Kevin Cordon, whose upset of Chen Long at the World Championships 2011 made him a familiar name in the badminton world, added another feather to his cap in his fourth Olympics.

This time the victim was eighth seed Ng Ka Long Angus, who was left dazed by the pace and intensity of the 34-year-old Guatemalan’s attack. The 22-20 21-13 result meant Cordon topped Group C and entered the Round of 16 for the second time at the Olympics.

And with Mark Caljouw beating 13^th seed Sai Praneeth in straight games to progress from Group D, it was a session that favoured the underdog.

Angus, who struggled to get a grip on Cordon’s incessant jump smashes, said he was unable to anticipate the accuracy and power of his opponent.

“I couldn’t adjust to his style of play. His attack was fast and powerful. I knew he would be a strong opponent, I’ve watched him play before. He was fast today and his shots were accurate, so it was hard for me to return the shuttle. I will take a mental rest and then decide on my future training,” said the Hong Kong China player.

Cordon attributed the win to his love for the game, which has kept him going for four Olympics.

“I’m very happy that I won two matches at the Olympics. It’s nice when you train long and hard – not just for months, but for years and years. You look at this kind of result and say that all that training was worth it.

“The reason I started playing badminton was the Olympic Games, and I had my dream of playing the Olympic Games in Beijing. And now my fourth is the same dream, and I’m still enjoying it.

“I think he didn’t expect me to play faster than him, or to attack. That’s why he got a bit confused and didn’t know what to do. I didn’t think about the score, I was just playing and winning points and then I realised I was just two points away from winning the match.

“It’s impossible not to get nervous at any tournament. I’ve played a lot of tournaments and I’ve realised that if you don’t have fun while you play, you just cannot win matches. I thought I’d just play like a normal game, just having fun. I dind’t think about win or loss.”