Sharath Kamal shines in Chennai Lions’ win over Puneri

CHENNAI: Ace paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal led the way with a dominating performance as Chennai Lions thrashed Puneri Paltan Table Tennis 12-3 to record the biggest win in UTT history and reach the threshold of the semi-finals of the Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

Courtesy the historic victory, the home team soared to the fourth spot on the league table with 37 points, the same as third-placed Athlead Goa Challengers, which is ahead as it has won three ties, one more than the Lions. Puneri Paltan Table Tennis remained at the sixth spot with 31 points.

Tuesday’s result means that if Jaipur Patriots wins this season’s final league tie against Ahmedabad SG Pipers on Wednesday then Chennai Lions will qualify for the semi-finals. But if the Ahmedabad-based franchise wins by eight points or more, the home team may get knocked out.

Chennai Lions exploded right off the blocks, piling up an insurmountable 9-0 lead by winning the first three matches without dropping a single game. Veteran war horse Sharath put Chennai Lions off to a rip-roaring start with a 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-2) drubbing of talented 17-year-old Ankur Bhattacharjee in the first men’s singles. Sharath stamped his class and authority all over the match. Several of his shots were simply unplayable, leaving the young Ankur clearly out of his depth.

Results: Chennai Lions bt Puneri Paltan Table Tennis 12-3: Achanta Sharath Kamal bt Ankur Bhattacharjee 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-2); Poymantee Baisya bt Ayhika Mukherjee 3-0 (11-10, 11-9, 11-10); Sakura Mori/Sharath Kamal bt Natalia Bajor/Anirban Ghosh 3-0 (11-3, 11-8, 11-8); Jules Rolland bt Joao Monteiro 2-1 (11-7, 2-11, 11-3); Sakura Mori lost to Natalia Bajor 1-2 (10-11, 11-8, 3-11)