Olympics: Boxers Shine As Tennis Duo Knocked Out

London: Boxers Laishram Devendro Singh and Manoj Kumar packed a lethal punch, while shuttler Parupalli Kashyap humbled a higher-ranked opponent to enter the pre-quarterfinals at the London Olympics here Tuesday.

The bad news came from the Indian tennis camp with Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna exiting the doubles competition.

Despite some good results, India's medal quest suffered a serious setback with the ouster of Bhupathi and Bopanna, while archers continued to disappoint, rowers faded without a ripple and the sole judoka and the only remaining weightlifter bid adieu to London.

Indians, who partied Monday when ace shooter Gagan Narang scooped up a bronze in the 10 metre air rifle event, saw the day begin on the right note as Kashyap progressed to the last eight in men's singles.

The 25-year-old displayed sublime skills to defeat tenth seed Tien Minh Nguyen of Vietnam 21-9, 21-14 in 39 minutes at the Wembley Arena, topping Group D in style.

Throughout the match, the World No.21 was impressive at the net and steady from the back, hitting a mix of shots which befuddled his Vietnamese opponent.

The Indian will next face Group C topper Sri Lankan Niluka Karunaratne, whom Kashyap had beaten in Stockholm earlier this year in their only encounter.

In boxing, Devendro Singh made his way emphatically into the last 16 of the 49 kg class with the referee stopping the contest (RSC) in the first round.