Bangkok, May 15 (Badminton News) One of the architects of Indian badminton team's historic Thomas Cup triumph, Kidambi Srikanth described it as one of the best achievements in his career.

An unheralded Indian men's team notched up a dominating 3-0 win over 14-time champions Indonesia to lift the Thomas Cup for the first time with Srikanth playing a crucial role as he stayed unbeaten in the tournament.

"Individual events are always different to team events and we hardly get to play team events and Thomas Cup finals are the biggest team events. So to win such a big event is a really big moment. It will actually take a while, before you know what has actually happened," Srikanth said during a virtual press conference.

"I will rate this one of my biggest wins and I am happy that everyone played extremely well. I dont think this is one individual's win, it is about all 10 players, Everyone stepped up when it mattered." Srikanth, who had claimed a silver medal at the World Championships in Spain last December, said he can't compare his wins but it was one of his biggest in his career.

"I did well at world championships in December as well, this is another event where I did well. I just can't compare any of my wins, I don't want to rank any of my wins, all of them are important.

"It is definitely one of the biggest wins, best in in terms of tournaments and one of my best performances." Srikanth said winning for the country was a big motivating factor for the team. "In any major event be it Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Thomas and Uber Cup, world championships, none of them have prize money. But when you win, in this tournament, this is for the country, After we won, people said India won Thomas Cup, it was not Srikanth or Prannoy, so it itself was a special feeling," he said.

"I don't think every one will have the privilege to experience it, it is us 10 players and coaching staff who have experienced it now and it will motivate others to do well. So the motivating factor was that we won this for the country." Coming into the match after two defeats against Jonatan Christie, Srikanth produced a superb show to notch up a 21-15 23-21 win over the Asian Games gold medallist.

Asked if he was under pressure in the final moments of the second game, Srikanth said: "There were nerves, also because of the fact that I was leading for most part of the second game. He also played very good, he has done extremely well, so can't really write off, that too in the final.

"I was just taking him on, trying to play consistently, but he played well after the 11 point break in the second game. I am just happy that I could play whatever I thought of playing, I could finish off the match and give that win to the country." HS Prannoy, 29, also produced some sensational performance, winning the deciding third singles to take India home in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

There were criticisms when he was exempted from the selection trials and directly included in the squad.

Asked if he had shut the critics with his performance, Prannoy said: "Defintely, I would say I did. I have always performed under pressure and to be part of this kind of team I am really proud of.

"I am really thankful to association for choosing me as third singles. I always wanted to be a part of Thomas Cup and I would have regretted if I was not chosen. I am extremely happy.

"Thanks to everyone for supporting me and I think I have done justice with my performance. Nothing has sunk in yet, it will take couple of days more, we have to celebrate it big time." Prannoy said they always had the self belief to go the distance and all they needed was the support of each other.

"I think the feeling was always there, before coming also, we had that belief this is the team which can contend for the title but the quarterfinal match was a crucial one because it was a big pressure because we knew we still didn't have the medal at hand.

"But all of us stepped up at right time, after that the belief started getting better and we were playing 25 per cent more than the previous matches." 

Also Read : Hope this performance makes badminton as popular as cricket: Coach Vimal Kumar

News Source : PTI

Bangkok, May 15 (Badminton News) Indian men's badminton team coach Vimal Kumar on Sunday hoped the historic Thomas Cup triumph would do the same to the country's shuttle sport what the 1983 World Cup win did to cricket.

In beating 14-time winners Indonesia 3-0 in the summit showdown in Bangkok, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and the doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy conjured one of the most remarkable feats in the country's sporting history.

It was no surprise that Kumar was unable to describe the historic victory.

"I have no words to describe it, we always had hopes but the way the players played, they just put up a performance out of the blue. It was really fantastic. We had such a poor record against indonesia and to win 3-0 is incredible," Kumar told PTI from Bangkok.

The unassuming coach, who goes about his job quietly, added, "In 1983, when India won the cricket World Cup, the euphoria was something else but cricket was always a very popular sport and I hope with this performance, now badminton can also become so popular.

"It has always been about individual achievements but this was a team performance and I hope the popularity of the sports goes up from here on." Kumar rated this as Indian badminton's biggest ever achievement.

"I will rate this the biggest ever. Of course, Prakash and Gopi winning All England, Sindhu winning, all great achievements but as a team what we have done, we couldn't deliver as a team (earlier). You call one a badminton nation when you win a team championships, so I will rate it as the best." India, who has never reached the last-four stage since 1979, ended up getting the better of formidable Malaysia and Denmark en route to the summit clash in this edition of the tournament.

Needless to say, the triumph on the day when it mattered the most sparked off wild celebrations in the Indian camp, less than 48 hours after they rejoiced their win over Denmark.

"I have never seen them so enthusiastic, it is a achievement of pure team spirit which I haven't seen in the past. We always had good players but priority was on individual players and tournaments. We have a balanced team and it did the trick.

"In each match what the doubles players have done is amazing, earlier we were dependent on singles but Satwik and Chirag pulled out all the pressure matches, so lot of credit to Lakhsya, Srikanth and Prannoy, for they delivered when it mattered. I am fortunate, lucky coach to be here with them," Kumar said.

"It is the best achievement of Indian badminton, and I feel so proud to be part of this historic team. It is a fantastic bunch of players." 

Also Read : India beat Indonesia 3-0 to lift maiden Thomas Cup trophy

News Source : PTI

Bangkok, May 15 (Badminton News) A determined Indian men's team etched its name in the history books by lifting the Thomas Cup title for the first time with a dominant 3-0 win over 14-time champions Indonesia in the final here on Sunday.

India dished out a performance for the ages with World Championships medallist Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and world number 8 doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy producing memorable performances. After being offcolour in the knockout stages, Sen delivered when it mattered the most as he gave India a 1-0 lead with a come-from-behind 8-21 21-17 21-16 win over world number five Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in a superb show of temperament and skill.

The country's best doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then showed nerves of steel as it saved four match points in the second game to eventually outwit Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 18-21 23-21 21-19.

In the second singles, Srikanth then produced a fine performance to outclass Asian games gold medallist Jonatan Christie 21-15 23-21 in 48 minutes to seal the contest. 

Also Read : Real Madrid and Barcelona travel away; Atlético Madrid host Sevilla

News Source : PTI

Bangkok, May 14 (Badminton News) He battled injury to register one of the most memorable wins of his career and star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy said the mentality of not giving up without a fight kept him motivated during the epic victory over Denmark in the Thomas Cup semifinals.

Prannoy produced a lion-hearted show in the decisive singles match as the Indian men's team wrote its name in the history books by reaching the title clash of the Thomas Cup Final for the first time ever with a 3-2 victory over Denmark here on Friday night.

Despite suffering the injury after slipping on the front court while going for a return, Prannoy continued after taking a medical timeout to upset world number 13 Rasmus Gemke 13-21 21-9 21-12 to secure India's historic win.

"Mentally, there were a lot of things going on in my head. After the slip, it was hurting more than usual and I was not able to lunge properly and I was thinking what to do," Prannoy said after the tie.

"In my mind, it was always coming that I should not give up, just try and see how it goes. Was praying that the pain doesn't get aggravated and it started to reduce towards the second game and by the third, I was feeling much better." The Indians had never gone past the Thomas Cup semifinals after 1979, but on Friday they showed tremendous fighting spirit to outwit the 2016 champions.

Prannoy said going into the court after the medical timeout, his plan was to keep up the pressure on his Danish opponent and it worked to his favour.

"The tactics which we used in the second and third game was very crucial. The strategy was to keep the pressure on and I knew if I come into the second half with a good lead, there is a big chance to get the game. And I just told myself to push these 11 points possible and the strategy worked," he said.

World championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth and world number 8 doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had kept India afloat in the contest by registering wins as the tie was locked at 2-2 before it was left to Prannoy to achieve the humongous task.

Rankireddy and Shetty dished out a gritty performance to beat Kim Astrup and Mathias Christiansen 21-18 21-23 22-20 to bring India level at 1-1 after world championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen lost 13-21 13-21 to world no. 1 Viktor Axelsen in the opening singles.

"I thought we were finished when we were down in the third game. Luckily we found our rhythm. I was unsure what serve to do (on sixth match point). Finally I thought let's try the flick serve, let's see what they've got," Shetty said.

"It took courage to try the flick serve. In the second game from the same side two of our flick serves went out." India will play 14-time champions Indonesia in the title clash on Sunday. 

Also Read : Prannoy wins decisive match against Denmark to steer India to historic Thomas Cup final

News Source : PTI

Bangkok, May 13 (Badminton News) HS Prannoy produced a lion-hearted effort in the decisive fifth match as the Indian men's badminton team scripted history by reaching the title clash of the Thomas Cup Final for the first time ever with a 3-2 victory over Denmark in an edge-of-the-seat semifinal, here.

Indian team, which never went past the semifinals after 1979, showed tremendous fighting spirit as it came from a match down to outwit the 2016 champions.

While world championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth and world number 8 doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty kept India in the hunt, it was once again left to HS Prannoy to take the team home when the tie was locked 2-2. Up against world number 13 Rasmus Gemke, Prannoy suffered an ankle injury after slipping on the front court while going for a return but the Indian continued after taking a medical timeout.

He looked in pain and his on-court movement also looked restricted but despite all odds, he produced a sensational performance to come up trumps 13-21 21-9 21-12 to etch India's name in the history books.

India will now take on 14-time champions Indonesia, the most successful team in the history. Indonesia edged out Japan 3-2 in their semifinal.

It was a creditable performance from the Indian team, which on Thursday had snapped a 43-year long wait by reaching the semifinals with a 3-2 win over five-time champions Malaysia, a feat last achieved in 1979.

It was always going to be an uphill task for India to tame the formidable Denmark, which had become the first European country in history to secure the title in 2016.

A lot rode on world championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen, given his recent win over Viktor Axelsen at the German Open Super 300 but he couldn't replicate his performance as the world number one scripted a comfortable 13-21 13-21 win to hand Denmark a 1-0 lead.

Denmark decided to split their world number 9 pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen into two halves with Astrup partnering Mathias Christiansen in the first doubles.

However, Rankireddy and Shetty dished out a gritty performance, holding their nerves in the final stages to beat Astrup and Christiansen 21-18 21-23 22-20 to bring India back in the contest.

The Indian pair faced five match points -- two in the second game and three in third game -- before converting one to bring joy back to the Indian camp.

With the tie locked 1-1, world number 11 Srikanth and world number 3 Anders Antonsen engaged in a battle of supremacy in the second singles with the former coming out on top with a gritty 21-18 12-21 21-15 result to give India a 2-1 lead.

India's second doubles combination of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala, however, was no match for Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Frederik Sogaard, losing 14-21 13-21 as the tie was tentatively posed at 2-2 after the fourth match.

The experienced Prannoy then lost the opening game but, quite incredibly, led 11-1 in the second game, despite injury. He depended more on his attack to gather points even as Gemke failed to create pressure on the Indian.

Prannoy dominated the front court and soon roared back into contest with Gemke committing too many errors.

Prannoy, ranked 23rd, stamped his authority with his trademark smashes as Gemke's defence lay in tatters. The Indian was up 11-4 up at the interval and continued to dominate the proceedings.

With the Impact Arena reberberating with chants of "HSP", Prannoy grabbed nine match points with a straight down the line smash and sealed it on the second opportunity as his teammates huddled together in celebration. 

Also Read : Srikanth & Co. assure India of at least bronze at Thomas Cup, women lose in Uber Cup quarters

News Source : PTI

Bangkok, May 12 (Badminton News) The Indian men's badminton team scripted a memorable 3-2 win over Malaysia to enter the semifinals of Thomas Cup for the first time in 43 years but the women's side bowed out after losing 0-3 to Thailand in the Uber Cup here on Thursday.

India is thus assured of at least a bronze at the Thomas Cup. The country has not won a medal at the event since 1979.

India had bagged three bronze in the past when they reached inter-zonal finals. However, it is the first time since the change in the qualifying format that the country won a medal at the prestigious tournament.

Up against a team that has won the title five times, the world number 8 pairing of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, world championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy rose to the occasion to see India home.

India will next take on either Korea or Denmark.

A lot of expectation rode on world championships bronze winner Lakshya Sen but he couldn't go the distance in the opening singles, losing 21-23 9-21 to reigning world champion Lee Zii Jia in 46 minutes.

With the Malaysian fans thronging the Impact Arena, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy took to the court and the duo dished out a superlative performance to outwit world number 13 Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin 21-19 21-15 to bring India back in the five-match tie.

It was an all-out attack in the final phase of the second game which saw the Indian pair set up five match points with Chirag converting with a smash, leaving the Indian camp all pumped up.

Srikanth rode on his superior and varied strokeplay to outclass world number 46 NG Tze Yong 21-11 21-17 and give India a 2-1 lead.

