Indonesia Open: Kashyap outplayed by Santoso

Parupally Kashyap came up short against Simon Santoso of Indonesia in the semifinals on Saturday

Jakarta: Parupalli Kashyap’s inspired run at the 2012 Djarum Indonesia Open came to an end when he ran up against home hero Simon Santoso in the semifinals on Saturday. Santoso outmanoevred Kashyap 21-15 21-12.

After his shock upset of world No.3 Chen Long in the second round, and the higher-ranked Hans-Kristian Vittinghus in the quarterfinals, Kashyap might have fancied his chances of another upset. And he did have his moments. Through a fair portion of the match, he held his ground, firing in smashes and giving Santoso plenty to worry about. Unlike the Chen Long match, however, he couldn’t keep his concentration or patience for long enough to wear down his wily opponent.

It was a different kind of match from the ones he played against Chen Long or Vittinghus. While he did have a distinct advantage at the net against the Chinese, that was nullified by Santoso, who like other Indonesians are bred as much on craft as on power. Santoso was sublime at the net, looking unhurried as he challenged the Indian to outplay him in the forecourt. So good was he that he counter-dribbled when while Kashyap patrolled the net, and he was able to extract the lift with the tightness of his net shots and employ the killing shot.

Kashyap had the marginal lead early on, at 10-9, but once Santoso caught up, he was able to steadily gain on the Indian. The same pattern played out in the second game, with Kashyap taking an early lead, and Santoso closing in.

Simon Santoso

It was a beautiful display of badminton from both players, a throwback to an earlier era of craft rather than just power. The two tried to displace each other with high clears, tight net shots and sharply-angled drops, and on the day, Santoso emerged Kashyap’s superior. No disgrace in defeat however for the Indian, for he has had one of the best weeks of his life.