Syed Modi International: Parupalli Kashyap moves into final

India’s top ranked men’s singles player Parupalli Kashyap prevailed over Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto 21-18,23-21 to sneak into the final of the Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in Lucknow on Saturday.

The world number 20 Indian fought an engaging opening game against Sugiarto with a nice blend of drop shots and potent smashes to pocket it at 21-18.

Kashyap was quick off the blocks in the second game and raced to an 11-6 lead. The Indian grew in confidence as the match wore on and led 17-9 at one stage.

A slew of unforced errors by Kashyap allowed Sugiarto to narrow the gap to 14-17. The Indian nudged ahead at 19-14 and looked poised for a place in the final when the Indonesian won five points on the trot to level things at 19-19 before forcing the decider into deuce.

Kashyap kept his cool from there on and closed out the match at 23-21.