The world number 45 combination of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala were handed the task of taming Aaron Chia and Teo Ee Yi and the Indian pair produced a good effort before losing 19-21 17-21 as the match went into the decider.

World number 23 HS Prannoy was all fired up in the final contest as he handled the pressure to erase an 1-6 deficit early in the first game to eventually canter to a 21-13 21-8 win over 22-year-old Jun Hao Leong as India completed a fantastic come-from-behind victory.

The moment Prannoy unleashed a smash to seal the contest, his teammates entered the court and rejoiced.

Earlier, double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu fought hard before losing to Ratchanok Intanon as the Indian women's team crashed out of the Uber Cup Finals after being drubbed 0-3 by Thailand in the quarterfinals.

World No. 7 Sindhu was off colour for the second consecutive day as she squandered a one-game lead to go down 21-18 17-21 12-21 against Intanon, ranked eighth, in a 59-minute first women's singles match.

The defeat means Sindhu now trails Intanon 4-7 on head-to-head record.

India were down 0-2 when the women's doubles pair of Shruti Mishra and Simran Singhi lost 16-21 13-21 against the Thai pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai.

It was no better for Aakarshi Kashyap, who surrendered 16-21 11-21 to Pornpawee Chochuwong in the second singles match that lasted 42 minutes, as Thailand completed a 3-0 thrashing, making the remaining two matches of the tie redundant. 

Also Read : Sindhu-led India crash out of Uber Cup, lose 0-3 to Thailand in quarters

News Source : PTI

Bangkok, May 12 (Badminton News) Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu fought hard before losing to Ratchanok Intanon as the Indian women's badminton team crashed out of the Uber Cup Finals after being drubbed 0-3 by Thailand in the quarterfinals, here on Thursday.

World No. 7 Sindhu was off colour for the second consecutive day as she squandered one-game lead to go down 21-18 17-21 12-21 against Intanon, ranked eighth, in a 59-minute first women's singles match.

The defeat means Sindhu now trails Intanon 4-7 on head-to-head record.

India were down 0-2 when the women's doubles pair of Shruti Mishra and Simran Singhi lost 16-21 13-21 against the Thai pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai.

It was no better for Aakarshi Kashyap, who surrendered 16-21 11-21 to Pornpawee Chochuwong in the second singles match that lasted 42 minutes.

As Thailand took an unassailable 3-0 lead, the remaining two matches of the tie became redundant and were not played.

In the second women's doubles contest, the Indian pair of Tanisha Crasto and Treesa Jolly was to face Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard, while Ashmita Chaliha was scheduled to play Busanan Ongbamrungphan.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sindhu lost in straight games 15-21 14-21 against world number four An Seyoung in India's final Group D match, where it was blanked 0-5 by Korea.

But the loss hardly made any difference as India, by then, had already sealed a quarterfinal berth after ensuring a top-two finish in the group after back-to-back victories over Canada and USA.

The Indian men's team will play Malaysia in the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup Final later in the day. 

Also Read : Indian shuttlers lose final group match in Thomas and Uber Cup Final

News Source : PTI

Bangkok, May 11 (Badminton News) India endured a tough day in office with both the men's and women's badminton teams suffering defeats in their final group match at the Thomas and Uber Cup Final here on Wednesday.

While the men's team put up a spirited fight before going down 1-4 to Chinese Taipei in group C, the women shuttlers couldn't take a single game off Korea, suffering a demoralising 0-5 defeat in group D.

However, the twin defeats will not matter much as both the teams have already sealed their respective quarterfinal berths after ensuring securing a top-two finish in the group following two victories.

In the quarterfinals, the Indian women will have to pull up their socks as they face Thailand.

For the Indian women, it was a reality check after two successive wins against Canada and USA as they looked awfully out of sorts against a much superior opponent in Korea.

Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu had a disappointing outing as she succumbed to her straight fifth loss to world number four An Seyoung, losing 15-21 14-21 this time in a lopsided contest, as India conceded a 0-1 lead.

The combo of Shruti Mishra and Simran Singhi was no match for world number two pair of Lee Sohee and Shin Seungchan, going down 13-21 12-21 in 39 minutes.

Aakarshi Kashyap was sent packing 10-21 10-21 by world number 19 Kim Ga Eun as India surrendered the tie 0-3.

In the next two matches, Kim Hye Jeong and Kong Heeyong beat Tanisha Crasto and Treesa Jolly 21-14 21-11, while Ashmita Chaliha lost 18-21 17-21 to Sim Yujin as Korea completed a 5-0 drubbing of India.

Up against Chinese Taipei, the Indian men's team fought hard with HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen and the doubles pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila winning a game but only Kidambi Srikanth could claim a victory over his opponent.

World championships bronze medallist Sen produced a gallant fight before losing 19-21 21-13 17-21 to world number four Chou Tien Chen in an hour and 20 minute clash.

The world number 8 pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty couldn't get past Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin, ranked 3rd, losing 11-21 19-21 as India slipped to 0-2.

World championship silver medallist Srikanth outwitted the tricky Tzu Wei Wang 21-19 21-16 in 53 minutes to keep India afloat.

MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila showed a stomach to fight as they saved four match points, only to go down 17-21 21-19 19-21 against Lu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han in a tight second doubles match, as India conceded a decisive 1-3 lead to Korea.

In the final match, world number 23 HS Prannoy went down 18-21 21-17 18-21 to world number 119 Lu Chia Hung in a close affair. 

Also Read : Reality check for Indian shuttlers in Uber Cup Final, team drubbed 0-5 by Korea

News Source : PTI

Bangkok, May 11 (Badminton News) Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu was vanquished by world number four An Seyoung yet again as the Indian women's badminton team suffered a demoralising 0-5 defeat against Korea in their final group D match of the Uber Cup Final here on Wednesday.

After two successive wins against Canada and USA, it was a reality check for the young Indian team as it could not take a single game from the Koreans during the five-match tie.

However, the defeat will not count much as India have already sealed a quarterfinal berth after ensuring itself a top-two finish in the group after two victories.

For Sindhu, it was a disappointing outing as she succumbed to her straight fifth loss to An Seyoung, losing 15-21 14-21 this time in a lopsided contest as India conceded an early 0-1 lead.

The combo of Shruti Mishra and Simran Singhi was no match to world number two pair of Lee Sohee and Shin Seungchan, going down 13-21 12-21 in 39 minutes.

Aakarshi Kashyap then was sent packing 10-21 10-21 by world number 19 Kim Ga Eun as India surrendered the tie 0-3.

In the next two matches, Kim Hye Jeong and Kong Heeyong beat Tanisha Crasto and Treesa Jolly 21-14 21-11, while Ashmita Chaliha lost 18-21 17-21 to Sim Yujin as Korea completed the 5-0 drubbing of India.

The Indian men's team will face Chinese Taipei in group C of Thomas Cup Final later in the day. 

Also Read : Uber Cup Final: India seal quarterfinal berth with 4-1 win over USA

News Source : PTI

Bangkok, May 10 (Badminton News) Indian women's badminton team sailed into the knockout stage of the Uber Cup Final after humbling USA 4-1 in a lopsided Group D match here on Tuesday.

India, who had defeated Canada 4-1 in their opening tie, notched up a second successive win to cement their position in the top two spot in their group to qualify for the quarterfinals.

P V Sindhu once again lead the proceedings with a 21-10 21-11 win over Jennie Gai, doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Treesa Jolly then beat Francesca Corbett and Allison Lee 21-19 21-10 before Aakashi Kashyap notched up a 21-18 21-11 victory over Esther Shi as India took an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Young doubles pair of Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker then went down fighting to Lauren Lam and Kodi Tang Lee 12-21 21-17 13-21 to salvage some pride for USA.

In the final match, Ashmita Chaliha prevailed 21-18 21-13 over Natalie Chi to wrap up the match.

Indian women's team, which has won two bronze medals in the past, will next face Korea on Wednesday in their last group match.

The Indian men's team also qualified for the knockout stage after ensuring their place in the top two in their group. 

Also Read : Thomas and Uber Cup: Indian men's team qualifies for knock-out round

News Source : PTI

Bangkok, May 9 (Badminton News) The Indian men's badminton team notched its second successive win with a 5-0 thrashing of Canada in a group tie to qualify for the knock-out round of the Thomas Cup here on Monday.

With its second impressive result, the Indian team, which defeated Germany 5-0 on Sunday, is certain to finish in the top-2 in Group C and thus qualify for the knock-out round.

World Championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth fought back from a game down to beat Brian Yang 20-22 21-11 21-15 in 52 minutes to give India the lead.

The doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then needed just 29 minutes to beat Jason Anthony Ho-Shue and Kevin Lee before world number 23 H S Prannoy easily won his singles match against B R Sankeerth 21-15 21-12 to make it 3-0 and clinch the tie for India.

The second doubles pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala was also too good for the duo of Dong Adam and Nyl Yakura in the match that the Indians won 21-15 21-11 in 34 minutes.

The route was completed when Priyanshu Rajawat beat Victor Lal in three games, 21-13 20-22 21-14 in the third men's singles which lasted 52 minutes. The Indian men's team is searching for its maiden medal at the tournament. No Indian men's team has ever reached the semifinals of the Thomas Cup.

The Indian team will play its final group C match against Chinese Taipei on Wednesday.

The Indian women's team had also begun its Uber Cup campaign on a resounding note with a 4-1 win against Canada on Sunday. It will face USA on Tuesday and Korea on Wednesday. 

Also Read : Ignored from TOPS core list, World No. 3 Para shuttler Kadam calls it 'unfair' selection, wants Thakur's intervention

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, May 7 (Badminton News) Para shuttler Sukant Kadam on Saturday expressed his displeasure after being ignored from the TOPS Core list, saying he is disappointed at the "unfair" selection process and sought Sport Minister Anurag Thakur's intervention in the matter.

Kadam, the World No. 3 and current national champion in the SL4 Category, didn't find a place in the TOPS Core List which was released on Friday by the Sports Authority of India.

"I am so disappointed and discouraged with @Media_SAI currently world number 3 and national champion but it's not sufficient to be in #TOPScheme. Requesting Hon'ble @ianuragthakur sir to urgently look into this unfair selection," he tweeted.

Kadam had won the gold medal at the 4th Para National Tournament in Odisha and followed it up with a gold and silver at the Spanish Para badminton International II.

He also won a bronze at the Spanish Para Badminton International and bagged silver at the Brazil Para Badminton International 2022.

Kadam is currently training in Peru and will participate in Bahrain Para-Badminton International (May 16-21), 4th Fazza Dubai Para-Badminton International (May 23 to 29) and Canada Para-Badminton International (June 6-12).

SAI's Mission Olympic Cell had included six para athletes to the core team of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

The list included four para shuttlers Manasi Joshi (Badminton - SL3), Nithya Sre (Badminton - SH6), Mandeep Kaur (Badminton - SL3) and Manisha Ramdass (Badminton - SU5). 

Also Read : Sindhu, Lakshya lead India's quest for medal at Thomas and Uber Cup Final

News Source : PTI

Bangkok, May 7 (Badminton News) Focus will be on double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and World Championships bronze winner Lakshya Sen as the Indian badminton contingent resumes its quest for a medal at the Thomas and Uber Cup Final beginning here on Sunday.

No Indian men's team has ever won a medal in the Thomas Cup, having failed to reach the semifinal even once.

But the women had two semifinal finishes in successive editions of the Uber Cup to clinch two bronze medals in 2014 and 2016.

Last year, both the men's and women's teams signed off their campaigns at the quarterfinal stage.

This time, India boasts of a strong men's team comprising world number 9 Sen, world number 11 Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy, ranked 23rd in the world, in singles.

The doubles will be led by world number 9 pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, while the combination of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila, and that of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala are also part of the team.

Given a robust team and a favourable draw, Indian men will look to make the golden opportunity count as they open campaign against Germany in group C which also comprises Chinese Taipei and Canada.

The women's team, however, was left depleted following the withdrawals of the experienced doubles pair of N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa and fast-rising Gayatri Gopichand.

Both Sikki and Gayatri are nursing injuries and have been advised rest.

In their absence, the onus will be on the shoulders of upcoming doubles players such as Tanisha Crasto, Shruti Mishra, Simran Singhi, Ritika Thaker and Treesa Jolly. In the women's singles, world number 7 Sindhu will have to do the heavy lifting as the other two singles players Aakarshi Kashyap and young Unnati Hooda lack experience but will look to produce a good show. They had made it to the squad following a rigorous selection trial.

With some key players missing, it will be tough for the women's team to get past group D members South Korea, Canada and United States and win a medal.

According to the format, a total of 16 teams have been drawn into four groups of four with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stage.

