Kashyap reaches semifinals of Indonesian Open

New Delhi: Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist shuttler P Kashyap continued his rampaging run and notched up a straight-game victory over Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark to enter the semifinals of the Indonesia Super Series Premier in Jakarta on Friday.

World number 26 Kashyap, who had stunned top seed Chen Long to reach the quarterfinals yesterday, saw off Vittinghus -- ranked 16 -- 21-15 21-14 in a 39-minute men`s singles match. Kashyap will next take on seventh seed Indonesian Simon Santoso in the semifinals on Saturday. Santoso beat compatriot Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka 21-17 21-7 in another match. The 25-year-old from Hyderabad, who qualified for the London Olympics during the India Open Super Series in New Delhi, matched his rival at the fore court and used his sharp smashes to tame Vittinghus. Kashyap took early initiative and moved to a 10-6 lead. Vittinghus narrowed down the gap a couple of times but the Indian, with his 17 smash winners, was too good for the Dane. In the second game, the duo fought tooth and nail till 9-9, before Kashyap once again moved ahead and held fort to earn his place at the semifinals. Asked about his next match, Kashyap said: "I am just happy to win today. I haven't thought about tomorrow's match. I will talk to Gopi sir and prepare accordingly. I had played against him in Thomas Cup this year and hope to play well tomorrow." PTI