Ale ousts top seed in pre-quarters

India's Prem Kumar Ale pulled off the biggest shock of the day when he ousted top seed Thomas Wandschneider in three games to progress into the quarter-finals of the BWF Para Badminton World Championships here on Friday.

Ale, who was a semi-finalist at the Uganda 2019 International, made a comeback after losing the first game 18-21 to the former bronze medallist German and World No. 2 in men's singles wheelchair WH1 event. Ale took the next two games to close it down at 18-21, 21-15, 21-18 for the biggest win of his career.

Being an ex-Army man, Ale rode on his impeccable fitness and an all-round game, where he used all the corners to pick up points; the seven consecutive points in the third game was one of the highlights.

Speaking to Paralympic Committee of India, Ale said: "This is the happiest moment of my career. I knew Thomas is a strong player so I tried not to make mistakes and give him points. The plan worked.

"My target is to win a gold at this World Championships and then at the Paralympics."