Sreeja sails into RO-32 in Paris Olympics TT, Sharath Kamal knocked-out

Indian table tennis ace Achanta Sharath Kamal made a shock exit from the Paris Olympics men's singles competition, losing 2-4 to lower-ranked Deni Kozul of Slovenia in a round of 64 match here on Sunday.

The 42-year-old Sharath Kamal, who was making his fifth Olympics appearance, lost 12-10 9-11 6-11 7-11 11-8 10-12 to his opponent ranked 86 places below him in the match that lasted 53 minutes.

The Commonwealth Games champion Indian, ranked 40th in the world, won a tight first game but lost the next three to trail 1-3. He recovered and made it 2-3 but again lost a tight fourth game to bow out of the competition. His opponent is ranked 126th in the world.

Earlier in the day, India's top-ranked woman paddler Sreeja Akula entered the round of 32 with a clinical 4-0 win over Sweden's Christina Kallberg.

Sreeja, who had created history by becoming the first Indian paddler to win a WTT Contender singles title, registered a 11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 victory in 30 minutes over the Swede.

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