Sharath Kamal loses in opening round of China Open

New Delhi: Indian paddlers` training trip to China ahead of the Delhi Commonwealth Games got off to a

disappointing start as star player Achanta Sharath Kamal lost in the very first round of the Harmony China Open in Suzhou on Thursday. Sharath Kamal, currently ranked 39th in the world and first Indian to break into Top-50, lost 7-11, 4-11, 12-10, 7-11, 5-11 to Sweden`s Par Gerell. Among other Indian men in fray, Soumyajit Ghosh will take on China`s Ma Lin, while Abishek Ravichandaran will be up against Russia`s Fedor Kuzmin. In the women`s draw, Madhurika Patkar will face Singapore`s Mengyu Yu in the opening round. Before leaving, Sharath Kamal had stated that the exposure trip will hold the players in good stead in both the Commonwealth and Asian Games this year. "This trip is very important keeping Commonwealth Games in mind. The trip is planned in such a way that we peak at the right time and defend our respective titles," the Arjuna awardee had said. "Training in China is always a good experience. It helps the players a lot. In China we get the opportunity to play against a number of quality players, which improve our skills. We are training hard and even second string Chinese side is equally good. So we will definitely gain from the camp." PTI