Of all the group C members, Indian men will face the toughest competition from Chinese Taipei, who boasts of world number 4 Chou Tien Chen, besides the world number 3 doubles pairing of Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin.

For women, Korea will be a tough competitor, boasting of world number 4 An Seyoung, world number 19 Kim Gaeun and world number 46 Sim Yujin, while Michelle Li is the top player for Canada, who might prove to be a tricky customer.

Defending champion Indonesia are the most successful team in the Thomas Cup with 14 men's titles, while China has 15 Uber Cup crowns in their kitty.

"We have the best chance to win Thomas Cup this time. We have three decent singles and one doubles pair at par with the best and we just have to make sure that they are all pumped up, all of them are capable of beating the best," former India coach Vimal Kumar told PTI.

"I can understand, it is difficult for the women's team but the men's team has a good chance." 

Also Read : Gayatri Gopichand to miss Uber Cup due to hip strain

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, May 6 (Shooting News) India won its third shooting medal at the ongoing 24th Deaflympics at Caxias do Sul, Brazil, with Vedika Sharma clinching a bronze in the women's 10m air Pistol event.

Vedika shot 207.2 in the finals to finish behind Chinese Taipei's Kao Ya-Ju, who won silver with a score of 232 on day four of competitions.

Ukraine's Inna Afonchenko won gold with final tally of 236.3 at the end of the 24-shot eight-woman final.

Dhanush Srikanth had won gold and Shourya Saini bronze in the men's 10m air rifle competition on day three to give India its first two shooting medals of the Deaflympics.

With the mixed team gold in badminton, India now has four medals in the Games and is in eighth place in the standings.

The final of the women's 10m air pistol event saw two Indian competitors with Pranjali Dhumal, who had qualified ahead of Vedika, finishing fourth to narrowly miss out on a medal.

Pranjali had topped the qualification round with a score of 561 while Vedika had grabbed the eighth and final qualifying spot with a round of 538.

In the women's 10m air rifle, two Indians again made it to the final round but a medal eluded them.

Priyesha Deshmukh finished fourth in the finals with a score of 203.4 while Natasha Joshi was seventh with 141.1. They had qualified in the same individual positions with scores of 618.9 and 617.6 respectively in the 60-shot qualification round.

India has sent 10 shooters in its 65-strong contingent for the Brazil Deaflympics. It is its largest and youngest ever squad and will be participating in 11 sporting disciplines. 

Also Read : Dhanush Srikanth wins gold, Shourya Saini bags bronze at Deaflympics

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, May 6 (Sports News) The Sports Authority of India's Mission Olympic Cell has included six para athletes to the core team of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), besides approving Paralympic gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia's proposal to train in Finland.

The six para-athletes who were included in the core list are Dharambir (Men's Club Throw - F51), Someswara Rao (Men's Long Jump - T64), Manasi Joshi (Badminton - SL3), Nithya Sre (Badminton - SH6), Mandeep Kaur (Badminton - SL3) and Manisha Ramdass (Badminton - SU5).

During its 74th meeting held recently, the MOC also approved 38 days training camp for para javelin thrower Jhajharia and his strength and conditioning coach Lakshay Batra. Jhajharia will train in Kuortane Olympic Training Centre, which has one of the best training facilities in Europe, particularly for javelin throwers.

According to a SAI statement, the international training camp will cost the government approximately Rs 11.5 lakh. 

Also Read : TOPS approves extension of Neeraj Chopra's training in Turkey

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, May 5 (Badminton News) Rising Indian doubles player Gayatri Gopichand has pulled out of the upcoming Uber Cup Finals after being advised rest to recover from a strain in hip joints.

The development was on Thursday confirmed to PTI by Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary Sanjay Mishra.

The tournament is beginning in Bangkok on Sunday.

Gayatri, who forms the women's doubles combination with Treesa Jolly, has been in good form, of late, producing a series of impressive performances in international and domestic circuit.

She had skipped the Asia badminton championships as well due to the injury and absence has only compounded the Indian women team's problems as the experienced pair of N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa has already withdrawn from the tournament after the former suffered an abdomen tear.

Simran Singh and Ritika Thakkar, who had finished fourth in the ranking during the selection trials, were included by the selectors in the 10-member squad following Sikki's injury.

But no replacement could be named for Gayatri since the extent of her injury came to light after the deadline for making any change to the squad was over.

Gayatri and Treesa had emerged winners at the selection trials to make it to the Indian squad for the Commonwealth Games, Uber Cup and Asian Games.

The duo had reached the semifinals of All England Championships in March this year.

While Gayatri missed out, Treesa left for Bangkok along with the team on Wednesday. Besides Treesa, the other doubles players in the squad include Tanisha Crasto, Shruti Mishra, Simran and Ritika.

The singles players in the team include PV Sindhu, Aakarshi Kashyap, Ashmita Chaliha, Unnati Hooda.

India are in Group D along side South Korea, Canada and the United States in Uber Cup Final.

Meanwhile, former top-10 player H S Prannoy also recovered from a "small injury" which had kept him away from the BAC to reach Bangkok for the Thomas Cup Final. 

Also Read : It was really unfair, I could have played the final: Sindhu on controversial point penalty at BAC

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, May 5 (Shooting News) Dhanush Srikanth struck gold in the men's 10m air rifle competition on day three of the ongoing 24th Deaflympics at Caxias do Sul, Brazil, ensuring a golden start to India's campaign at the Games.

Shourya Saini put the icing on India's cake with a bronze, finishing behind Korea's Kim Woo Rim in the eight-man final on Wednesday.

Dhanush shot 247.5, a finals world record score, to emerge triumphant as Kim fell short with 246.6, while Shourya finished third with 224.3.

Later the Indian badminton team also won gold beating Japan 3-1 in the final to make it a double celebrations for the country.

India is currently placed eighth on the medals table with two gold and one bronze medal. Ukraine tops the standings currently with 19 gold, six silver and 13 bronze medals.

Dhanush and Shourya were second and third respectively in the qualifications.

Hailing from Telangana, Dhanush trains at Gangan Narang's academy in Hyderabad.

Under the guidance of the Olympic bronze medallist shooter, Dhanush produced a fine performance to win his his career's biggest prize at the Games.

Dhanush and Shourya, who were also helped by National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) coaches Anuja Jung and Priti Sharma for the marquee sporting event, shot well throughout the day to emerge as deserving medal winners.

Dhanush shot 623.3 in qualification to finish behind Kim, who shot 625.1 to top the field. Shourya was third with 622.7 ensuring two Indians made it to the final stage.

In the final too, Kim began with a bang and was leading Dhanush till the 18th shot of the 24-shot final. The Indian found his bearings when the single shots began after the 10th shot and slowly but surely made up lost ground to march ahead.

After going past Kim on the 18th shot, Dhanush never looked back and kept widening the gap, eventually leaving the Korean almost a point behind to seal victory. Shourya was third throughout the final and ensured a full return for the squad from the event.

India has sent 10 shooters in their 65-strong contingent for the Brazil Deaflympics. It is their largest and youngest ever squad and will be participating in 11 sporting disciplines.

In the previous 2017 edition, India had finished with one gold, one silver and three bronze medals. 

Also Read : Ezhilarasi, Narwal, Palak top air pistol selection trials

News Source : PTI

Manila (Philippines), May 1 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu was left in tears after an "unfair" call by the umpires midway through her semifinal match against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi derailed her dream of winning a gold at the Badminton Asia Championships.

Leading 14-11 in the second game after having won the first game, Sindhu was handed a point penalty for taking too much time to serve between points.

The 26-year-old from Hyderabad lost her momentum after that incident, losing 21-13 19-21 16-21 to eventually sign off with a bronze medal, her second in the continental individual championship.

"The umpire told me you're taking a lot of time but the opponent wasn't ready at that point. But the umpire suddenly gave her the point and it was really unfair. I think that was one of the reasons why I lost," said Sindhu after the match on Saturday.

"I mean that is my feeling because at that moment it was 14-11 and could have become 15-11 but instead, it became 14-12 and she took continuous points. And I think it was very unfair. Maybe I would have won the match and played in the final." "I told the chief referee, he came and said it is already done. As a chief referee, you need to at least make sure what was the mistake. May be, he should have seen the replay and should have done something about it." Sindhu's father PV Ramana said Sindhu was extremely disappointed with the decision.

"She was confident of winning a gold this time and so was very disappointed. She was crying when she spoke to me but I told her that it is done and dusted and she should forget about it," Ramanna told PTI.

Sindhu was seen having an animated discussion with the chief referee after the chair umpire asked her to hand over the shuttle to her opponent but it all fell on deaf ears.

"What umpire did was not correct, If she was delaying, then you could have warned her with a yellow card and if you are penalising her with a point then at least show a red card and give the point but there was nothing of that sort," Ramana said.

There were also speculations of Sindhu not accepting the bronze after she skipped the medal ceremony but the star herself put those to rest with a tweet and a candid picture of her posing with medal.

"A medal at the end of an excruciating campaign is always special. This could have gone the distance. Looking forward to the next," Sindhu tweeted.

However, Ramana on his part clarified that a formal written permission was sought from the authorities regarding the same.

"Nothing like that, she accepted the medal, it is just that she had to rush for a flight back home, so she took permission from the authorities," he said.

"See Sindhu has to go to Uber Cup (May 8-15, Bangkok) and there were no direct flights available from Manila to India for tomorrow and day after.

"If she had reached on 4th May, she would have missed out of a few days of training ahead of the Uber Cup," the former India spiker said. 

Also Read : P V Sindhu settles for bronze at Badminton Asia Championships

News Source : PTI

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 30 (Boxing News) The first-ever Kerala Olympic Games was inaugurated by state Sports Minister V Abdurahiman at the University Stadium here on Saturday.

Athletes, bearing the torch and flag of the Games, took out a march across the city before reaching the inaugural venue.

Olympic medallists Mary Kom, P R Sreejesh, Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Bajrang Punia, along with Olympians from Kerala Sajan Prakash, Alex Antony, K T Irfan and M P Jabir accompanied the athletes in an open jeep.

State Finance Minister K N Balagopal awarded the lifetime achievement award to boxer Mary Kom.

Ministers V Sivankutty, G R Anil and Antony Raju presented awards to Sreejesh, Dahiya and Punia respectively. Other Olympians were also felicitated during the event.

The maiden Kerala Games is a mega multi-sporting event organised by the Kerala Olympics Association (KOA).

As part of the Games, which will be held from May 1 to 10, a 21.1 km-long half marathon will be held on Sunday.

The KOA said the prize money for the marathon is Rs 11 lakh for winners under various categories.

The association expects over 1,000 participants in the marathon from across the country.

The Games was originally slated to be held in mid-February but was rescheduled to May in view of the pandemic.

A mega Olympic Expo was also inaugurated.

On December 22, state Education Minister Sivankutty had unveiled the mascot of the Games, a rabbit named Neeraj, in honour of Neeraj Chopra, the first Indian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal.

The mascot has been installed at various places across the city.

Athletics, aquatics, archery, basketball, boxing, badminton, cycling, football, wrestling, hockey, judo, karate, kambadi (kabaddi), kho-kho, netball, rugby, shooting, wushu, tennis, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball and weight-lifting will be part of the Games.

Athletes and teams participating in the Kerala Olympic Games were selected through district-level events. More than 8,000 sportspersons are expected to participate in the Kerala Olympics. 

Also Read : I've evolved as technical boxer, says Nikhat Zareen

News Source : PTI

Manila (Philippines), Apr 30 (Badminton News) Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu ended her Badminton Asia Championships campaign with a bronze medal after going down fighting to Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in three games here on Saturday.

The 26-year-old started the match on a positive note but couldn't keep the winning momentum going, losing 21-13 19-21 16-21 to the top seed and world No. 2 Yamaguchi in the clash, which lasted one hour and six minutes.

This is Sindhu's second medal in the tournament -- she had claimed a bronze in the 2014 Gimcheon edition.

The Hyderabad shuttler, who won two Super 300 titles at Syed Modi International and Swiss Open, took the first game easily in 16 minutes.

In the second game, the fourth-seeded Sindhu was handed a point penalty for taking too much time between points, leading to an argument with the referee.

The argument between the two led to a momentum shift as Yamaguchi levelled the proceedings to force a decider. The Japnese shuttler found her rhythm and never let Sindhu regroup.

In the final game, Sindhu trailed from the beginning. In the end, Yamaguchi had five match points, which she duly converted.

The head-to-head between Sindhu and Yamaguchi is now 13-9 in the Indian's favour.

With Sindhu's defeat, India's challenge at the individual continental championship has ended. 

Also Read : Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag enter BAC quarterfinals; Srikanth, Saina out

News Source : PTI

Manila (Philippines), Apr 28 (Badminton News) Star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu notched up a straight game win over lowly-ranked Yue Yann Jaslyn Hooi of Singapore in women's singles competition to advance to the quarterfinals of Badminton Asia Championships here on Thursday.

The Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also made it to the quarterfinals but it was curtains for London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and world championships silver winner Kidambi Srikanth.

Sindhu, seeded fourth, who had claimed a bronze in the 2014 Gimcheon edition, defeated Jaslyn Hooi, ranked 100th, 21-16 21-16 in 42 minutes to set up a clash against third seed Chinese He Bing Jiao, whom she had beaten for a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.

World number 7 Sindhu, a double Olympic medallist, has a 7-9 head-to-head record against Bing Jiao, whom she has beaten twice in the last two meetings.

The third seeded mixed doubles duo of Satwik and Chirag too produced a fine performance to sail into the last-eight round with a 21-17 21-15 win over Japan's Akira Koga and Taichi Saito.

The world number 7 Indian pairing will next face either fifth seeded Malaysian combination of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik or Singaporean duo of Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Jun Liang Andy Kwek.

However, Saina's dream of claiming her fourth medal in the prestigious tournament ended after she ran out of steam to eventually lose 21-12 7-21 13-21 to 22-year-old Chinese Wang Zhi Yi, ranked 16th in the world.

Saina is on a comeback trail after recovering from some nagging injuries and had skipped the selection trials for the upcoming major events such as Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Uber Cup.

Srikanth, seeded seventh, too couldn't step up his game when it mattered, going down narrowly to China's Weng Hong Yang 16-21 21-17 17-21 in a men's singles second round match that lasted an hour and 17 minutes.

Earlier, despite the huge difference in their rankings, it was a tight battle for supremacy between Sindhu and Jaslyn Hooi.

At one stage, the Indian was two-point behind at 7-9 against her opponent, who managed to take a slender 11-10 lead at the interval but Sindhu stepped up and levelled 16-16 before pocketing the opening game.

The Indian managed to move to a 12-8 advantage in the second game after an initial fight following a change of sides.

The Singaporean erased the deficit, coming as close as 15-16, before Sindhu once again stepped on the gas to pocket the match. 

Also Read : Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag enter BAC quarterfinals

News Source : PTI

Manila (Philippines), Apr 28 (Badminton News) Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu advanced to the quarterfinals of Badminton Asia Championships after beating lowly-ranked Yue Yann Jaslyn Hooi of Singapore in straight games in the women's singles competition here on Thursday.

The fourth seeded Indian, who had claimed a bronze in the 2014 Gimcheon edition, defeated Jaslyn Hooi, ranked 100th, 21-16 21-16 in 42 minutes to set up a clash with third seed Chinese He Bing Jiao, whom she had beaten for a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.

Sindhu has a 7-9 head-to-head record against Bing Jiao, whom she has beaten twice in the last two meetings.

The third seeded Indian men's doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also made it to the quarterfinals with a 21-17 21-15 win over Japan's Akira Koga and Taichi Saito.

The world number 7 Indian pairing will face next either fifth seeded Malaysian Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik or the Singaporean duo of Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Jun Liang Andy Kwek.

Also Read : Saina, Sindhu, Srikanth win opening matches, Sen makes first round exit

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Apr 27 (Sports News) Weightlifter Ann Mariya MT of Mangalore University smashed the clean and jerk national record in women's +87kg class to win a gold at the Khelo India University Games here on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Mariya lifted 129kg to break Manpreet Kaur's clean and jerk record (128kg) set at the National Championships earlier this year.

With a 101kg effort in snatch, Mariya, who trains at the SAI National Centre of Excellence here, won her event with a combined lift of 230kg.

Though she missed out on equalling her national record in the combined lift (231kg) set at the National Championships, Mariya was delighted to have bettered her personal best in the clean and jerk.

Seventeen gold medals were decided on the day which saw five meet records. Jain University tightened their grip on the top spot in the medal table with 10 gold, four silver and one bronze.

The day also saw end of weightlifting, basketball and badminton competitions.

The pool produced the first meet record of the day with Anna University winning gold in the men's 4x100m medley.

Jain University, who boasted of Tokyo Olympian Srihari Nataraj and Siva Sridhar in their ranks, led the race comfortably right till the anchor leg.

But Anna University's anchor Adhithya Dinesh took the lead with a powerful swim and brilliant flip turn. Adhithya had suffered a hairline fracture in January and was on bed rest for three weeks. KIUG provided the platform for his remarkable resurgence.

Jain University also logged their first gold outside of the pool, winning both the men's and women's team events in badminton.

Two medals were available in mixed teams events at the shooting range. Savitribai Phule Pune University won gold in the mixed 10m air rifle with the duo of Rasika Kulve and Gajanan Khandagale outshooting Manipal University's Manini Kaushik and Yash Vardhan to clinch the gold.

Gajanan also has a bronze in the 10m individual air rifle event.

Meanwhile, University of Madras won gold in the women's basketball, beating SRM University 65-48.

Archery kicked off at the Jain Global campus on Wednesday, with four qualification events on the schedule. 

Also Read : Ramachandra Reddy becomes Baseball Federation of India president

News Source : PTI

Manila (Philippines), Apr 27 (Badminton News) Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal fought off strong challenge from their opponents before winning their respective opening matches, but it was curtains for Lakshya Sen and B Sai Praneeth in Badminton Asia Championships here on Wednesday.

Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu was made to toil hard by Chinese Taipei's Pai Yu Po as the fourth seeded Indian came back from a game down to win 18-21 27-25 21-9 in a marathon women's singles opening round match, which lasted for one hour and 17 minutes.

London Olympics bronze medallist Saina, who has been on a comeback trail after recovering from some nagging injuries, also had to break her sweat to eke out a 21-15 17-21 21-13 win over Sim Yujin of South Korea.

While Sindhu will next play Singapore's Yue Yann Jaslyn Hooi, Saina will be up against China's Zhi Yi Wang.

The other remaining Indian in the women's singles, Malvika Bansod too squandered a game lead before going down 9-21 21-17 26-24 against Yeo Jia Min of Singapore in another hard-fought tie. It turned out to be a disappointing outing for world championships bronze medal winner Sen, who was stunned by the unseeded Li Shi Feng of China.

The fifth seeded Indian lost 21-12 10-21 19-21 in his opening round men's singles tie that lasted 56 minutes.

World No. 19 Sai Praneeth suffered a straight game 17-21 13-21 defeat against Jonatan Christie of Indonesia.

Seventh seeded Kidambi Srikanth, however, kept India's flag flying in the men's singles competition by progressing to the second round with a straight-game win over Tze Yong Ng of Malaysia. Srikanth defeated his rival 22-20 21-15 to set up a clash against Chinese qualifier Weng Hong Yang in the second round.

It was also the end of the road for Aakarshi Kashyap, who lost 15-21 9-21 to Japanese top seed Akane Yamaguchi in the women's singles.

Both the women's doubles pair of Ashwini Bhat K and Shikga Gautam, and Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker also made opening round exits after losing in straight games.

While Bhat and Gautam went down 19-21 12-21 to Anna Ching Yik Cheong and Teoh Mei Xing of Malaysia, Singhi and Thaker lost 15-21 11-21 to seventh seeded Malaysian pair of Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah. 

Also Read : Badminton Asia Championships: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty pair sails to second round

News Source : PTI

Manila (Philippines), Apr 26 (Badminton News) India's top doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty cruised to the second round of the Badminton Asia Championships with a straight game win here on Tuesday.

The world number 7 and third seeded Indian duo hardly broke a sweat to register a 21-13 21-9 victory against the Thai pair of Apiluk Gaterahong and Natchanon Tulamok in 27 minutes.

Satwik and Chirag will next lock horns with Japan's Akiro Koga and Taichi Saito in the second round.

Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto also advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles event. The Indian duo got the better of Hong Kong's Law Cheuk Him and Yeung Nga Ting 21-15 21-17 in half and hour.

However, it was the end of the road for the men's doubles duo of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala.

Prasad and Pranjala fought hard but eventually conceded the first round tie to Kang Minhyuk and Kim Wonho of South Korea 10-21 21-19 16-21.

They will take on the winners of the tie between South Korea's Kim Wonho and Jeong Na Eun and the seventh seeded pairing of Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing of Malaysia.

Later in the day, MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila will take on fourth seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia in the men's doubles, while the mixed doubles Venkat Gaurav Prasad and Juhi Dewangan will be pitted against Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianiti of Indonesia. 

Also Read : Brazil Para Badminton Intl: Tarun, Kadam win gold & silver, Bhagat bags 2 bronze as India secures 28 medals

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 25 (Badminton News) Tarun Dhillon and Sukant Kadam clinched a gold and silver respectively in SL4 class, while Tokyo Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat bagged two bronze in SL3 as the Indian team secured 28 medals at the Brazil Para Badminton International in Sao Paulo.

In total, the Indian para badminton squad clinched 8 gold, 7 silver and 13 bronze to sign off a creditable campaign on Sunday.

In SL4 category, world No. 3 Kadam defeated Germany's Marcel Adam 21-19 21-13 but he went down to fellow Indian Tarun in the final.

Both Tarun and Kadam fought till the end but it was the former who emerged victories in the end, claiming a 21-17 20-22 21-18 win to capture the yellow metal.

Kadam said: "I am disappointed by the result a little as I had given my everything in the game. I think Tarun played really well and held nerves at crucial points. Every tournament I am playing, my game is improving and I am happy with the progress." World No. 1 Bhagat also went down to compatriot Kumar Nitesh 7-21 21-19 19-21 in a closely fought 50-minute match.

Nitesh went on to win the gold, defeating Japan's Daisuke Fujihara with a score line of 21-15 18-21 21-18.

In the mixed doubles, Pramod and Palak Kohli went down fighting to Japan's Daisuke Fujihara and Akiko Sugino in three sets.

Apart from Nitesh and Tarun, Parul Parmar (SL3), Jyoti Verma (SL4), Manisha Ramdas (SU5), Hardik Makkar-Ruthik Raghupathi (SU5), Arwaz Ansari-Deep Ranjan Bisoyee (SL3-SL4) and Manisha Ramdas-Mandeep Kaur (SL3-SU5) also won gold medals at the tournament.

Prem Kumar Ale (WH1), Mandeep Kaur (SL3), Nithya Sre (SH6), Palak Kohli-Parul Parmar (SL3-SU5), Chirag Baretha-Mandeep Kaur (SL3-SU5) and Tarun Dhillon-Nitesh Kumar (SL3-SL4) also returned with silver medals.

Among bronze winners, Manoj Sarkar (SL3), Nilesh Gaikwad (SL4), Dhingaram (SH6), Ammu Mohan (WH2), Manoj Sarkar-Vikram Kumar (SL3-SL4), Chirag Baretha-Nilesh Gaikwad (SU5), Prem Kumar Ale-Abu Hubaida (WH1-WH2), Shashank Kumar-Ammu Mohan (WH1-WH2), Ammu Mohan (WH1-WH2), Arati Patil (SL3-SU5) and Nithya Sre-Latatai Umrekar (SH6) and Pramod Bhagat-Palak Kohli (SL3-SU5) were the prominent names. 

Also Read : Badminton Asia Championships: Sen, Sindhu eye medals; Prannoy pull out due to injury

News Source : PTI

Manila (Philippines), Apr 25 (Badminton News) Focus will be on two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and world championships bronze winner Lakshya Sen when they lead India's challenge at the Badminton Asia Championships, beginning here on Tuesday.

A lot of hope will ride on Sen and Sindhu as the duo has been in good form in the run-up to the continent championships, which is returning after a gap of two years due to COVID-19.

The prestigious event will, however, lose a bit of sheen with the withdrawal of an injured HS Prannoy, who had claimed a bronze at the 2018 Wuhan edition and is in good form.

While Prannoy will miss out due to a "small injury" sustained on way to his Swiss Open final finish, it will be a great opportunity for All England silver medallist Sen.

The 20-year-old from Almora has been on a stellar run with title wins at the India Open Super 500 and final appearance at the German Open and All England Championships.

Sen had also won a bronze at the 2020 Asia team Championships, besides bagging a gold and bronze at the 2018 and 2016 Asian Junior Championships.

The fifth seeded Indian will be eagar to win a medal from the senior tournament but it will be easier said than done as he faces 22-year-old China's Li Shi Feng, a two-time world junior championships gold medallist, in his opening round.

All eyes will also be on former world champion fourth seed Sindhu, who had scooped a bronze from the 2014 Gimcheon edition and is coming into the event after securing two Super 300 titles at Syed Modi International and Swiss Open.

The World No. 7 Indian will be eagar to pocket another medal when she begins her campaign against Chinese Taipei's Pai Yu Po.

Sindhu is likely to come across fifth seeded Chinese He Bing Jiao in the quarterfinals if she can cross the initial rounds.

World championships silver winner Kidambi Srikanth too has been in good touch though he has been guilty of not able to close out some tight matches.

