Ace Indian paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal advanced to the second round of the World Table Tennis Contender series with a hard fought 3-2 win over Czech Republic's Pavel Sirucek here on Wednesday. Sharath toiled hard before defeating Sirucek 17-15 9-11 11-6 8-11 11-9 in the first round.

However, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, who alongside Sharath secured a direct entry into the main draw, made a first round exit after going down to world no 20 Aruna Quadri 7-11 4-11 8-11. World no 32 Sharath, who was up against an international opponent for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, struggled initially when he was seen trailing by five points in the first game before recovering well with a strong counter attacking display to take an early 1-0 lead in the match. Despite losing the next game, the nine-time national champion kept firing attacking shots to bag the third game comfortably.