Parupalli Kashyap becomes third Indian to reach semis of Korea Open Super 500 history

2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap became only the third Indian to reach the semifinals of the Korea Open Super 500 after Ajay Jayaram (2015) and PV Sindhu. (2017). Kashyap achieved the feat after defeating former top Danish shuttler Jan Jorgensen in the quarter finals earlier today in Incheon. The Indian world no 30 will next take on top seed Japanese shuttler Kento Momota in his semi finals clash.

With hopes pinned on his shoulder, Parupalli Kashyap took the court as the only remaining Indian against Denmark's Jan Jorgensen for his quarters clash. The match started with both players showing good composure as the score line read 11-8 in Jorgensen's favour at the first game interval. However, Kashyap made inroads with his deft cross court smashes to take four points on the trot and take the lead at 13-12.

There was nothing to decide between the players as the game went down to the decider. Jorgensen got the first match point but Kashyap eventually won the battles of nerves and sealed the contest at 24-22.

With one more game needed to win to enter the record books, the Indian looked charged up right from the start. Kashyap exerted his dominion right from the start of the second game and wrapped it up in the blink of an eye. Jorgensen failed to reach for the shots and Kashyap capitalized with his clinical and precise stroke play to seal the tie at the 24-22, 21-8.

Previously, he notched up a commanding win over Malaysia's Daren Liew in a three-game thriller to progress to the quarter-final stage. Prior to that, in the first round of the ongoing Korea Open, he had scripted a comfortable 21-16, 21-16 win over Lu Chia Hung of Chinese Taipei in a contest that lasted 42 minutes.