(Badminton News) Emerging Indian badminton talent Priyanshu Rajawat advanced to the men’s singles semifinals with a straight-games victory over Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan at the Syed Modi International badminton tournament on Friday.
The 21-year-old player from Madhya Pradesh, who secured victory at the Orleans Masters Super 300 earlier this season, notched a 21-15, 21-16 win over the reigning world junior champion Farhan in a 49-minute quarterfinal clash at the BWF World Tour Super 300 tournament.
In another notable performance, the world no. 32 and seventh-seeded Tanisha Crasto, along with her partner Ashwini Ponnappa, who had previously triumphed at the Nates International Challenge and Abu Dhabi Masters Super 100 this year, secured a 21-19, 21-8 victory over Commonwealth Games bronze medalists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand. The latter are ranked 19th in the world and were the fourth seeds in this tournament. Tanisha and Ashwini are set to face the top-seeded Japanese pair of Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota in the semifinals.
In the men’s singles match, Priyanshu took an early lead of 5-0, and although Farhan narrowed the deficit to 14-15, the Indian player clinched the opening game comfortably with five consecutive points. Despite facing a turnaround in the second game, with Farhan taking a slim 11-10 lead at the break, Priyanshu regrouped after seeking medical attention for his ankle. He managed to secure nine of the next 10 points to emerge victorious.
Expressing his thoughts on the win, Priyanshu said, “Feels really good to play a tournament with good support. I feel like I have the confidence to go the distance here, especially because I am the only Indian singles player left, and I want to win the title for us.” He also mentioned that his ankle feels better, and he is optimistic about playing on Saturday. Priyanshu is set to face Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen in the next round.
