Sharath Kamal reached the Round of 16 in the men’s singles category of the WTT Star Contender Chennai after beating Australia’s Nicholas Lum at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Friday.

It was a fairly easy day at the office for Kamal, who didn’t drop a game en route to this win as he finished with a score of 11-8, 11-8, 11-9. 

On a day when Achanta Sharath Kamal, 42, began the last tournament of his professional career, 14-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick took her first steps at the senior level with a performance that defied her age.

Two matches before Sharath’s much-awaited men’s singles opener against Anirban Ghosh, Divyanshi stepped onto the show court at the Nehru Indoor Stadium for her senior main draw debut at the WTT Star Contender event. The Indian qualifier faced World No. 64 Giorgia Piccolin of Italy, a seasoned opponent 15 years her senior.

A nervous start saw Divyanshi fall behind 3-9 in the opening game, but she fought back with six straight points before the Italian eventually converted her fifth game point. The Indian responded by clinching the second game 11-9 but lost the third by the same margin.

It was in the fourth game that Divyanshi stamped her authority. Using her Grass D.Tecs rubber to disrupt Piccolin’s rhythm with precise chops and chop blocks, she dominated with an 11-1 win. In the decider, she maintained her defensive solidity, sealing the match 11-6 and booking her spot in the round of 32.