The seventh seeded Indian, who won two bronze in 2016 and 2020 Asia Team Championships but failed to secure an individual medal, will aim to grab the opportunity this time when he opens against Malaysia's NG Tze Yong.

Tokyo Olympian B Sai Praneeth too will eye a good show when he opens against fourth seeded Jonatan Christie.

Focus will also be on London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal as she looks to claim her fourth medal at the Badminton Asia Championships.

Saina has been on a comeback trial after recovering from some nagging injuries and had skipped the selection trials for the upcoming major events such as Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Uber Cup.

The former world number one will look to silence her critics when she begins campaign against Korea's Sim Yujin.

Among others, Aakarshi Kashyap, who was picked for all the three major events after she emerged as winner in the trials, will face top seed Akane Yamaguchi, while Malvika Bansod, who missed out of a berth, will cross swords with Singapore's Yeo Jia Min.

World number 7 and third seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will open against Thailand pair of Apiluk Gaterahong and Natchanon Tulamok.

MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila, who recently made it to the Asian Games and Thomas Cup teams after finishing on top at the selection trials in New Delhi, will also be in action.

The unseeded Indian pair will be up against fourth seeded Indonesian combination of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in its opening round. Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala, who had reached the quarters at Odisha Open Super 100 and German Open Super 300 besides finishing runners-up at Syed Modi International Super 300, will look to give a good account of themselves.

In women's doubles, India will lack the punch following the withdrawls of N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa, and Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand.

While Sikki got injured during the recently-concluded selection trials in New Delhi, Treesa and Gayatri also pulled out at the last minute following an injury to the latter.

Ashwini Bhat K and Shikha Gautam, and young pairing of Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker will be in the fray in women's doubles for India.

In the mixed doubles, Venkat Gaurav Prasad and Juhi Dewangan, and Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto will look to go deep in the draw. 

Also Read : Prannoy, Treesa-Gayatri pull out of Badminton Asia Championships

News Source : PTI

Manila (Philippines), Apr 25 (Badminton News) India's H S Prannoy has pulled out of the Badminton Asia Championships beginning here on Tuesday due to a "small injury" that he sustained during his final finish at the Swiss Open in March.

Prannoy, who was handed a direct entry to the Asian Games and Thomas Cup due to his good show in the last few international events, is looking to return to action at the Thomas Cup starting in Bangkok, Thailand on May 8.

"Had to withdraw from Asian Badminton Championships this week because of a small injury which happened in Swiss Open!," Prannoy, who has a bronze medal from the 2018 Wuhan edition, wrote on his twitter handle.

"I think the best decision was to focus on training and focus on next set of events! Can't wait to join the rest of the squad for Thomas cup Finals," he added.

A former top 10 player, Prannoy had been battling a gastroesophageal reflux disease (a digestive ailment in which stomach acid or bile irritates the food pipe lining) and after affects of COVID-19 to see his performance slip and ranking drop at the world stage.

However, Prannoy showed signs of returning to form when he finished at the quarterfinal stage at the World Championships last year, before signing off at the last eight stage at the India Open Super 500, Syed Modi Super 300 and German Open Super 300.

At the Swiss Open, he had reached the finals before losing to Indonesian Jonatan Christie.

Young women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who emerged as winners at the selection trials to make it to the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Uber Cup, also pulled out of the tournament due to an injury suffered by the latter. 

Also Read : Want to win medals at CWG, crack world's top 10 & qualify for 2024 Olympics: Treesa Jolly

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 23 (Badminton News) Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand's dream run continued with the young duo making it to the Indian team for the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Uber Cup following its stellar display at the recently-concluded selection trials.

And the young pair is now focussing on returning with a medal from the upcoming major events, cracking the world's top 10 and qualifying for the Paris Olympics in two years time.

It has just been a little over 15 months that the two paired up but the duo has been like a house on fire, becoming the first women's pair to reach the All England semifinals, winning the Odisha Open Super 100 and reaching the finals of Syed Modi Super 300.

"Now the target is the CWG, Asian Games and Uber Cup and we also want to work hard and qualify for the 2024 Olympics," Treesa told PTI.

"Main thing is the Paris Olympics, so our aim is to be in top 10 by next year. That is the target." All of 18, Treesa hails from Cherupuzha, Kerala where the seeds of badminton were first sowed in her by her father Jolly Mathew, who is a physical education teacher.

"My father is a physical education teacher, so he wanted his kids also to play the sport. My elder sister (Maria) was my partner in under-15, under-17 in state events but I was performing better so my father motivated me to continue," Treesa said.

"When I started playing badminton, I realised that it gives me a lot of happiness. I remember watching Saina (Nehwal) at the Olympics, since then she has been my inspiration." Treesa, who started playing the sport as a six year old, said she joined the Gopichand academy just two months before the COVID-19 lockdowns were announced in 2020.

"I used to play singles and doubles but when I shifted to Gopichand academy in January 2020, Gayatri too had started playing doubles, so something clicked and we started playing together.

"But with lockdown, it was difficult as I had to go back home and we did the online sessions. In fact, Sudirman Cup and Uber Cup trials was the time when we played together and the first international event was at Poland." The duo had reached the finals of Polish International, won the Infosys Foundation International Challenge, before finishing second best at Welsh International.

But it was 2022 that the duo made a massive breakthrough with a runners-up finish at Lucknow and a top finish at Odisha.

However, the icing on the cake was their performance at the All England Championships.

"We were playing All England for the first time and there was no pressure, we were just playing freely and so we could give our best. It was such a great moment, as there was no expectations," Treesa said.

The Kerela shuttler knows expectations will be high from here on and she says it will be all about "adjusting to the pressure" and finding a way to "give our best".

The duo's court work has also been neatly divided with Treesa mending the back court as Gayatri manages the net.

"I am a attacking player, I am confident of attacking and to play at the back court with my smashes, Gayatri plays both, but she is good at net.

"It is different, when you play against the foreign players like the Chinese or Europeans. You need to be fitter and have more patience.

"The Japanese play 40-50 strokes in a rally, so we have to be of the same level. We need to be more patient to be in the rallies and also working mentally on the game.

"We have to adjust to the different style of games. I think we are comfortable with fast paced games and we need to work on playing the rally game," she signed off. 

Also Read : BAI trials: Aakarshi, Priyanshu emerge winners in singles; Ashwini-Sumeeth win mixed doubles

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 20 (Badminton News) Aakarshi Kashyap and Priyanshu Rajawat are set to be picked for the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games respectively after emerging as winners in women's and men's singles at Badminton Association of India's (BAI) selection trials here on Wednesday.

While Aakarshi prevailed over Ashmita Chaliha 21-10 17-21 21-15, Priyanshu saw off Odisha Open winner Kiran George 21-15 18-21 21-10 to top the rankings at the national trials at the IG Stadium Complex here.

While Aakarshi, who stayed unbeaten in the tournament, is set to join double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu in the CWG team as the second women's singles player, Priyanshu will get a chance to represent the country at the Asian Games and Thomas Cup.

With Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth given direct selection due to their top 15 world ranking, Priyanshu, however, won't get a place in the CWG team.

Priyanshu has been in good form, losing just one match in the entire event at Stage 2B to Sai Charan Koya.

Priyanshu, Kiran, Ravi and Sameer Verma emerged as the men's singles players ranked 1 to 4 in the trials, while Aakarshi was followed by Ashmita, Unnati Hooda and Aditi Bhatt in women's singles.

The top three women's singles players will get a chance to represent the country as three positions are available for the Asian Games and Uber Cup teams.

In mixed doubles, B Sumeeth Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa staved off challenge from Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto 11-21 22-20 21-18 to grab the top position. The duo are likely to be picked for all the three major events.

Ishaan and Tanisha finished second, followed by Pratik Ranade and Akshaya Warnag, and N Sikki Reddy and K Sai Pratheek.

According to the selection procedure of the BAI, the winner of the mixed doubles will be selected for the third slot in the CWG team.

In women's doubles, Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Ashwini and Sikki will fight it out with All England semifinalists Tressa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand to decide the top position.

While both the pairs are assured of berths in the Asian Games and Uber Cup teams, where three positions are up for grabs, only the winner will be picked for CWG.

The winner of the match between Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker, and Tanisha and Shruti Mishra later in the day will decide the third spot.

Fast-rising men's doubles pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila also finished at the top.

The duo first beat Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy 21-6 25-23 and later K Sai Pratheek retired following an injury, paving their way to the top.

Manu and Sumeeth will take on Krishna Prasad G and Vishnuvardhan Goud P to decide the number 2 and 3 rankings, while Ishaan and Sai Pratheek finished at the fourth place. According to the BAI selection policy, the top two men's pairs will be picked for Asian Games and Thomas Cup.

The selection committee will meet later in the evening to take a final call on the players. 

Also Read : Bhagat, Kadam among top Indians competing at Brazil Para Badminton International

News Source  : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 18 (Badminton News) World No. 1 Pramod Bhagat and World No. 3 Sukant Kadam will lead the Indian para badminton contingent at the Brazil Para Badminton International tournament beginning in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.

The BWF Para Badminton International Level 2 event is taking place after a gap of two years.

"The year 2022 started well with the Spain tournament and I want to keep the momentum going and keep winning. My training is going well and I plan to execute everything that I have been practising," Bhagat said in a release.

Bhagat, who had won the Tokyo Paralympics gold medal, claimed two silver and a bronze at the Spanish Para Badminton International last month.

Sukant Kadam, who had ended with a bronze at Spain, said he is looking at the event as a preparation for the upcoming major events.

"I have been training hard and the results are there for everyone to see. The Brazil tournament is part of my preparation for Asian Games and World Championships which are scheduled for later this year.

"Brazil will see the best talent coming and I would like to do well at the tournament." Apart from Bhagat and Kadam, Manoj Sarkar, Tarun Dhillon, Parul Parmar, Nitesh Rana, Manasi Joshi, Palak Kohli and Nithya Sri are the other top Indian para shuttlers, who will be participating in the tournament. 

Also Read : BAI's selection trials: Praneeth, George, Aakarshi and Malvika continue winning run

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 16 (Badminton News) World No. 19 B Sai Praneeth continued his unbeaten run as he defeated Sourabh Verma in the stage 2 A men's singles group at BAI's selection trials for the upcoming major international team events here on Saturday.

Praneeth, 2017 Singapore Open champion, saw off national champion Verma 21-14 15-21 21-13 in a thrilling match at the K. D. Jadhav Hall inside Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex.

The Hyderabad shuttler will next take on Kiran George and Ansal Yadav, who also crossed the preliminary round and are clubbed in stage 2 A group, out of which the topper will play for rank 1 to 4 in a round-robin format.

In another stage 2 A match, George beat Ansal Yadav 21-10 21-9 to also stay in contention for the top position.

Sameer Verma and Raghu M also notched up wins in stage 2 D on the second day of the six-day trials.

While Sameer beat Mithun Manjunath 21-14 21-10, Raghu edged out Maisnam Meriraba 21-14 12-21 21-17 in 51 minutes.

In stage 2 B, Kartikey Gulshan Kumar got the better of Sai Charan Koya 21-16 21-9, while Priyanshu Rajawat defeated Sathish Kumar K 21-16 21-15 in 40 minutes.

Alap Mishra trounced Arjun Rehani 21-11 21-13, while Ravi beat Shreyansh Jaiswal 21-19 21-10 in stage 2 C.

In women's singles, Aakarshi Kashyap staved off a valiant effort from Tanya Hemanth to win 21-18 12-21 21-14 in an hour and nine minutes in stage 2 A, while Malvika Bansod beat Nivetha M 21-14 21-16 in stage 2 B.

In stage 2 C, Aditi Bhatt thrashed Kavipriya S 21-14 21-11, while Odisha Open champion Unnati Hooda prevailed over Tara Shah 20-22 21-17 21-9 in 42 minutes.

In other results, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand topped group B to qualify for the second stage, while N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa topped group A to enter the next round.

Gayatri, along with Dhruv Kapila, topped group C of mixed doubles to progress to the next stage.

The national trials are being conducted to pick the team for the upcoming Thomas & Uber Cup (May 8-15, Bangkok), Commonwealth Games (July 28-August 8, Birmingham) and Asian Games (Hangzhou, September 10-25).

Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, and PV Sindhu, alongside the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have been named as the automatic selection as they are ranked inside the top 15.

World number 23 HS Prannoy has also been picked due to his recent form which saw him reach the finals of Swiss Open Super 300.

However, two-time Commonwealth Games champion Saina Nehwal, ranked 23, wasn't considered for direct selection as she hasn't been in the best of form, having made a series of first-round exits in the last few months.

The India ace had informed BAI about her decision to skip the trials and also slammed the association for not responding to her mail, besides questioning the logic of conducting the trials.

