Parupalli Kashyap and Saina Nehwal.

Parupalli Kashyap created history as he became the first Indian male badminton player to enter the quarter-finals at the Olympics.

Indian badminton has become synonymous with Saina Nehwal, but Kashyap too has caught the eye in London, and on Wednesday, he defeated Sri Lankan Niluka Karunaratne 21-14, 15-21, 21-9.

Later in the day, Saina too made it to the quarter-finals of the women’s singles, with a 21-14, 21-16 victory over Jie Yao.

The world No.5 tired out the Chinese-born Dutch by engaging her in rallies and executed her strokes with perfection in a 40-minute match.

After two easy matches in the group stages, it was a good workout for the 22-year-old, who will take on two-time All England champion Tine Baun of Denmark. Baun progressed after her opponent, Sayaka Sato of Japan, retired.

Before Kashyap, the best performance from an Indian man came at Barcelona 1992, when Dipankar Bhattacharya made it to the pre-quarter finals.

“I cannot express how happy I am,” said the 25-year-old Kashyap at the Wembley Arena.

“It was a very tough match, tougher than what the scores suggest. I am happy that I was able to keep my concentration and focus. I never imagined I would be in the quarter-finals of the Olympics. I am still hoping my parents will be able to come and see me play as they are waiting for their visas.”

Interestingly, Kashyap is not too bothered even as he plays World No.1 Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) next. “Right now I am not bothered about my opponent. It is the quarter-final of the Olympics and things get much tougher from now on,” he added.

In the first game, it was Niluka who raced to a 7-4 lead with some stinging smashes and delectable drops. Thereafter, Kashyap came into his own with powerful smashes to level the score at 9-all before jumping to a 17-11 lead. He eventually won the game 21-14.

In the second game, Niluka did not give up. Realising that the Indian played at a fast pace, Niluka slowed down the game by engaging the Indian in long rallies.

That resulted in Kashyap making unforced errors. Though the Hyderabadi managed to save eight game points, he went on to lose the game 15-21.

There was no mistaking Kashyap’s superiority in the decider. He stepped up the pace with some scorching smashes and was the master at the net. He opened up an 8-3 lead and then sealed victory at 21-9.

source: http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in / Home> Sports> Olympics 2012> Latest News- London Olympics 2012 / by S. Kannan / London, August 02nd, 2012