Asian TT: Sharath-Saha pair upsets second seed Chinese duo

Macau: The Indian pair of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Subhajit Saha on Monday caused the biggest upset of the tournament when they beat second seed Chinese pair of Ma Lin and Zhang Jike in straight games in the second round of the Asian Table Tennis Championships here.

The Indians put up a gritty performance to win 11-2 11-9 11-5 at the East Asia Games Dome. "We gave our best today. I had to make amends for the loss in the team`s event," said an elated Sharath. For the record, Lin is the reigning Olympic champion while Jike is the current world champion. The Indians will now take on the local duo of Leong Kin Wa and Che ChiPan, who overcame a stiff resistance from the Iranian pair of Alamiyan Noshad and Lotfollah Nasabi before prevailing 3-2 in the pre-quarterfinals. The other Indian pair of A Amalraj and Sanil Shetty too progressed to round of 16, beating the Thai duo of Chaitat Chaisit and Wongsiri Nikom 3-2 (13-11 8-11 5-11 11-7 13-7). They will meet the Chinese pair of Ma Long and Wang Hao in the next round on Tuesday. PTI