P Kashyap defeated national champion Chetan Anand 21-15, 21-18 in 37 minutes to win the men's singles bronze medal.
More than the opponent, the real test for Kashyap was to mentally recover from the semifinal loss against Rajiv Ouseph.
The 24-year-old, who has lost from winning positions in quite a few high profile matches, showed that he had come a long way as he not just kept his composure when he was leading but also showed the determination to stick to the gameplan when he was trailing.
Kashyap began the match from the relatively advantageous side of the court and was always in control. But after the change of side, the former junior national champion needed to control the flight of his tosses and lifts a lot better, something he had struggled to do in his semifinal match.
It looked like history would repeat itself when Chetan opened up an 11-7 lead in the second game with his opponent once again playing hesitantly. But after the break, Kashyap began playing his strokes and slowly but surely clawed back into the game. He began giving the shuttle more air and in the bargain forced Chetan to go on the attack.
“This medal means a lot since I have lost many close matches at the business end of the tournament," Kashyap said.
{{/usCountry}}“This medal means a lot since I have lost many close matches at the business end of the tournament," Kashyap said.
{{/usCountry}}Saina, Jwala-Ashwini in action today
The Indian team would be hoping to pick two gold medals on Thursday. Saina Nehwal will take on Malaysia's Wong Mew Choo in the women's singles final while Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa take on top seed Shinta Mulia Sari and Lei Yao of Singapore in women's doubles.