Achanta Sharath Kamal has created history at the 80th National Table Tennis Championship by winning the title for the ninth time. Sharath broke the long-standing record of Kamlesh Mehta who had eight wins in the National Table Tennis Championship.
Winning records!
Sharath Kamal Achanta breaks the record and becomes the National Table Tennis Champion for the 9th time. 🇮🇳 @sharathkamal1 #KreedOn #TableTennis #SharathKamal #TTChampsInCuttack #Odisha2019 #Indianathlete pic.twitter.com/er45KV6qIZ— KreedOn (@kreedonworld) January 10, 2019
World Number 30 Kamal was up against World Number 31 G Sathiyan at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday evening. Sharath triumphed 11-13, 11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 10-12, 11-6, 14-12.
Sathiyan was on par with Kamal. He matched Kamal stroke by stroke but failed to win the trophy. This is the third time that Sathiyan has lost in the final.
Sharath said after the win that the pressure was on both of them. He also gave full credit to his opponent. He said, “The pressure was on both of us. But whatever I did to take the ninth title off my mind, it was coming back again and again with everyone remembering me. Similarly, Sathiyan was going for his first title and he was equally pressured.”
The men’s and women’s National Table Tennis champion 2018- Sharath Kamal & Archana Kamath.#TTChampsInCuttack #Odisha2019 pic.twitter.com/XvQSJUtFZS
— Table Tennis Association, Odisha (@Odishaeleven) January 9, 2019
“This final was by far the best in terms of quality. That explains the ferocity and seriousness with which Sathiyan attacked from both flanks and kept me engaged,” he added.
Archana Kamath emerged victoriously
On the other hand, Archana Kamath won the championship in the women’s category. She had defeated Commonwealth medalist Manika Batra in the semifinals.
It was a nerve-racking final match against @sathiyantt and was definitely one of the best matches i’ve played in terms of the sheer quality.
Congratulations to Archana Kamath for winning her maiden National singles title. #TableTennis #Sports #Passion #HungryForMore pic.twitter.com/fyvp1S4ym5— Sharath Kamal (@sharathkamal1) January 10, 2019
The 18-year-old has become only the second player from Karnataka to win the trophy. “I think the title has come at the right time. I always wanted to win the crown. I know even my opponent (Krittiwika) would have liked to do that. I am happy I could do accomplish it,” she said after the win.
The results:
Men Singles: Final: A. Sharath Kamal (PSPB) bt G. Sathiyan (PSPB) 11-13, 11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 10-12, 11-6, 14-12
Women Singles: Final: Archana Kamath (PSPB) bt Krittwika Sinha Roy (WB) 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, 12-10, 7-11, 11-3
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