Sharath Kamal turned the clock back to produce a vintage performance in knocking out World No. 16 Patrick Franziska (Germany) 12-10, 3-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9 for a place in the pre-quarterfinals of the World Table Tennis Star Contender tournament in Doha on Tuesday.
Sharath, ranked 32nd, had to draw from his reserves after trailing 0-7 in the fourth game. He used all his experience to close the gap 6-8 before the German managed to force the decider.
“These points were crucial for me when I entered the deciding game,” Sharath told The Hindu after pulling off a series of brilliant points in the close fifth game.
Stunning shots
Some stunning blocks off the backhand and a good number of forehand drives clearly surprised the higher-ranked German.
Down 3-5 in the decider, Sharath switched gears during the power-hitting rallies against his former teammate at Borussia Dusseldorf Club in the Bundesliga for two years.
The players were tied until 8-8 when Sharath broke free and established two match-points.
Franziska saved one, but after a long rally his forehand return found the net-chord and went long.
A little before Sharath sealed his place in the pre-quarterfinals, G. Sathiyan and Manika Batra lost their second round matches to top-seeded Japanese rivals.
The results (second round):
Men: Sharath Kamal bt Patrick Franziska (Ger) 12-10, 3-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9; Tomokaru Harimoto (Jpn) bt G. Sathiyan 11-4, 11-5, 11-8.
Women: Mima Ito (Jpn) bt Manika Batra 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 .
