A. Sharath Kamal ended his decade-long wait for a title, producing a sensational performance to win the ITTF Challenger Plus Oman Open here on Sunday. Despite being a game down, the 37-year-old Indian recovered to outclass top-seeded Marcos Freitas of Portugal 6-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9, 3-11, 17-15 in the summit clash.
It was in 2010 that Sharath had bagged his last title, at the Egypt Open.
In the semifinals, Sharath had pulled off a stunning come-from-behind victory against Russia’s Kirill Skachkov. The fourth seed rallied from two games down to register a 11-13, 11-13, 13-11, 11-9, 13-11, 8-11, 11-7 win in a thrilling seven-set semi-final that lasted one hour and eight minutes.
Freitas had made it to the final with a 5-11, 11-9, 6-11, 6-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-3 victory over India’s Harmeet Desai. The latter dominated the match in the initial stages before the World No. 26 fought his way back.
Our Special Correspondent adds from Chennai:
“I literally had to fight with my wife to participate in the Oman Open,” revealed Sharath after the triumph. “It feels great to win a title even if it is a Challenger Plus event after a long time. Winning a tournament has become tough nowadays. This is a good win before the Olympic qualifiers.”
About the final, he said: “it was one of my best games. My shots were landing right. Mainly I was more aggressive and my shots were sharper.” Sharath is expected to gain 800 points and his world rankings might be 31 or 32 next month.
The results:
Final: A. Sharath Kamal bt Marcos Freitas (Por) 6-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9, 3-11, 17-15.
Semifinals: Sharath bt Kirill Skachkov (Rus) 11-13, 11-13, 13-11, 11-9, 13-11, 8-11, 11-7; Freitas bt Harmeet Desai 5-11, 11-9, 6-11, 6-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-3.
