PBL-5: Sugiarto, Lakshya win it for Chennai

CHENNAI: World No. 21 Tommy Sugiarto came back from one game down to get the better of Parupalli Kashyap 14-15, 15-10, 15-7 in the trump match to give Chennai Superstarz an unassailable 4-0 lead against Mumbai Rocket on Day 3 of the fifth Premier Badminton League on Wednesday. This was Chennai's second win on the trot.
In the first men's singles of the evening, Chennai's Laskhya Sen maintained his form and brushed aside Lee Dong Keun in straight games 15-12, 15-10 to help Chennai take a 2-0 lead.
After losing the mixed doubles and the first men's singles, the onus was on world No. 25 Kashyap to pull things back for Rocket. The veteran Indian shuttler ticked all the boxes and stayed calm during crucial junctures and snatched a tight first game (15-14). But his Indonesian rival made a terrific comeback in the second game and maintained the pressure to seal the match in style.
Lakshya has been in terrific form lately, bagging five international titles last year and rising to world No. 30. The Almora boy, who has an attacking style of play, banked on his smashes to score points against Lee. The 18-year-old, who had never faced the world No. 49 Korean before, showed great maturity as he landed his smashes with accuracy.
Earlier in the evening, the pair of Dhruv Kapila and Jessica Pugh gave Superstarz a flying start as they blanked Rockets' duo Kim Gi Jung and Pia Zebidiah 2-0 to put the hosts ahead.