India’s 29 year old Sharath Kamal Achanta and Hungary’s 25 year old Georgina Pota, both players sponsored by the forward thinking Chicago based Killerspin Company, won the respective Men’s and Women’s Singles titles at the United States Open in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Sunday 4th July 2010.
Independence Day was celebrated in style by the two champions elect as they imposed their class on the proceedings.
Sharath Kamal Achanta demonstrated his fighting qualities to the full to recover from a three games to one deficit to beat Slovakia’s Thomas Keinath.
The current Indian national champion and winner of the Men’s Singles crown in the table tennis events at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006, the power of the man who represents all that is best in sport, eventually overwhelmed his experienced Slovakian adversary.
Victory was recorded by the margin of 11-9, 5-11, 8-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9.
Meanwhile, for Georgina Pota, she fulfilled the potential demonstrated as a teenager. In 2002 she won the Junior Girls’ singles title at the European Youth Championships in Moscow.
Eight years later after excelling in the Russian capital city, she excelled in the capital city of the United States and she wrote her name into the history books of table tennis.
She became the first non Asian born player to win the Women’s Singles event at the United States Open since her Hungarian compatriot, Csilla Batorfi, succeeded in 1992.
At the final hurdle she defeated Minami Doi of Japan 11-9, 11-5, 13-11, 4-11, 11-5.
In fact the two Hungarians are the only players to secure the prestigious title since 1977; such was the magnitude of Georgina pota’s success.
Success for Killerspin, the trendsetters and there was more.
Biba and Gina reached the semi-final stage of the Women’s Doubles event losing to the eventual champions Japan’s Midori Ito and Megumi Abe.
Bronze for Biba and Gina but there was more Killerspin gold.
Ilija Lupulesku, Men’s Doubles silver medallist with Zoran Primorac in the table tennis events at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988, won the Over 40 Men’s Singles crown.
Oozing talent as in his prime, he beat the enigmatic Danny Seemiller to clinch gold.
However, in Grand Rapids it was Sharath Kamal Achanta and Georgina Pota who stole the show, they were the United States Open Men’s and Women’s Singles champions 2010.
Truly magnificent performances.
