Glasgow: Rashid Sidek, Wong Choong Hann, Mohd Hafiz Hashim and Lee Chong Wei have created the Malaysia badminton dynasty that garnered 6 men’s singles gold medals consecutively since the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games. However, the men’s singles gold medal chase was left wide open with the exit of Chong Wei Feng and Daren Liew in quarter-finals on Friday.
On Saturday, India’s second seeded shuttler Parupalli Kashyap reached the Commonwealth Games men’s singles with a hard-fought 2-1 win over England’s Rajiv Ouseph of England. After losing the first game 18-21, Kashyap came back strongly to win the next two games with 21-17, 21-18 victory in 83 minutes.
“Rajiv was a very tough player,” said Kashyap. “There were a lot of questionable line-calls, but I tried my best to remain cool, calm and collected. Fortunately, I was able to battle my way to the victory,” added Kashyap.
Derek Wong of Singapore prevented an all-Indian final after coming from a game down to beat R V Gurusaidutt 16-21, 21-19, 21-15 in another tense men’s singles game. Wong will play Kashyap in the gold medal match on Sunday.
Top seed P V Sindhu of India was beaten in the semi-finals of the women’s singles as Michelle Li of Canada broke British and Asian dominance at the Commonwealth Games badminton on Saturday. The 22-year-old was elated after coming through 22-20, 22-20 in a closely-contested match where her policy of relaxing paid off. Michelle Li will play Kirsty Gilmour in the final on Sunday after the Scot delighted her home crowd with a 21-13, 21-19 victory against Tee Jing Yi of Malaysia.
Earlier on Saturday, Scots Imogen Bankier and Robert Blair lost against Chris and Gabby Adcock of England in the mixed doubles semi. The English duo proved too strong and sealed a 21-14 21-14 triumph. Sunday’s mixed doubles final is an all-English affair after Chris Langridge and Heather Olver beat Malaysia’s Peng Soon Chan and Lai Pei Jing 21-15 20-22 21-13.
In the men’s doubles semifinals, Singapore’s Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Chayut Triyachart beat English rivals Chris Langridge and Peter Mills 2-1. They will play Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong of Malaysia in the gold medal match.
