By now, most sports fans in the English-speaking world are familiar with the acronym "GOAT" (greatest of all time). While the phrase is attributed to Muhammad Ali, the caprine acronym was coined (or at least popularized) by rapper LL Cool J in 2000. Right now, someone is making the case that a particular personage (Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Tom Brady, etc.) is or is not the GOAT in their field of endeavor. In India's table tennis world, however, there is little room for debate. Today, Sharath Kamal Achanta (pictured) reached yet another semifinal at India's 82nd Senior National Table Tennis Championships. Achanta won his first national championship in 2003, and his record-setting ninth in 2018. The 38-year-old Achanta is India's top-ranked player at world #32. Achanta's ninth title was secured with a win over #37 Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, a three-time finalist seeking his first national championship. To the delight of India's table tennis fans, the top two seeds are both still alive on opposite sides of the draw, keeping the rematch of the titans in play. First, Achanta will have to overcome 20-year-old Manav Thakker, world #139, in their semifinal matchup. On the other side of the draw, Gnanasekaran faces Snehit Fidel, a dangerous qualifier who dethroned defending champion Harmeet Desai in the round of 16. While experience clearly favors Achanta, his young and hungry opponents will be highly motivated to take down the all-time champ and carve their own names on the trophy. Meanwhile, Sharath Kamal Achanta needs only two wins to claim his tenth title and cement his status as India's GOAT.

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