All posts tagged: Achanta

Who after Achanta Sharath Kamal for India?

Who after Achanta Sharath Kamal for India?

Published by Webster

Achanta Sharath Kamal, a name synonymous, with Indian table tennis bid adieu to the sport on Saturday. The 42-year-old paddler bowed out of the 2025 WTT Star Contender in front of his home crowd in Chennai following a 0-3 straight games loss to the young Snehit Suravajjula in the men’s singles round of 16. Having made his international debut back in 2003, Sharath was the flag bearer of Indian table tennis for over two decades. 13 Commonwealth Games medals, including seven gold, four Asian C’ships medals – the toughest continental competition in the sport, and five Olympic appearances adorn his glittering career. Besides, he was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2004, India’s fourth highest civilian honour Padma Shri in 2019, and the country’s highest sporting honour Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2022. Sharath Kamal not only seamlessly took over the reins of Indian table tennis from his predecessor Chetan Baboor, a three-time Commonwealth Games medalist and two-time Asian Cup medalist, but also led it to heights never-seen-before. He played mentor to the next …

Achanta Sharath Kamal ends career with R16 exit

Achanta Sharath Kamal ends career with R16 exit

Published by Webster

Indian paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal’s over two-decade long career came to an end in the men’s singles R16 at the 2025 WTT Star Contender in Chennai on Saturday. Fittingly, Sharath Kamal went down 0-3 to his doubles partner and wildcard entrant Snehit Suravajjula in what can be viewed as a baton exchange to the younger generation of Indian table tennis. The 42-year-old Sharath fought hard in the pre-quarterfinal match but Snehit was too hot to handle. Achanta Sharath Kamal bows out. 3-0 loss to the young wildcard Snehit Suravajjala in MS R16. End of a storied career. #TableTennis #WTTChennai — Abhijit Nair (@Abhiee0312) March 29, 2025 Snehit, who had defeated world No 29 in the previous round to set up a R16 clash with Sharath, held his nerves at crucial junctures to win 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 in a match which lasted just over 25 minutes. The sizeable crowd present at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium sent out loud roars as curtains fell on a legendary career. Sharath, in reply, bowed down, appreciating their support. Earlier …

Veteran paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal set to retire

Veteran paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal set to retire

Published by Webster

Indian veteran paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal revealed on Wednesday that he plans to retire from the professional circuit after the upcoming WTT Star Contender 2025 in Chennai. Sharath will end his illustrious 26-year career with one final competition on his home turf, at Chennai’s first-ever WTT Star Contender event, scheduled to start on March 25th. In doing so, he will be drawing the curtains on what has been a remarkable journey. The 42-year-old is currently the top-ranked Indian male paddler in the singles and will compete for a professional title for one last time in front of the home crowd. “I played my first international tournament in Chennai, and now I will play my last international tournament also in Chennai, so this (WTT Star Contender Chennai) will be by last international tournament,” Sharath said, at the press conference. He did subsequently provide more than just a hint of his continued association with the sport after hanging up his boots. “We will be looking forward to setting up a high-performance center here in Chennai and hopefully …

Achanta Sharath Kamal Rules Out Retirement In Near Future, Commits To Playing Another Season On Tour

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File photo of Sharath Kamal. Indian table tennis great Sharath Kamal was expected to chalk out his retirement plans post his fifth appearance at the Olympics but the 42-year-old on Wednesday committed to another season on the professional tour. Sharath was on Wednesday named captain of the Indian men’s team for the Asian Championships in Astana next month. Speaking to PTI, India’s flag-bearer at the Paris Olympics said he would also be competing in the China Smash later this month before travelling to Kazakhstan for the Asian Championships beginning October 7. The highest ranked Indian at 37 is also aiming to play in the 2025 World Championships in Doha. “For the next nine months to one year I would still be an active player. But at the same time, I will be exploring options in IOC and ITTF. At home with TTFI, I would try to help create a structure and bridge the gap between SAI and TTFI and bring in more corporate sponsorships into the game,” said the veteran. Sharath is the …

Sharath, Ayhik-Sutirtha win as rest of Indians make early exits

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Much was spoken about the Indian table tennis contingent heading into the Singapore Smash 2024 after their positive outings at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championship that enabled India to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Seasoned player Achanta Sharath Kamal advanced to the Round of 32 defeating Chilean Nicholas Burgos 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-6) and is set to face Daro Jorgic of Slovenia. Similarly, the Mukherjee sisters, Sutirtha and Ayhika booked a place in the round of 16 defeating the Japanese pair Miu Hirano and Miwa Harimoto in a closely fought match that ended 3-2 (11-8, 5-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-9) in favour of the Indians. They will now face Adina Diaconu and Maria Xiao. But expectations were subverted due to multiple first-match exits for the remaining Indian players. This was particularly exemplified in the women’s singles category where all three Indians competing in the main draw lost in the Round of 64. Manika Batra‘s dry run of games continued as she lost 3-0 (4-11, 7-11, 2-11) against China’s Wang Yidi. While she admittedly is …