02 April,2014 08:27 AM IST | | PTI
German Open winner, Arvind Bhat, suffered a shock defeat to Ajay Kumar in the qualifying round of the USD 250,000 India Super Series at the Siri Fort Sports Complex yesterday
Arvind Bhat. PIC/AFP
New Delhi: German Open winner, Arvind Bhat, suffered a shock defeat to Ajay Kumar in the qualifying round of the USD 250,000 India Super Series at the Siri Fort Sports Complex yesterday.
Arvind Bhat. PIC/AFP
The 34-year-old, won the German Open Grand Prix Gold early last month, suffered a 20-22, 21-23 loss to Ajay, who set up a clash with World number one Lee Chong Wei in the main draw.
"It is my biggest win. For the first time I will be playing in the main draw of the Super Series event and I am happy with my performance.
I wanted to be more aggressive on the court. The parallel rallies were not working so I changed my game and made him run back and forth," said the Hyderabadi.
The 23-year-old, said he had to endure a lot recently. "I suffered a lot to play badminton. Due to bad results, I was sent out of the Gopichand academy but my parents and coach motivated me.
In November 2012, I suffered an ankle injury. I started playing again in August 2013, so I lost almost a year. After injury I lost all sponsors, so it was difficult," finished Ajay.
Arvind credited his opponent for playing well in the crucial moments. "He held on at the final important moments. I think he played better," he said.
