Bhat loses close contest,Kashyap has it easy

“It’s happened many times in my career. More than I can imagine,” he said later,adding that he’d fought well and done most things right. “He’s not so difficult to beat,hence the disappointment. Maybe I consciously need to cool myself,like after I’d frittered the match point. It wasn’t all lost after that,you know. I could’ve stayed calm,” he rued.

Kashyap beats Shahhosseini

P Kashyap’s opponent Ali Shahhosseini on Tuesday — who the Indian beat 21-9 21-13 — had a build more like a bulky boxer than a fleet-footed shuttler,but the Hyderabad player will need to be prepared for all the speed,strength and steep smashes that can be packed into a human body when he faces Chinese world No 2 Chen Jin next. Typically Chinese with his robotic precision in retrieving when bending low to the ground,and attacking when connecting with the shuttle really high,Chen Jin poses a towering challenge. The Chinese player eased past Dutchman Eric Pang 21-14 21-19. Fourth seed Taufik Hidayat brushed aside Switzerland’s Christian Boesiger 21-14 21-14. However,Danish seventh seed Joachim Persson was beaten 16-21 21-14 21-13 by Japan’s Kenichi Tago.

Nehwal starts

The biggest draw on day three,though,would be Saina Nehwal’s opening match against Anastasia Prokopenko. The lean,quick Russian seemed intimidated at the prospect when she said,“She’s very good,I’ll need to play my own game,not match her’s.” Nehwal,though,would be keenly watched for her fitness after her recovery from chicken pox before she moves onto bigger challenges.