New Delhi: National champion Velavan Senthilkumar shocked eighth seed George Parker of England to enter the quarterfinals of the German Open in Hamburg.
Senthilkumar, a 2023 Asian silver medallist, was consistent during his 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 second round win over Parker in 61 minutes on Thursday. He started the match gaining an early lead, with the Englishman struggling to keep up with the pace of his rival.
Parker came closer in the second, fighting for every point and scoring through some accurate drops. But the Indian played crucial points better to take a 2-0 lead. But in the third game, Parker looked focused and showed his quality, pushing Senthilkumar with aggressive shot-making to win the third game 11-9.
However, Senthilkumar regained his focus in the fourth game and won it 11-9 despite some heavy fight from Parker.
In the quarterfinals, Senthilkumar will face No. 4 seed Eain Yow Ng of Malaysia. Earlier, Senthilkumar, ranked 59 in the world had defeated Yassin Elshafei of Egypt 6-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-9 in 62 minutes in the first round.
