Canada: Indian badminton player Parupalli Kashyap, a former world No. 6 men’s singles player, faced disappointment as he crashed out in the qualifying round of the Canada Open 2023 BWF Super 500 event in Calgary on Tuesday. Kashyap, a 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, has been struggling to regain his form and currently sits at 189th in the badminton rankings.
Competing at the Markin-MacPhail Centre, Kashyap began his campaign on a positive note, defeating Germany’s Kai Schaefer, ranked 67th in the world, in the first qualifying round. Despite a strong start and dominating the first game, Kashyap had to save two game points to secure a hard-fought 21-14, 22-20 victory.
However, his journey came to an end in the second qualifying match against Lae Lan Xi, ranked 65th in the world. Kashyap displayed great resilience but ultimately fell short, losing the match 21-17, 22-20.
On a brighter note, Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala, India’s sole representation in the men’s doubles category, advanced to the second round of the main draw. The duo, currently ranked 38th in doubles, defeated the pair of Lu Chen and Chen Zhi Ray from Chinese Taipei, ranked 63rd in the world, with a convincing 21-14, 21-16 victory in the first round. However, their next challenge could prove formidable, as they may face three-time world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan from Indonesia in the second round.
In women’s doubles, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda, ranked 95th in the world, faced defeat against the unranked Canadian pair of Jacqueline Cheung and Jeslyn Chow in a closely contested match that went to three games. The final scoreline read 21-15, 15-21, and 9-21 in favour of the Canadian duo.
The spotlight now shifts to India’s top badminton players, including two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and Commonwealth Games 2022 champion Lakshya Sen, who will be taking the court on Wednesday. As they prepare to showcase their skills and compete against tough opponents, fans eagerly anticipate their performances in the prestigious Canada Open 2023.
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