The Hindu : Sport / Table Tennis : Wang Liqin eludes Sharath’s grasp; China in finals

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Wang Liqin eludes Sharath’s grasp; China in finals

Rakesh Rao

— Photo: Subir Roy

So near...India’s Sharath Kamal almost pulled off a major upset when he stretched three-time world champion Wang Liqin in the Asian table tennis championship.

LUCKNOW: On Sunday, India’s coach Massimo Costantini had talked about some of the world’s leading players fearing the abilities of A. Sharath Kamal.

Less than 72 hours later, Sharath reinforced the growing belief of the Italian by sending a shiver down the spine of three-time World champion Wang Liqin in the team quarterfinals of the Asian table tennis championship here.

Sharath, ranked 70th in the world, came close to scripting India’s biggest moment in the game in more than a decade the game by twice moving within two points of upstaging the former World No. 1. But Wang Liqin eventually drew from his vast experience to escape with a 13-15, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6 verdict to complete China’s 3-1 victory.

On Thursday, in repeat final-clashes of 2007, the Chinese champions face the men from Japan and women from Singapore.

Had Sharath pulled it off, the triumph would have surely ranked alongside Chetan Baboor’s stunning five-game victory over the then reigning Olympic champion Liu Guoliang in the inaugural Asian Top-12 tournament in Kish Island, Iran, in March, 1999.

By sheer coincidence, the 1996 Olympic champion turned coach was assisting Wang Liqin against Sharath on this day.

Sharath said, “When you come so close against a player like Wang Liqin and lose, it hurts. Looking back, I think, I should have slowed him down when he stepped up the pace in the third game. I don’t know how quickly I can get this disappointment out of my mind but I think much will depend on how much sleep I get tonight.”

It remains to be seen how Sharath, who surrendered to Koreas Cho Eon Rae during India’s 3-0 drubbing in the playoff for 5-8 places, recovers ahead of the match against Singapore on Thursday.

After taming the unranked Wu Hao in five games, Sharath exceeded all expectations by winning the first two games against Wang Liqin in the fourth singles.

Sharath settled down early even as the Chinese struggled to find his feet on debut in India. If Sharath sealed the close first game by cashing in on Wang Liqin’s uncertainty, he doubled the lead by minimising the errors on the forehand and shortening the length of his backhand jabs.

But Wang Liqin, whose longest reign as world number one lasted from June 2004 to February 2007, stepped up the pace in the third to bag the first six points. But the determined Indian clawed to 8-9 that made the Chinese utilize a time-out. That did the trick.

Again in the fourth game, Sharath dramatically rallied from 2-7 to 9-9 with two serves in hand. But it was Wang Liqin who went on to capitalise on a second match-point.

The results: Team championship: Men: Semifinals: China bt Hong Kong 3-1; Japan bt Chinese Taipei 3-2. Quarterfinals: China beat India 3-1 (Wang Liqin bt Soumyadeep Roy 11-6, 11-7, 11-9; Wu Hao lost to Sharath Kamal 11-3, 10-12, 11-7, 8-11, 9-11; Ma Long bt Sourav Chakraborty 11-7, 11-3, 11-7; Wang Liqin bt Sharath 13-15, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6); Hong Kong bt Korea 3-1; Chinese Taipei bt Singapore 3-1; Japan bt DPR Korea 3-1.

Women: Semifinals: China bt Korea 3-0; Singapore bt Hong Kong 3-2. Quarterfinals: China bt Thailand 3-0; Singapore bt DPR Korea 3-0; Hong Kong bt Chinese Taipei 3-1; Korea bt Japan 3-1.

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