Tokyo: Veteran Indian table tennis player A Sharath Kamal overcame a sluggish start to beat Portugal's Tiago Polonia in the second round to set up a clash with defending champion Ma Long in the Olympics, here on Monday.

The 39-year-old Sharath struggled in the first game but pulled himself up just in time to win 2-11 11-8 11-5 9-11 11-6 11-9 in the 49-minute second-round contest.

The Indian paddler now has a tough match ahead as he takes on the legendary Long, who is also the reigning world champion.

Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Long has won every singles title in the sport.

Sharath's compatriot G Sathiyan had lost his men's singles second round from an advantageous position on Sunday to exit the competition.

In the women's draw, Manika Batra moved to the third round with an upset win over world number 32 Margaryta Pesotska of Ukraine on Sunday.

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Ramallah (AP): The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has sharply condemned US President Donald Trump's suggestion to “clean out” the Gaza Strip and request that Egypt and Jordan take in more Palestinians.

In a statement, the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited control over parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, says the prospect of mass displacement from the Gaza Strip “constitutes a violation of the red lines that we have repeatedly warned against.”

“Our people will not leave,” the statement said. “We warn of the repercussions of such a dangerous Israeli policy that contributes to severing the ties of the Gaza Strip, and displacing its people, which will lead to destabilization and security.”

Trump's remarks suggesting that Palestinians be encouraged to leave Gaza gets at the core of Palestinian fears that they will be driven from their remaining homeland.

The Palestinian presidency said it was “ready to assume its full duties in the Gaza Strip” in hopes of eventually establishing an independent Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank city of Ramallah, briefly controlled Gaza after Israeli troops withdrew in 2005, only to be driven out by its rival Hamas two years later.