Tokyo Olympics 2020: Sharath Kamal Advances To Round 3, Faces Ma Long Next

Tokyo Olympics: Indian paddler Sharath Kamal registered a hard-fought 4-2 win (2-11 11-8 11-5 9-11 11-6 11-9) against Portugal's Tiago Apolonia to advance to Round 3 in men's singles event.

The veteran @sharathkamal1 does it in style as he moves to the Round 3 of the #TableTennis Men's Singles Event. Sharath won 4 games to 2 against Portugal's Apolonia.#Tokyo2020#Cheer4India pic.twitter.com/n7FFOALR7M Veteran Indian table tennis player A Sharath Kamal overcame a sluggish start to beat Portugal's Tiago Polonia in the second round to set up a clash with defending champion Ma Long in the Olympics on Monday. The 39-year-old Sharath struggled in the first game but pulled himself up just in time to win 2-11 11-8 11-5 9-11 11-6 11-9 in the 49-minute second-round contest. The Indian paddler now has a tough match ahead as he takes on the legendary Long, who is also the reigning world champion. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Long has won every singles title in the sport. Sharath's compatriot G Sathiyan had lost his men's singles second round from an advantageous position on Sunday to exit the competition. In the women's draw, Manika Batra moved to the third round with an upset win over world number 32 Margaryta Pesotska of Ukraine on Sunday.