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Singapore Smash: Sharath Kamal breaks new ground, takes down No. 22 Assar
At 41, Sharath is the first Indian singles player to enter the last eight of this top-tier tournament that is among the most prestigious on the WTT tour
After his stunning Round of 32 victory over world No. 13 Darko Jorgic on Wednesday, Sharath Kamal said he was happy to be able to "keep up with some of the best players in the world" this week.
Add Omar Assar to that as well. Sharath backed up his show against Jorgic by taking down the 22nd-ranked Egyptian 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 12-10) in the Round of 16 to storm into the men's singles quarter-finals of the Singapore Smash on Thursday.
At 41, Sharath is the first Indian singles player to enter the last eight of this top-tier tournament that is among the most prestigious on the WTT tour where all top paddlers of the world assemble. The Indian will take on France's Felix Lebrun, the 17-year-old sensation who has zoomed to No. 6 in the rankings, on Friday.
In the previous two editions, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion had crashed out in the opening round and, down at 88 in the rankings, had to pass the qualifying rounds to get into the main draw this time around.
The run will ensure that Sharath pockets at least 350 ranking points (and $14,000 in prize money). Presently on 228 points, that is likely to take him into the top 40 in the updated rankings. That would not only get him close to his career-high but also make him the runaway new India No. 1 in men’s singles, a tag that currently rests with Harmeet Desai (No. 64).
Sharath had been down in form and confidence throughout last year but there’s something about a big tournament that can get the best version out of him seemingly out of the blue. That has been reiterated again in Singapore, where the veteran Indian has swept past three higher-ranked players after winning as many qualifying matches.
Unleashing his attacks against Jorgic, Sharath again brought that to the table against Assar. He went for his shots, remained positive, and kept the Egyptian at bay in the first two games. Even when Assar fought back in the third and took it to 10-10, Sharath kept his composure to win the next two points and finish the job clinically.
