India’s men shuttlers had a great day in office with reigning Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap entering the final of the Austrian Open Championship in Vienna while Sameer Verma entered the final of the Swiss Open.
In Vienna, 31-year-old Kashyap beat fifth seeded Estonian Raul Must 21-18, 21-4 in only 37 minutes to enter the summit clash where he will be facing June Wei Cheam. It is expected that Kashyap, whose rankings have plummeted currently to No 52 due to injuries, will get important points and improve his position in the list.
In Basel, world No 41 Verma beat 19-year-old Thai Kantaphon Wangcharoen 21-14, 11-21, 21-12 in a hard fought win.
In the first game Verma employed cautious tactics by playing a waiting game and dictated the rallies completely. However, world No 51 Kantaphon turned the tables in the second game by attacking more frequently. The final game however went Verma’s way as his waiting game along with stronger legs worked in his favour.
-Inputs from PTI
(Correction and clarification: The first version of this article mistakenly said Kashyap won the Austrian Open. It was an error by the news agency and it’s now been rectified.)