India’s Achanta Sharath Kamal
Veteran India paddler Sharath Kamal on Monday defeated Tiago Apollonia of Portugal 4-2 to enter the second round of men’s singles table tennis at the Tokyo Olympics.
After losing the first set 2-11, Sharath picked up the pace to set up the next two. However, Apollonia leveled the match by winning the fourth set.
Sharath and Apollonia were tied 4-4 in the fifth set before Indian coach Soumdeep Roy called for a timeout. The move worked in India’s favor as Sharath took an 8-5 lead and eventually won the fifth set 3-2.
Sharath, representing India for the fourth time at the Games, will next face Olympic champion Ma Long of China. The Indian got a bye in the first round.
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