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Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna: India’s campaign in the men’s singles main draw at the 2025 WTT Singapore Smash came to an early end as Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manav Thakkar suffered first-round defeats on Sunday. Despite showing glimpses of fight, both Indian paddlers bowed out in five-game battles.

Veteran paddler and India’s table tennis icon Achanta Sharath Kamal, who had earned a direct qualification into the main draw thanks to his world ranking, took on Chinese Taipei’s Kao Cheng-Jui in his opening-round match.

The contest, which lasted just under 37 minutes, saw a roller-coaster of momentum shifts before the 42-year-old Indian eventually succumbed to a 2-3 (2-11, 11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 4-11) defeat.