Number 1 and number 2 seeds from Tamil Nadu, G. Sathiyan and A. Sharath Kamal, toyed with their respective opponents scoring an identical 4-0 wins to move into the pre-quarterfinals of the men's singles in the 36th National Games at the Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Indoor Stadium here today.
Both teams have taken contrasting routes to reach the knockouts. While BFC played all their games in Kolkata and won three out of four to qualify in as Group A second place holders, OFC won all their four games to qualify as Group D toppers from the Guwahati leg of the tournament.
The ace Indian shuttler fought valiantly against his Chinese Taipei opponent TC Chou, winning the second set, but eventually lost the game in a three-set thriller 17-21, 21-15, 22-20.
Fighting for a podium finish, the Indian pair was looking to create an upset in the quarterfinals. They were faced with the uphill task of winning against the world number three duo of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.
They faced a stern challenge from the Singaporean pair of KH Loh and H Terry throughout the match and had to really grind it to register a win they will cherish for years.