INDIAN ace shuttler Parupalli Kashyap stormed into the semifinals of the Indonesia Open, after toppling world number one Chen Long of China on Friday (June 5).
The Commonwealth gold medallist went down 14-21 in the first set of the men's singles quarterfinal in Jakarta, before catching up and ousting top-seed Chen 21-17, 21-14 in the gruelling 63-minute battle.
Kashyap's consistent, precise smashes and formidable net play prompted his experienced opponent to make unforced errors and hit either too wide or too long.
"I could play good attacking and my smashes (were) good today," Kashyap told reporters after the match.
"I'm happy with the win," he added.
This was Kashyap's second victory over the world champion. He subdued Chen in the Indonesian Open in 2012.
"I played my usual game today but my opponent was more solid and fast," Chen said.
Chen's loss, which came after fellow countryman Lin Dan was trounced 19-21, 21-8, 21-16 by Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto in Wednesday (June 3)'s opening round, meant shuttling powerhouse China would not be represented in the men's singles semis in the tournament.
"There's no Chinese representative in the semis, but it's okay. In any competition, there are winners and losers," Chen said.
But it was better news for the Chinese in the women's singles.
Lower-ranked Wang Shixian of China beat India's Saina Nehwal 16-21, 21-12, 21-18 in an exciting, closely-contested 70-minute match to seal her place in the semi-finals.
Nehwal got off to an aggressive start to win the first set but veteran Wang made a strong comeback in the second set to draw level.
The players went neck-to-neck in the decider before Nehwal bolted to lead 15-10, but the Chinese went on an attack to level the score at 15-15. Both sides refused to give up, playing long rallies and waiting for each other to make mistakes.
Wang maintained her composure and displayed phenomenal defensive play to outclass the Indian, who committed crucial unforced errors.
Wang Yihan of China beat Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 14-21, 21-8, 21-9 to advance to the semi-final.
