Sharath goes down to Sweden’s Gerell

Chennai: Local hero and India’s no.1 paddler, Achanta Sharath Kamal of SG Mavericks began his campaign with a loss against Sweden’s Par Gerell of Falcons TTC 6-11, 11-8, 9-11 in the first match of Ultimate Table Tennis league here on Thursday.

A disappointed Sharath said after the match, “I threw away a 5-3 lead in the last game by losing five straight points. It could easily have been a great start for me.”

The league’s new rule of not allowing the server more than 10 seconds between points cost Sharath two vital points.

“It is not an easy rule. I had to take a breather after a couple of long rallies. We are not used to serving so quickly. This is just the first day. In the course of the next two, three days we will know how other players react to the rule,” said the world no. 43.

Sharath also gave credit to Gerell’s deceptive serves, which he found hard to judge. “He has one of the best serves in the game,” he added.

In the second match, a women’s singles, Falcons chose to field India’s no.2, Sutirtha Mukherjee against German Sabine Winter. The match was a one-sided affair with the world no. 45 cantering to a 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 win against the Indian.