The BAI is also to pick the core group from the trials -- eight singles players in men and women category, six pairs each from men's doubles, women's doubles and four mixed doubles combinations. 

Also Read : It seems like BAI is happy to put me out of CWG and Asiad: Saina

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 14 (Badminton News) Two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Saina Nehwal on Thursday questioned the timing of selection trials and slammed the Badminton Association of India for "putting" her out the two mega sporting events later this year.

The governing body had called for selection trials on April 2 to pick the Indian team for big-ticket events including the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Asian Games in Hangzhou and Thomas Cup and Uber Cup in Bangkok from May 8 to 15.

Saina, a former world no 1, said she had informed BAI about her decision to skip the trials which begins at the IG stadium on Friday but it did not mean that she was not eager to participate at the major events including the Commonwealth Games and Asiad.

"Surprised to see all the articles stating that I don't want to defend my CWG title and my Asiad medal. I'm just not participating in the trials because I just got back from 3 weeks of Europe events and according to the schedule there's Asian Championships," Saina tweeted.

"In 2 weeks time, as a senior player to participate in back to back events nonstop is impossible and it's risking injuries, such short notice is not possible. I've conveyed this to BAI but there has been no response from them. It seems like they're happy to put me out of CWG n Asiad." BAI has exempted players inside the top 15 in the BWF rankings from the trials but said shuttlers ranked between 16 to 50 in the latest world rankings, released on March 29, will have to participate in the trials to be selected for the team.

Saina, 32, however, questioned the logic of having trials at this juncture.

"I wish we had better understanding about how to manage a schedule and not announce events with 10 days notice. I'm world no.23 currently and I almost beat the world no.1 Akane in All England. One loss at India open and BAI tries to pull me down. Shocking." Saina, a London Olympics bronze medallist, had participated at the German Open (March 8-13), All England Championships (March 16-20) and Swiss Open (March 22-27) before pulling out of the Korean Open (April 5-10). Saina has been battling injuries and poor form for the past couple of years, which saw see her ranking slip to 23rd but she did show signs of returning to form when she played a three-game match against Akane Yamaguchi at this year's All England Championships.

Among the current crop of women's singles players, Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, Ashmita Chaliha and Anupama Upadhyaya have been in good form but none of them have beaten top international stars in the world stage.

Saina had returned to the circuit after recovering from a groin and knee injury this year but she didn't have the desired results as her India Open campaign ended in the second round.

After a gap of few weeks, she played three events last month -- German Open, All England and Swiss Open -- where she failed to cross the second round. 

Also Read : Saina Nehwal decides to skip selection trials for CWG, Asian Games

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 12 (Badminton News) Saina Nehwal's chances of defending her title at the Commonwealth Games looks bleak as she has decided to skip the selection trials for the upcoming multi-sport events.

The big-ticket events include the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The selection trials are scheduled here from April 15 to 20.

The 32-year-old Hisar-born shuttler, a two-time CWG gold medallist and 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist, has informed the Badminton Association of India (BAI) about her decision to skip the trials.

"Saina has written to BAI, informing her decision to not play in the trials which will be the only tournament to pick players for CWG, Asiad and Thomas and Uber Cup," a BAI source told PTI.

The CWG squad will consist of 10 members with equal number of men and women, while the Asian Games and Thomas & Uber Cup contingents will have 20 members each, including 10 men and 10 women.

The BAI has made it clear that players inside the top 15 in the BWF rankings will be picked directly, while the rest will be chosen from the trials which will see participation of shuttlers ranked between 16 to 50 in the latest world rankings, released on March 29.

The national governing body will also be "finalising probables for the senior core group for the 2024 Olympic Games" during the trials.

Injuries and recent form =============== A former world number one, Saina has been battling a series of injuries and poor form for the past couple of years, which saw see her ranking slip to 23rd.

Saina, who had won gold medals at the 2010 and 2018 CWG, had suffered a career-threatening knee injury ahead of the Rio Olympics.

She had hurt her groin during the Thomas & Uber Cup Final in Aarhus, Denmark in October last year, and she was also forced to withdraw midway in the first round match at the French Open due to a knee injury.

Her return to the circuit at the India Open ended in the second round when she lost to the fast-rising Malvika Bansod. After a gap of few weeks, she played three events last month -- German Open, All England and Swiss Open -- but failed to cross the second round.

A semifinal finish at 2021 Orleans Masters Super 100 and quarterfinals at Barcelona Spain Masters Super 300 and Malaysia Masters in 2020 have been Saina's highlights in recent years. 

Also Read : Korea Open: Sindhu fails to decode An Seyoung, campaign ends at semifinals

News Source : PTI

Charleston, Apr 11 (Tennis News) Veteran Indian tennis player Sania Mirza and her Czech partner Lucie Hradecka's splendid run at the Charleston Open ended after they lost the title clash to Andreja Klepac and Magda Linette.

The unseeded Mirza and Hradecka went down 2-6 6-4 7-10 in one hour 24 minutes to the fourth seed Polish-Slovenian duo on Sunday.

Mirza and Hradecka had a stunning run at the WTA 500 event, reaching the women's doubles final after pulling off a major upset by stunning top seeds Zhang Shuai and Caroline Dolehide in the semifinals.

In the quarterfinals, they got the better of third seeds Alexa Guarachi and Jessica Pegula.

Mirza and Hradecka had also reached the semifinal of the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.

The 35-year-old Mirza, who is India's most accomplished woman tennis player having won six Grand Slam titles, including three mixed doubles trophies, had earlier announced that 2022 would be her last season. 

Also Read : Berrettini undergoes surgery, to miss three ATP Masters 1000 events

News Source : PTI

Suncheon (South Korea), Apr 9 (Badminton News) India's P V Sindhu suffered her fourth successive defeat to the young An Seyoung to sign off her women's singles campaign at the semifinal stage of the Korea Open Super 500 badminton tournament here on Saturday.

The third seeded Indian tried everything at her disposal but couldn't find a way to get past the world number four Korean, going down 14-21 17-21 in 48 minutes.

The 20-year-old An Seyoung gave ample display of her athleticism with her diving returns to keep the rallies alive and didn't falter in her precision, leaving Sindhu to do the catch-up job from the start.

The second seeded Korean rode on her superb retrieving skills to gallop to a 6-1 lead early on.

Next she dived twice in quick succession on both flanks to blunt Sindhu's attack and sealed it with a delightful drop.

Two powerful returns took Sindhu to 4-7 but An Seyoung came up with two precise returns, a body blow and then produced another over-the-head return to gain a healthy 11-6 lead at the break.

Sindhu tried to step up the pace but An Seyoung displayed a wide array of shots to always stay a step ahead. The Indian got a few points with her smashes but she couldn't put pressure on the Korean.

An Seyoung disposed off two weak lifts from Sindhu and then grabbed eight game points, two of which were saved by the Indian before the Korean unleashed a lightening straight smash to seal it comfortably.

Sindhu was off to a good 3-0 start after the change of ends but An Seyoung soon surged ahead to 5-3.

The Indian grabbed two quick points before the match became a tight battle with Sindhu's precise forecourt return being matched by the booming smashes from the Korean.

A long shot was followed by a net winner from Sindhu to keep the scores tied at 9-9 but the Korean was relentless in her retrievals and soon moved to a two-point advantage when Sindhu shot one to the net.

Sindhu kept breathing down the neck of her opponent at 12-14, with the Korean going long and to the net.

A service error from An Seyoung kept it 14-16 before the Korean produced a cross court return and, with Sindhu also miscuing a couple of shots, it was 18-14 advantage for the local hope.

Sindhu reeled off three points on the trot to keep the match alive but An Seyoung sent one away from the backhand of the Indian, who went to net next to gift three match points to the Korean.

An Seyoung unleashed another smash to seal it and go down on her knees in joy. 

Also Read : World Championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth enters semifinals of Korea Open

News Source : PTI

Suncheon, Apr 8 (Badminton News) World Championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the semifinals of the Korea Open Super 500 badminton tournament with a three-game win over local hope Son Wan Ho in the men's singles competition here on Friday.

In a battle between two former world number ones, it was Srikanth who rode on his power and precision to outwit Son Wan Ho 21-12 18-21 21-12 in the quarterfinal match that lasted just over an hour.

Srikanth had a 4-7 record against the Korean, having lost to him in last three occasions.

However, the Indian played better badminton on Friday to come up trumps against an opponent, who is coming back to international badminton after a two-year hiatus.

The Indian, seeded fifth, will next face the winner of the match between Thailand's eighth seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn and third seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. 

Also Read : Sindhu, Srikanth storm into quarters; Sen, Bansod out of Korea Open

News Source : PTI

Suncheon, Apr 7 (Badminton News) Ace Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the quarterfinals but Lakshya Sen was ousted after losing his second round match at the Korea Open Super 500 badminton tournament here on Thursday.

World number seven Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, got the better of world number 26 Japan's Aya Ohori 21-15 21-10 in a lop-sided contest to take her head-to-head count against the Japanese to an overwhelming 12-0.

The third seeded Indian will next face familiar foe in Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan, whom she had defeated in the final of the Swiss Open last month.

The former world champion, who has claimed two Super 300 titles this season at Syed Modi International and Swiss Open, enjoys a 16-1 lead in 17 meetings against the world number 11 Thai.

World championship silver medallist Srikanth saw off Israel's Misha Zilberman 21-18 21-6 to set up a clash with local hope and former world no 1 Son Wan ho.

Commonwealth Games silver medallists and world no seven pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Singapore's Hee Yong Kai Terry and Loh Kean Hean 21-15 21-19 in 36 minutes to also advance to the quarterfinals.

World championship bronze medallist Sen, ranked ninth in the world, went down 20-22 9-21 to world number 24 Shesar Hiren Rhustavito in 33 minutes.

The country's other fast-rising shuttler Malvika Bansod also failed to advance to the quarterfinals as she was brushed aside by Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 8-21 14-21 in a second round women's singles clash that lasted 39 minutes.

It was curtains for the mixed doubles pair of Sumeeth Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa as well. The duo fought hard but eventually went down 20-22 21-18 14-21 to the fifth seed Chinese combine of Ou Xuan Yi and Huang Ya Qiong in a gruelling battle that lasted close to an hour.

Men's pairing of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila, however, retired while lagging 5-8 in the first game against second seeded Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.

During the 37-minute second round match, Sindhu didn't look in too much trouble as she kept things under control to reign supreme.

The Indian made a good start and only once did Ohori take a slender one-point lead at 8-7 but it was erased in no time as she comfortably closed out the opening game.

The Japanese did try to make a comeback in the second with a 8-4 lead but it was dealt with authority with Sindhu grabbing 17 of the next 19 points to bang the door on her opponent.

Earlier, sixth seed Sen, who has been in sensational form in the last six months with back-to-back final finishes at German Open and All England Championships, was pipped by Rhustavito in the closely-fought first game.

The 20-year-old Indian then lost steam and struggled in the second to concede the tie meekly. 

Also Read : World championship bronze medallist Lakshya, Malvika bow out of Korea Open

News Source : PTI

Suncheon, Apr 7 (Cricket News) World championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen's run at the Korea Open Super 500 badminton tournament ended with a straight-game loss to the lower ranked Shesar Hiren Rhustavito in the second round here on Thursday.

The world number nine Indian, went down 20-22 9-21 to the world number 24 Indonesian in 33 minutes.

The country's other fast-rising shuttler Malvika Bansod also failed to advance to the quarterfinals as she was brushed aside by Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 8-21 14-21 in a second round women's singles clash that lasted 39 minutes.

It was curtains for the mixed doubles pair of Sumeeth Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa as well. The duo fought hard but eventually went down 20-22 21-18 14-21 to the fifth seed Chinese combine of Ou Xuan Yi and Huang Ya Qiong in a gruelling battle that lasted close to an hour.

Sixth seed Sen, who has been in sensational form in the last six months with back-to-back final finishes at German Open and All England Championships, was pipped by Rhustavito in the closely-fought first game.

The 20-year-old Indian then lost steam and struggled in the second to concede the tie meekly. 

Also Read : PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth sail into Korea Open second round

News Source : PTI

Suncheon, Apr 6 (Badminton News) Top Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth secured straight game wins in the opening round to advance to the pre-quarterfinals of the Korea Open Super 500 badminton tournament here on Wednesday.

Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, trounced USA's Lauren Lam 21-15 21-14, while Srikanth saw off Malaysia's Daren Liew 22-20 21-11 at the Palma Stadium.

The third seeded Sindhu, who had claimed the Swiss Open title recently, will next meet Japan's Aya Ohori, while world championships silver medallist Srikanth, seeded fifth, will be up against Israel's Misha Zilberman.

MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila also progressed to the second round after getting a walkover from Korea's Ba Da Kim and Hee Young Park. The Indian duo will face second seeded Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan next.

