Sharath says his twin titles will ensure him in top 50

Thu, Jul 15 10 11:08 PM

Chennai, Jul 15 (PTI) After winning two back-to-back international titles in two weeks, Olympian paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal is sure that he would break into the top 50 in world rankings. "From 76, I should be in the 40-50 bracket when the new rankings are released in the first week of August," Sharath told reporters here today. "Except for not performing up to the expectations in the World Championship, 2010 has been a great year and I want to cap it with a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games before preparing for Asian Games in November," he said. "The twin victories have come at the right time. I want to sign off 2010 by finishing among top 50," he added. Asked about the pressure of playing before the home crowd at the CWG, Sharath said, "Everyone will be looking at me to win. With the backing of the home crowd, I am confident of defending the title." Sharath picked Gao Ning of Singapore, ranked 22nd in the world, as main threat to his hopes in the CWG. "He has a better ratio of wins against me but I am earnest in my approach. I had lost to him about seven to eight times in the past. I last played him about two years back. I am preparing to beat him at the Commonwealth Games," he said. "I am training hard for the last four years, especially on fine-tuning the techniques for swift movements on court. After the China Open I would come to India in the middle of September for two to three week training at the Commonwealth Games venue," he said.

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