Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 29 : Achanta Sharath Kamal's two-decade-long legendary career came to a close on Saturday with a Round of 16 loss to Snehit Suravajjula in Men's Singles at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender Chennai 2025.
Facing his Men's Doubles partner and one of Indian Table Tennis' brightest emerging talents, Sharath battled valiantly but was edged out 3-0 by the younger player, who displayed remarkable composure and precision to claim all three games by close margins, as per a press release from WTT.
Snehit's triumph symbolised the rise of a new generation-consolidated by Manav Thakkar becoming the first Indian male to reach a WTT Star Contender Quarterfinal-as he overcame a mentor and stalwart of the sport in a 'Passing of the Torch' moment. Sharath's farewell match, held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, was met with cheers from an appreciative crowd honouring his unmatched contributions to Indian Table Tennis.
In front of cheering fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Sharath played a spirited exhibition match against Egypt's Omar Assar, which served as his final good-bye, before delivering an emotional address to the gathered crowd, during which he underlined his intent to continue contributing to Table Tennis-albeit from the other side.
"Somewhere down the line I had felt it's enough and I wanted to explore the possibility of giving back to the sport from the other side of the court. I have done my part as a player, I felt I had contributed enough to the country as a player, and I want to contribute from the other side, as an administrator, or a coach, a mentor, or even as just a senior player," Sharath said, while thanking family, friends, fans, employers IndianOil, SDAT, Stupa Sports Analytics, Ultimate Table Tennis, TTFI, and ITTF.
Snehit Suravajjula (IND) [WC] Vs. Achanta Sharath Kamal (IND) 3-0: 11-9, 11-8, 11-9.