Shuttlers Attri, Reddy Cruise to Easy Win

Rio de Janeiro: Indian shuttlers Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy defeated Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa of Japan in straight games in their final Group D match of the men’s doubles competition at the Rio Olympics here.

The Indians, who had already crashed out of medal contention, fought off a spirited challenge by the Japanese duo in the opening game to win 23-21, 21-11 in just 34 minutes at the Riocentro Pavilion 4 here on Saturday.
Attri and Reddy were off to a superb start, opening up a comfortable 8-3 lead before the Japanese duo fought back to win eight of the next nine points to take a 11-9 lead at the break.
To their credit, the Indians continued to chip away at the deficit and eventually regained the lead at 20-19 before closing off the game and claim a 1-0 lead.

The second game was a completely one-sided affair as the Indians dominated proceedings with their powerful smashes and slick placements.
Attri and Reddy were enjoying a comfortable 11-5 lead at the break before claiming a well-deservrd victory to end their Olympic campaign on a positive note.

IANS