On Tuesday, world championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen and fast-rising Malvika Bansod had entered the second round with three-game wins. 

Also Read : World championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen advances to Korea Open second round

News Source : PTI

Suncheon, Apr 5 (Badminton News) World championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen staved off a spirited challenge from local hope Choi Ji Hoon to enter the men's singles second round of the Korea Open Super 500 badminton tournament here on Tuesday.

Sen, who has been in sensational form in the last six months with back-to-back final finishes at German Open and All England Championships, beat Choi 14-21 21-16 21-18 in just over an hour in his opening round match.

The sixth seeded Indian will next meet Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito. 

Also Read : Orleans Masters: Indian shuttler Mithun Manjunath loses in final

News Source : PTI

Orleans (France), Apr 4 (Badminton News) Indian shuttler Mithun Manjunath's splendid run at the Orleans Masters ended with a straight game loss to local favourite Toma Junior Popov in the summit clash of the Super 100 tournament here.

The 23-year-old Manjunath went down 21-11 21-19 to world number 32 and fourth seed Frenchman in 50 minutes late on Sunday night.

It was Majunath's maiden Super 100 final. He is a product of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy.

The unseeded Indian had been impressive throughout the tournament, stunning world No. 22 Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus of Denmark in the quarterfinals.

The world number 79 has won four All-India ranking titles, including the All India Senior Ranking Badminton tournament in December last year.

The shuttler from Bengaluru was rated highly during his junior days and he also had one or two odd performances in the circuit like reaching the quarters at 2018 Czech Open and back-to-back semi-finals finishes at Vietnam Open and Russian Open in 2018.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to work hard on his fitness, something which has helped him to stay longer in the rallies and outlast his opponents in the three-game contests.

He had reached the semifinals of Infosys foundation India International in October last year.

He was one of the players who had withdrawn from the India Open Super 500 event ahead of his second round match against India's H S Prannoy after testing positive for COVID-19.

However, he made a good comeback, reaching the last four at Lucknow and the quarters in Odisha in January.

He was also part of the Indian team which competed at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Malaysia. 

Also Read : Shuttler Mithun enters final at Orleans Masters Super 100

News Source : PTI

Orleans (France), Apr 3 (Badminton News) India's Mithun Manjunath made it to his maiden Super 100 final with a straight-game win over Indonesia's Christian Adinata at the Orleans Masters badminton tournament here.

The 23-year-old, a product of the Prakash Padukone Badminton academy, Manjunath prevailed 21-18 21-14 over Adinata in a 47-minute showdown at the Palais des Sports here late on Saturday night.

The world No. 79, who had reached the semi-finals of Syed Modi International Super 300 event and quarterfinals of Odisha Super 100 in January, will next face fourth seeded local hope Toma Junior Popov, who is ranked world No. 32, in the summit clash.

It was a tight battle with Manjunath and Adinata moving neck and neck initially before the Indian managed to go three-points up at the interval. However, the Indonesian came back to level the scores at 16-16.

Manjunath then stepped up his game and grabbed five points on the trot to earn the bragging rights.

The second game also started on an equal footing but Manjunath managed to lead 11-9 at the break and then kept his nose ahead to eventually seal the contest in 47 minutes.

In other results, women's doubles pair of Ashwini Bhat K. and Shikha Gautam put up a gallant fight before going down 16-21, 21-18, 22-24 to Germany's Stine Kuspert and Emma Moszczynski in the semifinals.

Manjunath has been impressive throughout the tournament as he stunned world No. 22 Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus of Denmark in the quarterfinals to keep the Indian flag fluttering following the early exit of top seed B Sai Praneeth.

Manjunath claimed four All-India ranking titles, including the All India Senior Ranking Badminton tournament in December last year.

The shuttler from Bengaluru was rated highly during his junior days and he also had one or two odd performances in the circuit like reaching the quarters at 2018 Czech Open and back-to-back semi-finals finishes at Vietnam Open and Russian Open in 2018.

However, it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that he decided to work hard on his fitness, something which has helped him to stay longer in the rallies and outlast his opponents in the three-game contests.

He had reached the semi-finals of Infosys foundation India International in October last year.

However, COVID-19 disrupted his plans as he was one of the players who was withdrawn from the India Open Super 500 event ahead of his second round match against India's H S Prannoy after testing positive for the virus.

He, however, reached the last four at Lucknow and the quarters in Odisha in January. He was also part of the Indian team which competed at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Malaysia. 

Also Read : BAI announces selection trials for CWG, Asian Games, Thomas & Uber Cup

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 2 (Badminton News) The Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Saturday decided to conduct selection trials at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here from April 15 to 20 to pick teams for the upcoming major events such as Thomas and Uber Cup, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

The national governing body will also be "finalising probables for the senior core group for the 2024 Olympic Games" during the trials.

While the players inside the top 15 in the BWF rankings will be picked directly, the rest of the members will be chosen from the trials which will see the participation of shuttlers ranked between 16 to 50 in the latest world rankings, released on March 29.

It meant double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu (World No. 7), world championships silver and bronze medallists Kidambi Srikanth (World No. 12) and Lakshya Sen (World No. 9) and men's pairing of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (World No. 7) are the only ones assured of a place in the teams for the big-ticket events.

Among others, London Games bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, currently ranked 23rd, and Tokyo Olympian B Sai Praneeth, who is ranked 19th, will have to go through the trials.

The Commonwealth Games squad will consist of 10 members with equal number of men and women, while the Asian Games and Thomas and Uber Cup teams will have 20 members each, including 10 men and 10 women.

Thomas Cup and Uber Cup are scheduled in Bangkok from May 8 to 15, while Commonwealth Games and Asian Games are slated in Birmingham and Hangzhou, China, from July 28 and September 10 respectively.

According to the BAI release, "Players, who are ranked in the Top-16 in singles and Top-8 in doubles in national rankings, based on the domestic performances in the senior ranking tournaments played in Chennai and Hyderabad, and the core group players selected by the BAI selection committee/SAI in 2019 will also be included for the selection trials." The national body, however, said that "players who have notable performances at the international circuit in the last three months will be selected directly alongside those ranked in the Top-15 in the world.

"...while the vacant spots will be filled based on performances of the selection trials as they will be eligible for BAI/SAI assistance for training and competition." Former World No. 10 player H S Prannoy has been impressive in the last few months as he reached the final at the 2022 Swiss Open Super 300 tournament, besides a series of quarterfinal finishes to reach the 23rd spot in the latest chart.

Women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also had reached the semifinals of the All England Championships last month, while Kiran George, Unnati Hooda had claimed the Odisha Open Super 100 titles in January.

BAI will also conduct trials for the junior players. The players for the selection trials will be chosen based on the performances of the upcoming U-19 ranking tournament to be held in Bangalore.

The dates of the selection trials will clash with the Korean Masters, scheduled from April 12-17.

However, BAI has said that it will "withdraw entries of its players from the Super 300 tournament and settle the withdrawal fine amount so that shuttlers can participate in the trials."

Also Read : Top seed Sai Praneeth knocked out, Mithun and Anupama in quarterfinals

News Source : PTI

Orleans (France), Mar 31 (Badminton News) Top seeded Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth bowed out of the men's singles competition at the Orleans Masters after suffering a shock straight-game defeat against France's Christo Popov, here on Thursday.

Praneeth lost his pre-quarterfinal match of the Super 100 event 12-21 11-21 in 35 minutes.

He had advanced to the round of 16 after beating Czech Republic's Jan Louda on Wednesday.

However, Mithun Manjunath stunned the second seed from Denmak Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus 16-21 21-10 21-11 to reach the men's singles quarterfinals.

Anupama Upadhaya also reached the last-eight stage of the women's singles competition, beating Léonice Huet of France 21-17 21-16 in 38 minutes.

Ira Sharma lost her women's singles match 11-21 17-21 to Australia's Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen, but the seventh seeded Indian duo of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto carved out a win over the Netherlands' Ties Van Der Lecq and Debora Jille 21-18 22-20.

Earlier, the Indian troika of Kiran George, Meiraba Luwang Maisnam and Manjunath had progressed to the men's singles pre-quarterfinals after contrasting wins in the second round of the tournament.

While George stunned Netherland's third seed Mark Caljouw 19-21 21-16 23-21, qualifier Meiraba got rid of eighth seed Toby Penty of England 21-16 21-16 and Manjunath prevailed over compatriot Siddharth Pratap Singh 21-14 21-10 in another second round match.

George, who had won the Odisha Super 100 event in January, will face Indonesian qualifier Christian Adinata, Meiraba will meet Hong Kong's Chan Yin Chak and Manjunath will taken on second seeded Dane Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus next.

Ashwini Bhat K and Shikha Gautam eked out a 21-23 21-12 21-10 win over Danish pairing of Amalie Schulz and Christine Busch to set up a fight against French duo of Flavie Vallet and Emilie Vercelot.

The men's doubles pair of PS Ravikrishna and Sankar Prasad Udayakumar also made it to the pre-quarterfinals with a 19-21 21-11 21-12 win over German pairing of Marvin Datko and Patrick Scheiel. 

Also Read : Kiran George, Meiraba Maisnam, Mithun Manjunath enter pre-quarterfinals in Orleans Masters

News Source : PTI

Orleans (France), Mar 30 (Badminton News) The Indian troika of Kiran George, Meiraba Luwang Maisnam and Mithun Manjunath progressed to the men's singles pre-quarterfinals after contrasting wins in the second round of the Orleans Masters Super 100 badminton tournament here.

While George stunned Netherland's third seed Mark Caljouw 19-21 21-16 23-21, qualifier Meiraba got rid of eighth seed Toby Penty of England 21-16 21-16 and Manjunath prevailed over compatriot Siddharth Pratap Singh 21-14 21-10 in another second round match.

George, who had won the Odisha Super 100 event in January, will face Indonesian qualifier Christian Adinata, Meiraba meets Hong Kong's Chan Yin Chak and Manjunath takes on second seeded Dane Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus next.

Ashwini Bhat K and Shikha Gautam eked out a 21-23 21-12 21-10 win over Danish pairing of Amalie Schulz and Christine Busch to set up a fight against French duo of Flavie Vallet and Emilie Vercelot.

Men's doubles pair of PS Ravikrishna and Sankar Prasad Udayakumar also made it to the pre-quarterfinals with a 19-21 21-11 21-12 win over German pairing of Marvin Datko and Patrick Scheiel.

Among others, top seed B Sai Praneeth and women's singles players Anupama Upadhyaya and Ira Sharma also entered the third round on Wednesday night.

Mixed doubles pairing of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto, seeded seventh, also crossed the opening round hurdle. 

Also Read : Sai Praneeth, Anupama, Ira win in Orleans Masters Super 100 badminton tournament

News Source : PTI

Orleans (France), Mar 30 (Badminton News) Top seed B Sai Praneeth advanced to the men's singles third round with a straight game win over Czech Republic's Jan Louda at the Orleans Masters Super 100 badminton tournament here on Wednesday.

Praneeth, who was down with COVID-19 in January, saw off Louda 21-19 21-12 to set up a clash with France's Christo Popov.

In women's singles, Anupama Upadhyaya and Ira Sharma also advanced to the second round with straight game victories over their respective opponents.

While Anupama beat Switzerland's Jenjira Stadelmann 21-12 21-18, Ira stunned seventh seed Qi Xuefei of France 21-14 21-17 in another match.

Mixed doubles pairing of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto, seeded seventh, beat fellow Indians Ashith Surya and Swetaparna Panda 21-8 21-10 to also reach the second round.

However, it was curtains for Rituparna Das, Ashmita Chaliha, Priyanshu Rajawat and Keyura Mopati. 

Also Read : Prannoy gains three spots to be world number 23 in latest BWF ranking

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 29 (Badminton News) Riding on his runner-up finish at the Swiss Open, India's HS Prannoy jumped three places to number 23 in the latest BWF rankings, released on Tuesday.

Prannoy, who was competing in a title-clash after five years, now has 52875 points in his kitty.

He could not play his best on the circuit in the last three years as he was battling health issues. Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu, who secured her second women's singles title of the season at Swiss Open Super 300, remained static at the number seven.

Among other Indians, young Lakshya Sen is also inside the top 10 along with the men's team of Chirag Shetty and Satwisairaj Rankireddy.

While 20-year-old Sen, who had reached the finals of German Open and All England earlier this month, is at the ninth spot, Chirag and Satwik are also placed at number seven.

Kidambi Srikanth, who had reached the semifinals at Basel, held on to his world number 12 slot, while B Sai Praneeth is at number 19. London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal is static at the 23rd spot.

Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy are ranked 20th while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand slipped a rung to 15th. 

Also Read : Anupama Upadhyaya and Kiran George win Polish Open titles

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 27 (Badminton News) Talented Indian shuttlers Kiran George and Anupama Upadhyaya won the men's and women's singles titles respectively at the Polish Open International Challenge badminton tournament in Arłamow on Sunday.

