The 21-13, 21-6 victory was as much a surprise to Chetan as it was to 21-year-old Kashyap and the scant audience.

While Kashyap had given the three-time national champion a fight in the singles of the men’s team event, he couldn’t find the form he had been in all week and surrendered meekly.

“It was an easier match today. I’ve been playing well. I’ve been practicing with international players of the European circuit and that has really helped tremendously,” said Chetan, after his 26-minute victory.

During the match, at the Siri Fort indoor stadium, Chetan resolutely went about breaking down Kashyap’s game, unperturbed by buzzing cellphones and wailing children, and took a 5-1 lead in the first game.

Kashyap showed glimpses of a fight — first with a thundering jump-smash at 3-5, and a similar effort at 4-5.

Thereafter, Chetan stuck to a strategy of hitting deep to Kashyap’s forehand and following it up with cutting smashes, angled in to the body, to leave Kashyap fumbling.

“I made just too many errors on the day. I didn’t give him any fight, and was stiff in my movement,” conceded Kashyap, who has been ill for two months now. “I keep coming down with fever and I’ve lost a lot a weight too,” he said.

Chetan’s game point in the first game came off a Kashyap fault. While Chetan raced closer to the win — winning 13 points on the trot in the second game — Kashyap continued to struggle with his weak backhand strokes.

After Friday’s win, Kashyap and Chetan stand at four-all in head-to-heads.

In the women’s final, Aditi Mutetkar beat Aparna Balan 21-19, 21-8. “I wish the tournament had been more competitive with the top players participating. I missed Saina (Nehwal), and Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurien,” said the India No.3, who was rarely ever stretched in the event.

And while Aparna did manage to press hard in the opening game, her sudden lack of drive in the second had even Aditi confused. “The first was so close and I expected the same in the second,” said the Pune-based philosophy major student, who has had a good domestic season with one title, and an encouraging international season as well.

“I reached the semi-finals in Croatia which was my first ever semi-final at the international event. My ranking improved from No. 93 to No. 75 and I’ve learnt from that experience,” said the 20-year-old.

She won the player of the tournament among the women and earned a handsome cheque of Rs. 5,500. Siddharth Jain was adjudged the player of the tournament in the men’s section and won equal prize money.