He may have lost the mixed doubles opener at the Tokyo Games but there was no stopping veteran table tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal in his men’s singles opener on Monday, July 26. Overcoming a sluggish start, Sharath Kamal dominated Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia, showcasing his class on the biggest stage.
Sharath Kamal will next face defending champion Ma Long in the third round on Tuesday, July 27.
The 39-year-old Sharath struggled in the first game but pulled himself up just in time to win 2-11 11-8 11-5 9-11 11-6 11-9 in the 49-minute second-round contest.
The Indian paddler now has a tough match ahead as he takes on the legendary Long, who is also the reigning world champion. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Long has won every singles title in the sport.
Sharath’s compatriot G Sathiyan had lost his men’s singles second round from an advantageous position on Sunday to exit the competition.
Meanwhile, Sumit Nagal will be up against Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev in the men’s singles second round. The Indian women’s hockey team, after losing their Olympics opener to the Netherlands, will be up against Germany in their Pool A fixture. Other than the aforementioned events, Team India will also have athletes featuring in shooting, sailing, badminton, swimming and boxing events.
After a poor outing on Day 2, India hopes for a better performance from their athletes on the third day of the Olympics. It was a bright start to Day 3 as India’s first Olympic fencer Bhavani Devi delivered a win on debut but lost her Round of 32 match to get knocked out. Indian men’s archery team comprising Atanu Das, Pravin Jadhav, and Tarundeep Rai have progressed to quarterfinals. Indian paddler Sharath Kamal won his second round match against Portugal.