TOKYO − India's men's para badminton player, Pramod Bhagat, defeated Ukraine's Oleksandr Chyrkov yesterday to reach the semi-finals of the men's SL 3 badminton competition at the Tokyo Paralympics.
The world number one para-athlete just needs one more win to ensure a medal at the Games.
Pramod, who suffers from polio, dominated the first set by winning five consecutive points for a nine-point lead. His Ukrainian challenger could barely respond to Pramod's sharp returns.
The Odisha-born shuttler continued to show his dominance by taking a ten-point lead ten minutes into the second set and went on to register a comfortable 12-point lead at 19-7.
Although Oleksandr earned one point, the game was Pramod's to win at 21-9. The entire match lasted 26 minutes.
Yesterday, Pramod defeated his Indian compatriot, Manoj Sarkar, in the first group stage match with a score of 21-10, 21-23, 21-9 in just 56 minutes.
The top seed dominated the first set yet Manoj managed to win the second after an extended back-and-forth session, sending the match into the third set where Pramod raised his game to a resounding 21-9. – Agencies, September 2, 2021
