India endured a disappointing Day 3 of the Japan Open Superseries with World No.1 Saina Nehwal crashing out of the competition in the second round, losing to Minatsu Mitani of Japan while HS Prannoy also bowed out of the competition, losing to Lee Dong Keun of Korea in straight games.
In the battle of the Indians that took place between World No.4 Kidambi Srikanth and World No.8 Parupalli Kashyap and it was the latter who came out on top in this contest, winning in straight games to progress through to the quarterfinals.
The Indian will take on Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-final, an opponent against whom he has a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head record. Kashyap will be looking to further better his record against Chen and carry India’s fortunes forward at the competition.
Will Kashyap better his record against Chen or will his opponent win his second match on the trot against the Indian, after beating him at the All England Open earlier this year? Only time will tell.
Match-up: Parupalli Kashyap vs Chou Tien Chen
Time: Around 10:00 A.M