India’s Sharath Kamal claimed his third Commonwealth title of Birmingham 2022 with a comeback victory over Team England’s Liam Pitchford in the men’s singles as the Table Tennis wrapped up at the NEC.
The 40-year-old, who had already won gold in the mixed doubles and men’s team, clinched a 4-1 win over men’s doubles champion Pitchford, who took the lead in the opening game.
But Kamal proved too strong and fought back to take the next four games to seal the title he first won at Melbourne 2006 for his 13th Commonwealth medal in total from his fifth Games.
India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran held his nerve to fend off a remarkable fightback from Team England’s Paul Drinkhall to clinch Commonwealth men’s singles bronze.
Gnanasekaran, who added to his Birmingham 2022 men’s team gold, took a 3-0 lead before men’s doubles champion Drinkhall hit back to level the score at 3-3 with a battling performance in front of his home crowd.
The Indian was made to fight to the death but sealed the victory with an 11-9 win in the deciding game for his sixth Commonwealth medal in total.
Gnanasekaran admitted the match would live long in his memory, saying: “That was really, really hard work.
“I cruised in the match and credit to Paul, he started to play much better and I became a little passive. I had so many chances, I would have been sleepless for a week if I had lost that.
“I so, so badly wanted this singles medal. It’s a match I will never forget.”
Singapore’s Feng Tianwei claimed her third gold of Birmingham 2022 as she successfully defended her Commonwealth women’s doubles title with Zeng Jian at the NEC
The highly-decorated 35-year-old, who won doubles gold at Gold Coast 2018 and Glasgow 2014, and Jian – who took her Birmingham medal tally to four as a result – beat Australia’s Jee Minhyung and Jian Fang Lay in straight sets to take the title.
The victorious pair raced to an 11-1 win in game one before Australia attempted to get back into it, but their opponents were too strong and scores of 11-8 in the next two games handed Singapore the gold medal.
The gold for Tianwei was her 13th Commonwealth medal in total and her third title of the Games following success in the women’s team and singles competitions.
Wales secured bronze as Charlotte Carey and 16-year-old Anna Hursey recorded a 3-1 victory over women’s team champions Wong Xin Ru and Zhou Jingyi of Singapore.
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