Chetan Anand, P Kashyap lose, doubles pairs win in World Championship

Top Indian shuttlers Chetan Anand and P Kashyap faced defeats in the opening round but the mixed doubles pair kept India in the hunt in the World Badminton Championships here today.

Kashyap squandered a first game lead to lose 21-14 14-21 16-21 to Thailand's Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk in a 56-minute first round match late last night.

A lot was expected from 14th seed Chetan but the highest ranked Indian in the fray too lost 14-21 18-21 to Singapore's Ong Zhao Ashton Chen, who is placed 107th in world rankings, to end Indian challenge in the men's singles event.

It was the mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju who finally brought some smiles back in the Indian camp after beating Malaysia's Peng Soon Chan and Liu Ying Goh 21-19 21-8 in a 24-minute match.

World number 15 Anand, who recovered from a knee injury recently, failed to find any rhythm and trailed from the start and could only narrow down the gap to 5-7 before falling behind again.

Drop shots, net play and trying to pin Chen to the back courts didn't work for Chetan as the Singaporean had all the answers. Time and again, Chen's weapon the overhead smash from the back court worked to perfection.

Chetan changed shirt from an all-white to a yellow-red combination in the second game and it seemed it brought some luck as the Indian took the first point and then led 2-1.

Chen, however, came back to take a 6-3 lead with a couple of powerful mid court smashes.

Chetan fought back and for the first time in the tie he led 9-8 with some deft drop shots and net play which brought applause from the crowd.

The lead exchanged hands quite a few times before Chetan committed quite a few unforced errors to hand a 17-12 lead to his opponent.

Chetan did pull back to 14-18 but it was not his day today and Chen raced to 20-18 before shutting the door on the Indian with a drop shot in the 37-minute match.

The disappointment was all evident when after the tie, Chetan said, "It is a big blow as I had trained keeping the World Championships in focus."

"But today, nothing seemed to work and I just failed to come to grips with my game and also played into my opponents hands," he added.

Chetan said he at times played to the strength of his opponent by giving him chance to play his overhead smashes from the back court.

"I think that was a mistake. He played the overhead smash well and you also have to give him credit that he brought himself into positions where he forced me to play certain shots," said the Hyderabadi.

"I think I will take a break and will see how I go about planning for the next few months," he added.

Unlike Chetan, Kashyap had the luxury to win the first game. He was almost flawless in the first game as he pinned the Thai to the back court and with some delectable drop shots won important points.

After winning the first game 21-14, Kashyap seemed well on course of advancing to the second round. But Saensomboonsuk had other pans as he came back strongly to shatter the hopes of the Indian.

Saensomboonsuk forced Kashyap on the back hand in the second game to race to a 8-3 lead and finally win the game 21-14 to tie the scores at 1-1.

In the decider, Kashyap's defensive errors continued as the Thai took a 19-15 lead. In the end, despite Kashyap prolonging the rallies, Saensomboonsuk won the third game 21-16 to cruise into the second round.

"I think I was too defensive," said a crestfallen Kashyap.

"But it's an important learning experience for me. I have no doubt that I was the better player with the better shots but he forced me to play to his style and I just couldn't adapt," he said.

Kashyap also felt that he would need to play more openly.

"I need to relax in a game. I am too stressed out when the match is not going my way. I hope this goes a long way in teaching me to play to my strength," the Indian said.

Even as the men's singles stars faded into oblivion, Jwala-Diju ensured that the tri-colour keeps fluttering.

The ninth seeded Indians lead 11-9 in the first game but some unforced errors gave Malaysia the advantage and they turned the tables by scrambling a lead of 18-15. Fast breaks contributed as the Indians pulled back to equalise at 18-18 before taking the game at 21-19.

In the second game, the Indian duo raced away to a 6-2 lead with some stunning serves by Jwala. Serving close to the net, she also tossed a few to the back court catching the Malaysians flat-footed.

India didn't let go the lead as raced away clinching points with some clever placements. Diju was in form as he smashed and placed beautifully.

"We were leading in the first game but they turned the momentum and opened a three point lead before we kind of steadied ourselves," said Diju.

Jwala felt the duo were more consistent today.

"I think we were consistent today. Yesterday against the British pair, we were not taking our chances. But today, even though the Malaysians played well in the first game, we were sure of ourselves," she said.

The Indians now play Singapore's Chayut Triyachart and Lei Yao who beat the third seeds Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Zieba in another match.

"In mixed doubles or for that matter in any match, you can't take anybody for granted. They have beaten the third seeds so they must be in form. But I am confident that if we play well and stick to our plans, we should come through," said Jwala.