Kashyap gives India first win at Olympics

Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap started his Olympic campaign in style, getting the better of Belgium’s Yuhan Tan in straight games in a Group D match here today. The 25-year-old Hyderabadi took just 38 minutes to see off Tan 21-14 21-12 at the Wembley Arena. Kashyap looked in command from the onset as he won the first game in just 21 minutes. Trailing at the start, the Belgium showed some signs of fightback but couldn’t match the pace and guile of Kashyap who was at his best, playing some breathtaking drop shots. Equally good was the Indian’s smashes. [caption id=“attachment_395108” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Kashyap, ranked 21 in the world, was on the money in the second game as well, as the shuttler raced to a 6-2 lead in no time. PTI[/caption] Kashyap, ranked 21 in the world, was on the money in the second game as well, as the shuttler raced to a 6-2 lead in no time. The left-handed Belgium tried to hold the fort, with patches of brilliance, but that did not deter a rampaging Kashyap as the Indian went to the break at 11-7. Kashyap, the lone Indian representative in the men’s singles here, came back to finish the job 21-14 in barely 14 minutes with Yuhan playing an attempted backhand into the net to hand his opponent a victory. There was a little stutter towards the end as Kashyap lost five consecutive game points, but that did not prove costly. Kashyap plays Tien Minh Nguyen of Vietnam in the next match on July 31. PTI