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Sharath Kamal has advanced to the second round of the men's singles competition at the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025. The Indian table tennis icon will take on Australia's Nicholas Lum at Chennai's Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Friday (March 28).
The five-time Olympian defeated compatriot Anirban Ghosh in a late-evening Round-of-64 match in front of a vociferous home crowd.
Sharath is playing his last tournament in Chennai, announcing his retirement earlier this month.
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Despite not being in the best of form recently, Achanta Sharath Kamal appeared calm and self-assured during his opening-round win against Anirban Ghosh.
The 42-year-old was in control of the proceedings in the first two games before getting his vast experience to the fore while trailing in the third.
Having saved two vital game points, Sharath proceeded to clinch the third game as his opponent failed to hold his nerve, much to the delight of his fans in Chennai.
The Commonwealth Games gold medalist will now take on Nicholas Lum of Australia in a morning game, hoping to advance to the third round. Nicholas Lum will face Sharath for the second time in two days, having lost the men's doubles encounter on Thursday.
The 19-year-old rising star is Australia's highest-ranked singles player (WR #34), one slot ahead of doubles partner Fin Luu, who went down against the Indian pair of Sharath and Snehit Suravajjula.
The left-hander from Melbourne was part of the Aussie team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Lum advanced to the round of 16 in Birmingham but failed to progress beyond the round of 64 at the Olympics.
More recently, Lum did not make it through the qualifiers at the 2025 Singapore Smash after having made it to the round of 16 in the 2024 WTT Champions Frankfurt and the WTT Champions Montpellier.
Sharath Kamal vs Nicholas Lum Match Details
Match Details: Sharath Kamal vs Nicholas Lum, Men's Singles, Round of 32, WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025
Date & Time: Friday, March 28, 2025, 11:35 AM IST
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai, India
Sharath Kamal vs Nicholas Lum Prediction
Sharath Kamal will need to be at his best for a morning game against the immensely talented Australian. Winning the first two games will be crucial for the Indian stalwart, while Nicholas Lum may well benefit from a prolonged contest. Given the nature of the occasion and the venue, the Chennai-born player will be expected to give it his all and go into the contest with an edge despite the vast gap in age and rankings.
Sharath Kamal vs Nicholas Lum Live Streaming Details
The WTT Star Contender Chennai game will be live-streamed on Sony LIV and the official World Table Tennis YouTube channel.
