Tokyo Paralympics: Pramod Bhagat sails into finals, another medal confirmed for India

India is assured of its 14th medal in the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics 2020 as shuttler Pramod Bhagat has sailed into the finals of the Badminton Men's Singles Class SL3 semi-final on Saturday with an impressive  2-0 win over Japan's Daisuke Fujihara.

Tokyo Paralympics: Pramod Bhagat vs Daisuke

Pramod Bhagat dominated the proceedings right from the word 'Go' and won the semi-final match in straight sets to ensure that he qualifies for the prestigious gold medal match. Now, the shuttler will manage a podium finish irrespective of the end result in the final match which is scheduled to be played on Saturday afternoon i.e. at 3 pm IST. Meanwhile, Bhagat's final opponent is yet to be known.

Coming back to the contest, Daisuke Fujihara started with a two-point lead but his dominance did not last long as Pramod Bhagat staged a brilliant comeback and there was no looking back for the latter as he won the first set with a comfortable 21-11 margin.

It was Pramod Bhagat once again who was dominant in the second set and took a 7-4 lead before his Japanese counterpart tried his level best to make the set even more interesting. Nonetheless, a spirited Pramod Bhagat ensured that he did not let his chances slip away and fought back to win the second set 21-16 and earn a place in the finals. 

Before his all-important gold medal match later on Saturday, Pramod Bhagat will be teaming up with Palak Kohli in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 semi-final on the same day. Now, it remains to be seen whether it will be a double delight for Pramod Bhagat provided he wins his mixed doubles semis as well which will definitely assure one more medal to both the shuttler and India's tally. 

On the other hand, Pramod's compatriot Manoj Sarkar went down fighting against Daniel Bethell of Great Britain 8-21, 10-21. He will now take on Japan's Daisuke Fujihara in the bronze medal match later on Saturday.