Hounslow's Rajiv Ouseph sealed a place in the knockout stages of the Olympics men’s singles with a straight sets defeat of Japan’s Sho Sakaki yesterday.

The 29-year old is seeded 13th in Rio, and was the highest ranked player in his three-man group.

And after seeing off Petr Koukal in his opening match, he made it two wins from two with a 21-15, 21-9 win over world number 25 Sakaki, avenging a quarter-final defeat at last year’s All England Open.

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“I knew this was going to be the crucial game when the draw came out so I am very happy to have won and I am looking forward to the next round now,” said Ouseph.

“It looked comfortable but it wasn’t always that comfortable. I think the first set was quite crucial and when he came back a little bit at me it was important to stick it out there and be tough.

“I managed to do that and I think in the second game I managed to relax a little bit and play quite well and I am really happy with that.”

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Ouseph will face Indonesia’s 2014 world bronze medallist Tommy Sugiarto in the last 16 tonight at 10pm.