Achanta Sharath Kamal's illustrious two-decade career came to an end on Saturday as he lost to Snehit Suravajjula in the men's singles round of 16 match at the WTT Star Contender 2025 in Chennai.
Earlier in the day, 24-year-old Manav Thakkar etched his name in history books by becoming the first Indian male player to reach a WTT Star Contender semi-final.
Facing his doubles partner and one of India's brightest emerging talents, Sharath battled valiantly but was beaten 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-9).
Snehit's composed and precise play secured a close-fought victory, symbolizing a generational shift in Indian table tennis.
The match was part of a landmark day for Indian table tennis, with Manav Thakkar becoming the first Indian male to reach a WTT Star Contender quarter-final. His success, alongside Snehit's triumph, marked a 'Passing of the Torch' moment in the sport.
Sharath's farewell match, held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, was met with cheers from an appreciative crowd honouring his unmatched contributions to Indian table tennis.
In front of cheering fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Sharath played a spirited exhibition match against Egypt's Omar Assar, which served as his final good-bye, before delivering an emotional address to the gathered crowd, during which he underlined his intent to continue contributing to table tennis -- albeit from the other side.
"Somewhere down the line I had felt it's enough and I wanted to explore the possibility of giving back to the sport from the other side of the court. I have done my part as a player, I felt I had contributed enough to the country as a player, and I want to contribute from the other side, as an administrator, or a coach, a mentor, or even as just a senior player," Sharath said, while thanking family, friends, fans, employers IndianOil, SDAT, Stupa Sports Analytics, Ultimate Table Tennis, TTFI, and ITTF.
In an electrifying showdown to close out the day, South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon and An Jae-hyun powered their way to the men's doubles crown, defeating top seeds Tomokazu Harimoto and Sora Matsushima 3-1 with commanding flair.
The women's doubles final, meanwhile, was a nail-biting thriller, as Japan's Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara battled past Shin Yu-bin and Ryu Hanna, sealing a dramatic 11-5 triumph in the deciding game.
Manav claimed victory in successive five-game thrillers over Germany's Andre Bertelsmeier and South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon, an Olympic medallist, to reach the Semi-finals.
Snehit's sensational run, however, came to an end with a defeat against France's Thibault Poret after his earlier win over Sharath. Flavien Coton recorded back-to-back upsets to enter the semis, while Oh Jun-sung completed the quartet with his win over Tomislav Pucar.
In the women's singles, Shin Yu-bin advanced comfortably, sweeping past Miyu Nagasaki in straight games. Honoka Hashimoto's strong form persisted as she defeated Joo Cheonhui, while Miwa Harimoto cruised past Yuan Wan. Kim Nayeong stunned sixth seed Adriana Diaz, completing a commanding win to reach the final four.
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