Parupalli Kashyap stuns Lee Hyun Il in the Thomas Cup Preliminary Round – Badminton news
India’s talented player Parupalli Kashyap showed his elevated performance as he stunned higher ranked Lee Hyun Il of South Korea in the Thomas Cup Preliminary Round on Sunday, February 19, in Macau.
However, India lost this team-event contest against South Korea with a deficit of 2-3 on the score board.
Kashyap, who is currently placed at number 29 in Men’s Singles world standings, played to his maximum speed and outplayed the World Number Eight Lee Hyun in an emphatic fashion.
The starting points of first game were thrilling when both men showed their spirited play and remained equal on the score board until 3-3.
At this stage, the lower ranked Kashyap started to push his rival on the back foot by playing with wonderful aggression. He continued playing attacking badminton in the opening half and reached at 11-7 until the break.
After the break, Lee Hyun started to play aggressive badminton but failed to put pressure on his lower ranked Indian rival who was in complete control of the game. The Korean also committed some mistakes and remained trailing behind on the score board.
On the other hand, Kashyap was focused and quicker in taking the bird early. His powerful smashes landed perfectly in the gaps and he managed to win the first set with a margin of 21-18.
In the second game, Lee Hyun played better badminton this time as he controlled the rallies and pushed his lower ranked opponent on the back foot.
On the other hand, Kashyap could not produce finishing strokes and remained trailing far behind at 6-11 until the one-minute interval.
After the break, Lee Hyun became a little relaxed and slowed down his speed which helped the spirited Indian to reduce the deficit and he managed to level the score by reaching at 14-14.
The score progressed closely from both sides at this stage. The Indian was 16-17 down when he showed surprising performance and took five consecutive points and bagged the second game with a 21-17 score on the board.
Kashyap emerged as the winner of this Men’s Singles battle with a remarkable score of 21-18 and 21-17.
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