Dusseldorf: Achanta 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 late Friday night. Gaoyuan won 11-13, 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-4 in a late round of 32 match.
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 in the world, to exploit the situation further.
Iyer nominated
Meanwhile Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer, the only assigned competition manager of International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), has become the first Indian to be nominated as a member of the Umpires and Referees Committee (URC). He was nominated to the committee during a meeting of the world body here last week. Ganeshan’s term as URC member is for a period of two years and can be extended.
Press Trust of India
