Sharath Kamal lost to Chinese Lin Gaoyuan in the preliminary round as India’s challenge came to an end at the World table tennis championship here.
Gaoyuan won 11-13, 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-4 in a late round of 32 match on Friday night.
Sharath warded off early threats to win the first game on his second game point to give himself and the country a glimpse of hope.
But Gaoyuan, ranked 40 in the world and seeded 33, had other ideas as he surged into 2-1 lead before dropping his second game when Sharath came close to realise his ambitions.
However, the Chinese steadied his game and did not allow any liberty for the Indian, ranked 54, to exploit any further.