Want to keep working hard and climb up the rankings, says Parupalli Kashyap after Austrian Open win

Even though it took over three years for Parupalli Kashyap to win an international title, he feels that the win in Austria signals at big things that are in store for him in 2018.

Kashyap has always been a name to reckon with in Indian badminton. However, due to sudden injuries in the past few years, he witnessed a downfall in the world rankings. The Indian spent the whole of 2017 bowing out of tournaments in the round of 32 or the round of 16.

The 2018 India Open seemed to be where Kashyap could have picked up on his losses after he got through to the quarterfinals but he went down to Qiao Bin of China in straight sets after putting up a spirited fight.

Nonetheless, Kashyap knew he had broken the jinx of the qualification rounds and wanted to get some confidence going, which prompted him to play the Austrian Open International Challenger.

And, he did just that as he beat all his opponents in straight games, even in the final where he defeated June Wei Cheam. Kashyap thrashed the Malaysian 23-21, 21-14 in just 36 minutes to win a title after a span of almost three years.

“I am feeling good about winning a tournament after a long time. Just want to thank Gopi (chand) Sir and all the coaching staff at the academy,” Kashyap said after his win from Vienna. “I have worked really hard for a while now and want to keep winning and keep the momentum going in my favour so that I can progress through the rankings gradually,” he added.

The 31-year-old from Hyderabad is currently ranked 44 in the world and wants to break into the top 30 by the end of June.

“There are no major tournaments for me until May or June so by then I hope I can make it to the top 30,” the Austrian Open winner said.

Kashyap, though, was not selected for the Indian badminton contingent travelling to Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games. He feels that the injuries hindered his selection but the team selected was fair and that the deserving players have been given a chance to represent the country.

“I think injuries took a toll on my qualification for CWG as I couldn’t get my ranking up in time but the credit goes to the players who qualified and are worthy of their spot. Srikanth and Prannoy have been exceptional in the last six months and they deserve to be representing India at Commonwealth Games and I hope the team can return with medals,” he said.