Indian enters quarterfinals of Denmark Open Super Series with a 21-9 21-19 win over world No 10.
Parupalli Kashyap, fresh off his bronze-medal winning performance at the Commonwealth Games, shocked the third seed at the Denmark Open Super Series to reach the quarterfinals here on Thursday.
Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana was all at sea against the confident, attacking Indian, who won 21-9 21-19. Kashyap is the last Indian left in the draw after Anand Pawar fell in three games to last year’s finalist and sixth seed Marc Zwiebler of Germany in the second round. Chetan Anand had already fallen in the first, along with Ajay Jayaram.
This was an excellent result for Kashyap, as Ponsana, a tricky Thai player who has a positive record against Indian players, is a tough hand to beat. Ponsana, ranked No 10 has been a regular among the elite of the world for close to a decade.
Kashyap displayed the full range of his game, attacking without fear and settling down to long rallies when the occasion demanded it. Neither Ponsana’s wristy play, nor his hard smashes, deterred the Indian, who withstood the barrage brilliantly and smartly converted defence into attack.
The Thai was so taken aback by Kashyap’s resilience in the first game that he fell apart in 10 minutes. The second game was more competitive as Ponsana used all his experience to fight back, but Kashyap was equal to the task.
The Indian leapt to a 7-2 lead, Ponsana caught up at 10, and it was a close battle for a while. The Indian kept his focus, stayed in the rallies, and proved authoritative at the net to close it out in two games.
“Everything’s working now,” he told DNA. “Ever since the All England I have changed my schedule and my training. It’s just about working hard. After the Commonwealth Games I have been very confident. I’m just leaving the on-court training to Gopi and Bhaskar (Babu) sir.”
Others who reached the quarterfinals were All England finalist Kenichi Tago (Japan), Indonesian No 2 seed Taufik Hidayat, Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen, and Germany’s Marc Zwiebler. Most of the top Asians are missing as they are preparing for the Asian Games.
The most awaited match of the day was local hopes Jan O Jorgensen against teen prodigy Viktor Axelsen, who hails from the host city of Odense. Axelsen, the world junior champion, has excited the badminton community across the world, and was expected to run his senior compatriot close, but Jorgensen played a smart tactical game, using Axelsen’s height against him and frequently smashing to the body and cramping the lanky lad.
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