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A day after creating a huge upset at the Djarum Indonesian Open, showing the championship exit door to Indonesia’s world number 7 Sony Dwi Kuncoro in straight games 22-20, 21-16, India’s Ajay Jayaram crashed out in the men’s singles quarterfinals on Friday, losing tamely to Germany’s world number 22 Marc Zwiebler 16-21, 15-21.
The 25th ranked Indian shuttler disappointed his country’s badminton fans with a lackluster straight games defeat against an opponent who is ranked only three places above him.
Jayaram wasn’t allowed to settle into any kind of rhythm as Zwiebler surged ahead with some delectable smashes. The Indian did look assured at the net but the German maintained the pressure on him consistently logging points to stay ahead.
Zwiebler took the opening game at 21-16, putting the onus on Jayaram to mount a fightback in the second game. But the German did not allow him any leeway to force a decider, as he kept winning points on a regular basis to gain a healthy 17-10 lead at one stage.
The Indian had thrown in the towel as the German pocketed the second game at 21-15 in a contest that lasted 34 minutes.
Earlier in the year, Jayaram had reached the quarterfinals of the Sunrise Indian Open and SKYCITY New Zealand Open.
This was Zwiebler’s second win over Jayaram in three head-to-head meetings.
The German got the better of the Indian at last week’s Thailand Open while the Indian had beaten Zwiebler in the 2010 Dutch Open.
It may be pertinent to mention that the Indian shuttlers have turned in impressive performances after a sedate start to the year.
The country’s shuttlers have reigned supreme in the Yonex Sunrise Indian Open held in New Delhi, where India’s 38th ranked Anand Pawar reached the men’s singles semifinals.
Pawar was outclassed by Japan’s Kenichi Tago in the semifinals.
PV Sindhu reached the women’s singles semifinals where she went down to Thailand’s talented youngster Ratchanok Intanon.
PV Sindhu subsequently scaled a new career high when she won her maiden singles crown – taking the Malaysian Open.
But it was K Srikanth who helped Indian badminton touch a new high when he won his maiden singles crown – bagging the Thailand Open, stunning Boonsak Ponsana in front of his home crowd.
Srikanth’s title win helped him to surge seventeen places in the latest Badminton World Federation rankings.
He is currently placed 44th.
