Doha, Feb 23 (IANS): Tristan Flore of France won the Under 21 men's singles table tennis title beating India's Harmeet Desai at the $3.5 million ITTF World Tour Qatar Open here.
In the contest Saturday night between two players who were not seeded and had been required to negotiate the qualification stages of the competition, Flore downed Desai in straight sets 11-9, 11-5, 11-8, 11-4.
"I employed the same strategy as I did against my opponent in the semifinals. But Flore was too good on the day," said Desai in a Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) media release
Desai's good form deserted him at the crucial juncture.
The Indian struggled against his rival who began cautiously to narrowly wrap up the first game. But having sized up his opponent, the Frenchman upped the ante and disposed of Desai quickly.