Indian Open: Kashyap seals London Olympics spot

 

Indian Open: Kashyap gets walkover, qualifies for OlympicsNew Delhi: Call it fate or sheer destiny but Commonwealth Games bronze medallist P Kashyap would go to Olympics after a year-long race with compatriot Ajay Jayaram after he received a walk-over in the quarterfinals of the Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2012-OSIM BWF World Superseries tournament here on Friday.

 

The world number 30 had to win his quarterfinal against former world champion Chen Jin to leap-frog Ajay in the race for a berth in the flight to London and given the enormous task at hand it looked a difficult prospect.

However, the Indian shuttler was in for a surprise when he was informed by the officials that he has received a walkover after Chen conceded the quarterfinal tie citing a wrist injury.

 

“It’s a fantastic feeling (to qualify for the Olympics). Not that I was sure to win against Chen Jin but I had played against him before. Given the past results and the home support I was confident of doing well against him. But this has come as a surprise and my entire focus now will be to do well tomorrow,” said Kashyap who will now face Korea’s Wan Ho Shon, who upset second seed Peter Gade of Denmark 24-22, 21-18 in the other last eight encounter.

 

However, Kashyap’s news was the only positive for the Indian contingent on Friday with P V Sindhu, women’s doubles pair of Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa and men’s doubles combination of Rupesh Kumar-Sanave Thomas going down at the quarterfinal stage.

 

National champion Sindhu showed a glimpse of what she is capable off as she stretched fourth seed Jiang Yangjiao for almost an hour before going down 18-21, 21-12, 21-18 in the women’s singles.

 

In the doubles event, Jwala and Ashwini began with aggressive intentions but then ran out of steam to go down against third seed Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna of Japan 19-21, 21-13, 21-14 while Rupesh and Sanave failed to recreate Wednesday’s magic and lost 21-12, 21-12 against Thailand’s Bodin Issara and Maneepong Jongjit.

 

Schenk beat top seed

 

In the day’s other matches, Germany’s Juliane Schenk ensured that the women’s singles semifinals would not be an all Chinese affair when she upset top seed Shixian Wang 6-21, 21-10, 21-16.

 

She will now face giant killer Xiao Jia Chen of China. The qualifier, who had upset fifth seed Tine Baun of Denmark in the earlier round, thrashed Saina Nehwal’s conqueror Youn Joo Bae of Korea 21-17, 21-13.

 

In the men’s singles, top seed Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia defeated Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia 21-16, 21-13 to set a semifinal date against Jen Hao Hsu of Chinese Taipei.

 

 

By Indian Sports News Network

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