The only Indian shuttler remaining at the Korea Open Superseries – Ajay Jayaram – keeps on flying the Indian Tricolour high. The World No.28 put up a commanding display to beat the 34th ranked Huang Yuxiang of China, 21-15, 21-18 in the second round at the Seong-nam Indoor Stadium in Seoul on Thursday. The match lasted just 39 minutes.
This makes the 29-year-old Jayaram the only Indian to progress into the quarter-finals. He will face the 20th ranked Lee Hyun II of Korea on Friday for a place in the semi-finals. Hyun II upset the third seed Jan O Jorgensen in the second round today.
Jayaram will be particularly pleased with his fitness this week. Last week, he was forced to retire due to an ankle injury after playing just one game in the second round at the Japan Open Superseries.
Showing no lingering effects of that injury, Jayaram has cruised through the draw, winning both his rounds in straight games.
In the first round, he had accounted for Jeon Hyeok Jin, 23-21, 21-18. There was no leniency from the Indian as he continued in the same vein even in Round 2.
Ajay broke away from 7-7 in the first game to completely assert himself as the Chinese struggled to keep up with his pace. From 11-7 at the mid-game interval, he soared to 17-14 and then 20-14 following which he wrapped up the opener, 21-15.
Jayaram kept up the pressure even in the second game and quickly built up a 9-4 lead. The Chinese tried to mix up things by making more forays into the net. His persistent efforts paid off and he reduced the deficit to 12-14.
But Ajay once more grabbed the lead and surged ahead 20-16. Even though Yuxiang saved two match points, he had no answer to Jayaram’s superb smash with which the Indian finished the match.
This was Ajay’s second consecutive victory over Yuxiang and he now leads their head-to-head meetings, 2-0.
Earlier in the day, India’s B Sai Praneeth made an exit in the second round. The 24-year-old met the World No. 8 Son Wan Ho for the very first time and bowed out, 9-21, 15-21 in just 34 minutes.
