Sharath Kamal ho gaya

Indian paddler downs nemesis Segun to keep date with a second gold medal

Achanta Sarath Kamal’s progress into the gold-medal round of the Commonwealth Games is probably as much of a surprise as the Indian men’s gold-medal winning team effort. Or, maybe not so, given the way Kamal demolished his Nigerian nemesis Toriola Segun in straight games to storm into the final today, having lost to the second seed in their two previous meetings.

It speaks volumes of Kamal’s self-belief that he beat the Nigerian at his own game and never for once let the outcome in the team championship bother him. It was a sweet revenge for the India number one and the third seed here to set up a title clash with local favourite William Henzell.

Home favourite he may be, but Henzell knows he will be the underdog going into the final, given that Kamal is ranked 52 places higher than him. Moreover, Kamal always considered Segun his biggest hurdle and he played what he described as his “best match” today.

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“I played my best against him and beat him at his own game. I let him attack, soaked in the pressure and then counter-attacked, the moment I got a chance. My forehand smashes worked to perfection as did my serve and return and most importantly, I hardly gave any negative points and thereby never let him into the match. This time it was he, who felt the pressure and made the errors,” Kamal told The Sunday Express from Melbourne after the famous win.

Having beaten the Nigerian convincingly, Kamal believes he has a good chance in the final.

“Without sounding overconfident, I can say I have more than an even chance of beating the Australian. I have played him in the Swedish League and though he is playing well and will have the crowd behind him, I expect to win my second gold here,” he said.

“But, I know I have to guard against complacency that can set in after the semi-final high.”

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