Kashyap enters Asia Championships second round

Wuhan, April 21: Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap entered the men’s singles second round with a straight games victory at the $200,000 Badminton Asia Championships on Tuesday.

Kashyap defeated old rival Zi Liang Derek Wong 21-17, 21-13 in 39 minutes to take a 5-2 lead in career meetings over the Singaporean and enter the second round at the Wuhan Sports Centre Gymsium here.

Incidentally, Kashyap had beaten Wong in a momentous battle last year to win the Commonwealth Games gold at Glasgow. The 28-year-old Hyderabadi will next take on Chinese Taipei’s Jen Hao Hsu against whom the Indian has a 2-1 advantage. Meanwhile, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponppa lost their women’s doubles first round encounter in three games at the continental championships. Chinese Taipei pair of Ya Ching Hsu and Yu Po Pai defeated the Indian combine 21-17, 15-21, 21-15 in 45 minutes to win the first contest between the two teams. IANS