Chennai, July 15 (IANS) Having won two back-to-back tournaments, the US Open and Egyp Pro Tour, India’s top table tennis player Achanta Sharat Kamal is hopeful of breaking into the top 50 in the World rankings.
The Chennai-based Kamal, speaking on the sidelines of a felicitation function here Thursday, said: ‘The two victories have come at the right time. It’s a nice time to peak and is an excellent preparation for the Commonwealth Games.
The 76th ranked Kamal will be defending his title at the Delhi Games in October.
It is in New Delhi last month that Kamal’s brilliant run began when he won the bronze medal at the Indian Pro-tour tournament and the two wins in the US and Egypt have obviously boosted his confidence.
‘From 76, I should be in the 40-50 bracket when the new rankings are released in the first week of August,’ he said.
Kamal did concede that the expectations would be sky-high during the Commonwealth Games in the wake of his recent triumphs, besides the presence of Singapore’s Gao Ning, who is ranked 22nd.
‘Everyone will be looking at me to defend the title (at the Commonwealth Games). With the backing of the home crowd, I am confident of winning it again,’ he asserted.
Regarding the challenge posed by Gao, Kamal said: ‘I had lost to him about seven to eight times in the past. I last played him about two years back. But I am also preparing for the Commonwealth Games. I am training hard for the last four years, fine tuning the techniques and movements.’
Kamal is scheduled to participate in the China Open next month besides attending a 15-day training programme to basically work on his speed at the table. Thereafter, he would be back in India to train at the Commonwealth Games venue in Delhi.
Reviewing his recent performances, Kamal said his 4-0 win against Li Ching, a former top 10 player from Hong Kong and presently ranked 25th in Cairo, was one of the highlights.
‘Except for not performing up to the expectations in the World Championship, 2010 has been a great year and I want to cap it with a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games, before preparing for Asian Games in November, and sign off the year by finishing among the top 50,’ he said.
