more-inWorld junior champion Tomokazu Harimoto was born in the year in which Sharath Kamal won the first of his seven National titles. In the semifinal, Harimoto won 11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-9, 11-9 to set up the title-clash against top seed Dimitrij Ovtcharov, who survived two seven-game matches on this day. Against a prodigious rival, Sharath had the advantage of experience but lacked the answer to the over-the-table flicks from the teenager. Moreover, in a tight match, Sharath’s high percentage of unforced errors provided Takamozo the cushion that kept him from panicking on the big points. This was Sharath’s fourth straight victory over Drinkhall in six matches since the 2008 Austrian Open.

Source: The Hindu February 18, 2017 20:18 UTC