Sridhar stuns Olympic champ

In a thrilling contest lasting an hour and 13 minutes, Sridhar capitalised on a shaky start made by the Indonesian star, who left the arena without speaking to the media. The win was all the more special for Sridhar, whose movement was hampered by cramps in his left leg during the final game.

Elated after the upset win, the Indian shuttler said he could have won the match in straight games but for the strong wind inside the hall.

8220;I knew I had a chance but you never think you can beat someone like him. There was very strong wind in the hall. While it worked to my advantage in the first game, in which I was attacking most of the time, it affected my rhythm in the second game, which I lost very closely,8221; Sridhar said.

Sridhar, who lost to Hidayat on two previous occasions, was down 15-19 in the final game as the world number 10 Indonesian clawed back into the match. However, Sridhar rallied from there to cause one of the biggest upsets in the tournament.

8220;I don8217;t know what happened but after losing the second game, I became a bit defensive. But that was just temporary and I was back to attacking after that. I had cramps but the situation was manageable,8221; he added. Describing it as a huge win, Sridhar, however, asserted that he was not getting carried away.

8220;I never expected to beat the Olympic champion and eighth-seeded player in this tournament,8221; Sridhar said after the match, played on the day India celebrated the 60th anniversary of their independence.

8220;Taufik was not playing too bad but I played well today,8221; said Sridhar. 8220;I really want to prove something to my coach,8221; he said, referring to Prakash Padukone, the Indian badminton legend who won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in 1978 and the All England Championship in 1980 before retiring in 1988.

However, there was disappointment in men8217;s doubles, with Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas going down 13-21, 14-21 to 14th seeds Hendra A Gunawan and Joko Riyadi of Indonesia in the second round.

Also through to the third round is Germany8217;s Xu Huaiwen, the No. 3 seed who beat Indonesia8217;s Adriyanti Firdasari 21-17, 22-20.

The Indonesians had some consolation that two of their remaining men8217;s singles challengers, Simon Santoso and Sony Dwi Kuncoro, are still in the fight.

Kuncoro, a two-time Asian Championship winner and the 9th seed, beat Japan8217;s Yousuke Nakanishi 21-15, 21-16 in a second round match to set up a meeting with Malaysia8217;s Lee Chong Wei, the No. 2 seed, in the pre-quarter finals.

Santoso, Indonesia8217;s third ranked player, beat Spain8217;s Pablo Abian 21-18, 21-15, and will play Denmark8217;s Peter Gade for a place in the quarter finals. Gade, seeded fifth in the championship and a former losing finalist, overcame Hong Kong8217;s Chan Yan Kit 21-18, 25-23 to book his place in the last 16.

8220;Taufik8217;s loss today will serve as a reminder to everyone that there is no easy match in the World Championship,8221; said Gade.

Denmark No. 2 Kenneth Jonassen, who is seeded 7th here, beat Nicholas Kidd of England 21-14, 21-7, while 6th seed Chen Yu of China defeated Bjoern Joppien of Germany 21-15, 21-7.

In another upset 10th seed Shoji Sato of Japan was defeated by South Korea8217;s Lee Hyun Li 21-19, 21-15. His countryman Park Sung Hwan defeated Andrew Dabeka of Canada 21-16, 21-5.

The world8217;s No. 1 and 2 women8217;s singles players, China8217;s Zhang Ning and Xie Xinfang, opened their campaign on bright notes. Xinfang, the defending champion, scored an easy 21-12, 21-7 win over Portugal8217;s Ana Moura, while Zhang Ning, the 2004 Athens Olympic Games gold medallist, beat Korea8217;s Soo Young-janfg 21-9, 21-14 to advance to the third round.

Malaysia8217;s No. 1 men8217;s pair of Koo Kim Keat and Tan Boon Heong beat Germany8217;s Roman Spitko and Michael Fuchs 21-12, 21-13 in 25 minutes to book their place in the last 16.