Ace Indian paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal stunned world No 31 Patrick Baum of Germany in a gruelling seven-setter to enter the pre-quarterfinals of the IITF World Tour Polish Open at Poznan.
Sharath Kamal beat Patrick 4-3 (8-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 12-10, 7-11, 13-11) in the round of 32 of men's singles competition.
Ranked 79 in the world, Sharath will now take on world No. 19 Tianyi Jiang from Hong Kong in the round of 16.
Sharath was almost down and out before recovering from a 0-2 deficit to post a win over his better-known opponent. In the tension-packed decider, the Indian had to muster great courage to keep his opponent engaged and wrap it up by the minimal two-point margin. In the end, it was a reaction block that won the game for him and India had reason to celebrate.
"Now I'm living in Düsseldorf and practising with the German team, so today I was playing against friends; Jörg Rosskopf is like a second coach," explained Sharath Kamal after his win. At Poznan, Sharath is taking guidance from Swede Linus Mernsten.
Sharath Kamal also said he could take advantage of his opponent as he lagged behind at times.
"Patrick is not in the best of shape at the moment. He has had a difficult time in the Bindesliga and he's going through a tough time and it was to my advantage. Nevertheless, my job is to win," added Sharath Kamal, who stood at an all-time career high of No.39 in 2010.
Earlier, he accounted for Bendict Duda of Germany 11-7, 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 in straight sets without much sweat against the player who is ranked No. 312 in the world.
