PBL Season 5: Kashyap falters again, Warriors trump Rockets

The onus was on Parupalli Kashyap to deliver in what was his team’s Trump match, but he appeared subdued throughout his contest.

Kim Sa Rang won the 'Attacking Player of the Tie' award for his performance in the last match of the Lucknow leg.

A lacklustre performance from Parupalli Kashyap in his singles match against Hong Kong’s Wong Wing Ki Vincent allowed Awadhe Warriors to rise up to second in the points table. It registered a 4-0 win over Mumbai Warriors on Tuesday.

The onus was on Kashyap to deliver in what was his team’s Trump match, but he appeared subdued throughout his contest and couldn’t quite find his rhythm. It resulted in a tame surrender.

Ajay Jayaram, then, defeated South Korea’s Lee Dong Keun to further enlarge the lead for the Warriors. Jayaram, playing his first match for the Warriors this season, took his time to settle in; eventually, it was a comfortable 12-15, 15-6, 15-7 trouncing. In the absorbing men’s doubles contest, Ko Sung Hyun and Shin Baek Cheol completed the rout.

Earlier, the mixed doubles duo of Kim Sa Rang and Pia Zebadiah overcame a spirited resistance from Ko Sung Hyun and Christinna Pederson to give the Rockets the early lead. After a relatively comfortable first game, the two lost the momentum to their determined opponents for a considerable period. Kim had a ubiquitous smile and hung in there with Zebiadah to eventually sneak ahead and pocket the game.

As it happened

U.S.’s Beiwen Zhang played her first match of the second-leg of the tourney, and duly levelled the scores with a 15-3, 15-4 annihilation of Kuhoo Garg. Zhang displayed a full range of strokes without being repetitive; she went for some smashes, some drop shots, and at times rolled her wrist with an angled racquet to place the shuttle away at a particular spot on the forecourt. Kuhoo, on the other hand, committed a number of unforced errors and couldn’t match up to Zhang in the rallies.

The next contest was between two relatively equal contestants, but Kashyap wasn’t in his element. Kashyap and Vincent engaged each other in rallies, waiting for the slightest opening on which to pounce on. As the match dragged on, however, Vincent gained the upper hand.

Kashyap continued making errors. He chose not to play aggressively, and crumbled consistently in the rallies. Vincent, the World No. 41, collapsed on the ground in delight after the upset; with a beaming smile, he kissed the Warriors’ crest on his t-shirt, and gestured to the crowd. Warriors now had the win under their belt.