Jaipur: India's ace table tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal got past two of his formidable opponents on Friday to enter the quarterfinals of the 28th Asian Cup Table Tennis. Kamal struck a good form to first outwit the world number eight, Chuang Chih-Yuan from Chinese Taipei, 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 11-3 and, a few hours later, accounted for world number 16 Joo Saehyuk from South Korea 11-3, 4-11, 11-8, 7-11, 13-11 in a thriller at the SMS Indoor Stadium. An elated Kamal summed it up in one sentence after the two matches: "It has to be one of the biggest days in my career!" The 32-year-old Indian, however, lost his third match 6-11, 7-11, 4-11 to world number three Fan Zhendong to finish second behind the Chinese in group B. The championships saw another major upset when world number 12 Koki Nawa of Japan outsmarted world number two and pre-tournament favourite Chinese Xu Xin 11-6, 2-11, 11-5, 12-10 in group A. As for other Indians, Soumyajit Ghosh and G Sathiyan failed against their higher-ranked opponents, losing to Tang Peng and Yang Zi, respectively, in three straight games and then losing the other matches too to bow out from their respective group without a solitary win. In the women's encounters, Mouma Das managed a futile win against Iran's Neda Shahsavari 11-4, 11-8, 11-2 in group D to finish second behind group winner Nanthana Komwon, who qualified for the play-off knockout scheduled for Saturday. Poulami Ghatak, who failed to win a match, finished last in her group.

Jaipur: Sharath Kamal settled for a creditable sixth spot after going down against South Korean Kim Minseok in a thriller at the 28th Asian Cup table tennis tournament here today.

49th-ranked Sharath lost the 5th-6th play-off match 11-8 2-11 17-15 7-11 11-9 9-11 10-12 but won many fans courtesy his giant-killing run in the tournament where he beat three top-20 players. The Indian had also lost to 32nd-ranked Minseok to finish sixth in last year's edition in Wuhan, China.

With an impressive result here, he has boosted his chances of qualifying for the World Cup to be held later in the year.

Like the opening day, Sharath underwent a severe test of stamina and endurance in the three matches he played. Sharath disposed of world number 15 and nemesis Gao Ning 11-7 4-11 11-8 12-10 11-5 to add to his giant-killing run in the premier continental competition.

With his first win over the Singaporean after 'countless losses', Sharath also put the disappointment of his quarter-final defeat to world number five Jun Mizutani behind. The Indian was more relieved than happy to find success against Ning, who looked far from his best today.

"I have lost count of how many times Gao Ning beat me but today I finally found a way to get past him. I was so fed up with this losing trend that once I had asked a German coach 'when will I beat Gao Ning?' His reply was that 'you keep it reserve for a special day'. Overall I think played really well and to be honest he looked a bit under prepared," said Sharath.

The two-time CWG gold winner romped home after winning the crucial fourth game to go 3-1 up. It was a commendable effort from the Chennai-born paddler a few hours after his comprehensive loss to Mizutani. By Sharath's own admission, he could not have played any better than he did against his superior Japanese opponent.

Mizutani kept attacking from both flanks to which Sharath did not have many answers. He foxed the Indian with a variety of serves and hammered winners, both cross court and down the line, with pinpoint precision.

Sharath got his only chance in the second game where he was leading 6-1 but a couple of unforced errors allowed the 25-year-old from Shizuoka to reduce the deficit. Eventually, Mizutani clinched the game on his second game point before racing to a 11-3 14-12 11-2 11-6 win.

"I don't think I played badly, he was just too good for me. He did not allow me to play my game, which is forehand dominated. He showed me he is in a different league," said Sharath, who had beaten world number eight and number 16 to reach the quarterfinals yesterday.

With the Indian challenge ending in the competition, the crowd could now fully focus on the semifinals contested among some of the best in the world.

World number two Xu Xin was stretched by Sharath's conqueror Mizutani before the Chinese prevailed 11-7 11-8 9-11 11-6 7-11 11-7. Xin meets compatriot Fan Zhendong in the final tomorrow. The 18-year-old sensation sailed past Tang Peng of Hong Kong 11-3 12-10 11-7 11-9.

Liu Shiwen of China and Feng Tianwei of Singapore will battle it out in the women's singles final.