh in straight games 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 12-10) in 21 minutes.

What Sharath said

After winning the first two games convincingly, Sharath saved two game points in the third to seal the match amid cheers from fans from the stands.

“I am very, very happy. Personally, I have surpassed what I was expecting in the tournament. I did not know what kind of shape I would be in, especially the mental part. With so much happening, I really didn’t know if I would be able to give out of my best. But today, I was able to do that in both singles and doubles. I am looking forward to tomorrow’s matches. I hope I came make one more day through,” Sharath said after his win against Anirban.

Sharath lauded the fans who had turned up to watch him on Thursday. After the win, he was seen interacting with them and posing for selfies.

“A lot of people came in today and they said they are here only for me. That adds a bit of pressure on me to perform. At the same time, the energy they give to the match is phenomenal,” the five-time Olympian said.

Nervousness before the tournament

Sharath admitted that he was nervous today before the start of the tournament. “Today, nervousness got to me. I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to get some lunch, but I wasn’t hungry. I was chatting with my daughter and telling her that I am nervous. She asked me ‘Is it good or bad?’. I said probably it is good because nervousness helps me raise my game.”

In other men’s singles opening round matches, former ITTF Youth World No. 1 (U-17) Payas Jain stunned former Commonwealth Games and Asian Games medallist G Sathiyan 3-1 (11-8, 2-11, 11-8, 11-3). Also, there were wins for the Gujarat trio of Harmeet Desai, Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar.

14-year-old Divyanshi stuns Piccolin

In the women’s singles first round (Round of 64), 14-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick caused the biggest upset of the day as she ousted Italian Giorgia Piccolin.

Divyanshi, ranked 273 in the world, defeated the World No. 62 with a 2-3 score (13-15, 11-9, 9-11, 11-1, 11-6) in 32 minutes.

In an all-Indian Round of 16 women’s singles battle, Ayhika Mukherjee edged wildcard and her doubles partner Sutirtha Mukherjee in a five-game thriller 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10.

Ayhika and Sutirtha later teamed up for a Round of 16 clash in women’s doubles, but were shocked by the wildcard pair of Sreeja Akula and Swastika Ghosh 3-1 (11-7, 11-13, 11-7, 12-10).

In men’s doubles, Tamil Nadu’s Abhinandh Pradhivadhi and Preyesh Suresh put up a spirited fight before going down to Olympic medallist Lim Jong-hoon and World Championship medallist An Jae-hyun 2-3.

WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 boasts 600 ranking points for winners and a $275,000 prize purse, with top global paddlers in action.