George, a defending champion, retained the title after defeating Chia Hao Lee of Chinese Taipei 21-15 21-14 in the summit clash, while Upadhyaya prevailed over fellow Indian Aditi Bhatt 17-21 21-14 21-17 in the women's singles final.

For George, it was his second title of the season, following her triumph at the Odisha Open Super 100 tournament in January. He had also made it to the Indian team for the Asian badminton team championships in February.

In the women's singles, the 17-year-old Upadhyaya also claimed her second international title following her triumph at Infosys Foundation International challenge last year. 

Also Read : Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram retires from international badminton

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 27 (Badminton News) Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram has retired from international badminton, bringing down the curtain to his nearly two-decade long professional career.

The 34-year-old former world number 13, who had won the Dutch Open twice besides finishing runner-up at the Korea Open Super Series in 2015, took to social media to announce his retirement.

"As all good things come to an end, so is my professional badminton journey of nearly 2 decades. I've decided to retire from competitive badminton and I write this, teary-eyed and with a lump in my throat," he said in a post on his Twitter handle on Saturday.

"While I am engulfed by all these overwhelming emotions, I would like to celebrate and be grateful for all that badminton and sport, in general, have given me." Jayaram was the front runner to qualify for the London Olympics but a dramatic turn of events saw Parupalli Kashyap surpass him and make it to the showpiece event following a walkover by China's Chen Jin at the 2012 India Open Super Series.

"Badminton has defined most of what I am today. It has shaped me, taught me, grounded me and shown me what dreaming big can do," said Jayaram, whose career was plagued by constant injuries and struggles to arrange funds to pursue his dream.

Jayaram also said that he has cracked India's top business school ISB and would be pursuing an MBA programme.

"As someone who has been academically inclined, I've always wanted to pursue a higher education post retirement. A few months back, I decided to make the shift and explore something new," he said on Sunday in a new post.

"The Indian School of Business (ISB) which happens to be India's highest ranked B-school seemed like a great option for an MBA considering the diverse profiles it attracts.

"Following through on this goal, I took the GMAT where I managared a 700 + score. And as it stands, I've been lucky to secure an admission in ISB Hyderabad with a scholarship for its flagship PGP course." Jayaram had finished runner-up at the 2018 Vietnam Open Super 100, besides ending second best at the Dutch Open Grand Prix in 2010 and 2016, and White Nights International Challenge in 2018 and Belgian Open International last year.

On Saturday, Jayaram had thanked his family members, coaches and fans for their support during his playing career.

"From picking up the racket at a nearby club as a shy 7-year-old boy, to competing in the biggest stadiums as a World top 15 player, I am indebted to this wonderful sport for all the exciting and enriching experiences it has given me," he wrote.

"I've won, lost, cried, laughed, fought, experienced highs and lows lived and thrived, all within the rectangular space of 44*20 ft." Jayaram was also a member of the 2016 Indian men's team that claimed a bronze medal in Asia Team Championships. He last played at the Odisha Open Super 100 tournament in January this year. 

Also Read : Swiss Open: Sindhu clinches women's singles title, Prannoy finishes runner-up in men's singles

News Source : PTI

Basel, Mar 27 (Badminton News) Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu clinched her second women's singles title of the season with a straight game win over Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan but HS Prannoy went down fighting in the men's singles final at the Swiss Open Super 300 badminton tournament here on Sunday.

Playing her second successive final in the tournament, Sindhu, a double Olympic medallist, took 49 minutes to get the better of the fourth seeded Busanan 21-16 21-8 at the St. Jakobshalle here.

However, Prannoy suffered a 12-21 18-21 defeat against Asian Games gold medallist and fourth seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in a 48-minute summit clash to finish runner-up.

For Sindhu, it was a moment of glory as she finally lifted the trophy after losing to Rio Olympics gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain in the final of last edition. The 26-year-old from Hyderabad has happy memories of this venue as she had also claimed the World Championships gold in 2019.

On Sunday, Sindhu registered her 16th win over Busanan in 17 meetings, having lost to the Thai only once -- at the 2019 Hong Kong Open, to claim the Super 300 crown, the second lowest tier of BWF Tour events.

Sindhu had won the Syed Modi International Super 300 in Lucknow in January this year.

Sindhu rode on her attack to open up a 3-0 lead but Busanan started to stay in the rallies and produced some good quality shots to make it 7-7.

Busanan tried to keep Sindhu away from the net initially, making her move across the court but the Thai was erratic in her finishing, allowing the Indian to go into the break with a narrow two-point lead.

Busanan used her deceptions and drop shots to dictate the rallies but Sindhu relied on her retrieval skills to stay ahead.

A precise return at the backline gave Sindhu four game points and she sealed the first game when Busanan went wide.

Busanan struggled with her length after the change of sides to concede a 0-5 lead early on in the second game. Sindhu looked more aggressive as she troubled the Thai with her acute angle shots to dictate terms.

In full flow, the Indian soon cruised to a decisive nine-point advantage at the interval. She kept a firm grip on the match to gallop to 18-4, riding on her alert front court play and precise returns.

Busanan continued to hit wide and long to eventually hand over 16 match points to the Indian, who pocketed the game and the match comfortably.

Prannoy, a former world number 8, finished a creditable second best after making his first final in the last five years.

The 29-year-old from Thiruvananthapuram has been grappling with multiple health issues after being diagnosed with a gastroesophageal reflux disease in 2018 and COVID-19 infection in 2019.

On Sunday, Prannoy couldn't match the accuracy and power of Jonatan, who looked in complete control of the final.

The Indian looked competitive in the early part of the opening game as he quickly erased the early 1-4 deficit and moved to 5-5 but Jonatan pulled away from 8-8 to take a three-point cushion at the breather.

Prannoy was erratic while Jonatan looked rock solid in his defence as the Indonesian created a huge gap with a seven-point burst to grab seven game points. The Indian saved two before conceding the opening game.

The second game was a close affair as the duo moved together till 7-7 before Jonatan again opened up a 11-7 lead at the interval.

Prannoy was not able to sustain the pressure in the rallies, while Jonatan was composed and was rewarded more often for his cross court smashes and fine front-court play.

The Indian did well to claw his way back to 13-13 but a reversal slice helped Jonatan break the run of points.

The momentum shifted again as Jonatan led 19-14 with Prannoy committing a slew of errors. Another winner gave the Indonesian five championship point. Prannoy saved three before hitting the net. 

Also Read : P V Sindhu, HS Prannoy enter Swiss Open final; Srikanth loses

News Source : PTI

Basel, Mar 26 (Badminton News) Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and HS Prannoy dished out scintillating performances to make their way to the women's and men's singles finals respectively at the Swiss Open Super 300 badminton tournament here on Saturday.

World No. 7 Sindhu prevailed 21-18 15-21 21-19 over Thailand's Supanida Katethong in a 79-minute women's singles semifinal to make her second successive final after Prannoy eked out a hard-fought 21-19 19-21 21-18 win over Indonesia's world number 5 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting for his first summit clash in five years.

Sindhu, seeded second, will face another Thai player and fourth seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the summit clash, while Prannoy, who had last won the US Open in 2017, will take on Indonesia's Jonatan Christie in the men's singles final, on Sunday.

Kidambi Srikanth, the World Championships silver medallist, squandered an opening game advantage to go down 21-18 7-21 13-21 to Asian Games champion Christie of Indonesia in the other semifinals.

In the final, Prannoy will fancy his chances as he has beaten Christie thrice while losing four times in the last seven meetings. On the other hand, Sindhu will start as favourite against Busanan, whom she has defeated an overwhelming 15 times in 16 meetings so far.

Sindhu and world number 29 Supanida had shared the spoils in the two meetings this year and the Indian showed great nerves against the fighting Thai to come out unscathed in the semifinals.

In the opening game, Sindhu, who had won the Syed Modi International in January, used the court well, producing her smashes and follow up shots to gather points. Supanida tried to stay in the rallies but she couldn't finish them.

At the first break, Sindhu had a three-point advantage and she swelled it to 15-7 with a run of four points. The left-handed Thai tried to attack and dominate the rallies to narrow the deficit to 13-18.

However, she was not consistent enough as Sindhu grabbed five game points when the Thai went long.

The Indian found the net next, while Supanida grabbed two more points before smashing one at the nets to allow the Indian take the opening game.

Supanida continued her momentum after the change of sides, running up a 16-7 lead with Sindhu struggling against the deceptions of the Thai player, who eventually roared back into the contest when Sindhu went to the nets.

The Hyderabadi shuttler came back strongly in the decider, gaining a 4-1 lead but Supanida once again clawed her way to draw parity at 7-7 with a smash.

Both the shuttlers tried to take control of the front court with Sindhu managing to take a one-point lead in the final interval.

Sindhu stepped up the pace in the rallies to move to 16-13 but Supanida reeled off five straight points to surpass the Indian. It was soon 18-18 with Supanida going wide.

A lucky net chord helped Sindhu move to 19-19 as she held the match point with a smash and she sealed it with another powerful smash.

Earlier, former world number 8 Prannoy, who has been battling health issues after being diagnosed with a gastroesophageal reflux disease in 2018 and COVID-19 in 2019, showed great resilience against Ginting.

Prannoy, currently ranked 26th, grabbed the initiative early and held a 6-3 lead which was quickly erased by Ginting to move to a 12-19 advantage at one stage.

A five-point burst gave Prannoy a slender two-point lead and he maintained it till 18-16 before a net error and a service fault helped his rival to level par.

Ginting, however, went to net twice himself to hand over Prannoy a game point and the Indian sealed it with a precise return on his rival's front court.

After a tight battle in the second game, it was Ginting who grabbed a three-point lead at the interval following a couple of errors from the Indian at the net and front court.

The Indian fought his way back to 18-19 but a judgement error at the backline gave one game point to Ginting, who squandered one with a net error before Prannoy smashed out to allow his rival to make a comeback.

In the decider, Prannoy took a 8-5 lead and increased it to 14-8 but he stumbled to a series of errors to allow Ginting make it 15-19. The Indian eventually unleashed a smash to grab four match points. He squandered two before entering the finals with another precise return. "Yessssss ! Finals of the Swiss Open ! Quite a tough one against Ginting tonight! Happy to get that win today. One more to go, Let's get it," Prannoy tweeted after the match. 

Also Read : P V Sindhu, H S Prannoy enter Swiss Open semifinals

News Source : PTI

Basel, Mar 25 (Badminton News) Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and H S Prannoy stormed into the semifinals of the Swiss Open badminton tournament with straight-game victories in their respective women and men singles events here on Friday.

While Sindhu, seeded second in the tournament, made short work of fifth seed Michelle Li of Canada 21-10 21-19 in 36 minutes, Prannoy beat compatriot and former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap 21-16 21-16 in a quarterfinal match that lasted 43 minutes.

Former world champion Sindhu will meet unseeded Supanida Katethong of Thailand in the semifinals on Saturday.

Prannoy, on the other hand, faces the winner of the quarterfinal match between Sameer Verma and third seed Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia, in the semifinals. 

Also Read : Srikanth, Kashyap enter quarterfinals; Satwik-Chirag lose at Swiss Open

Basel, Mar 24 (Badminton News) Four Indian shuttlers, including double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and World Championships silver winner Kidambi Srikanth, progressed to the quarterfinals of the Swiss Open badminton tournament here on Thursday.

While Sindhu, a former world champion, eased into the last 8 with a 21-19 21-14 win over Neslihan Yigit of Turkey, Srikanth staved off a spirited challenge from France's Christo Popov, ranked 60th, with a fighting 13-21 25-23 21-11 win in the Super 300 tournament.

Second seed Sindhu will square off against either fifth seed Canada's Michelle Li or Denmark's Line Christophersen.

Seventh seeded Srikanth, who had missed India leg of the BWF tour in January after testing positive for COVID-19, will face second seeded Dane Anders Antonsen next.

Former top 10 player HS Prannoy also struggled past Finland's Kalle Kolionen 19-21 21-13 21-9 to find a place in the quarters as did former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap after top seed and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen gave a walkover.

In other results, third seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost 19-21 20-22 to Indonesian pairing of Pramudya Kusumawardana and Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan in the men's doubles.

In the women's singles, Ashmita Chaliha put up a tough fight before going down 18-21 20-22 to eighth seeded Scot Kirsty Gilmour in the second round.

On Wednesday night, Sindhu had entered the second round with a 21-14 21-12 win over Denmark's Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt here.

Sindhu, also a former world champion, will face Neslihan Yigit of Turkey late in the day.

Also progressing was the women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy, who got the better of local pair Aline Muller and Jenjira Stadelmann 21-15 21-16 in straight games. 

Also Read : Srikanth makes winning start at Swiss Open, Chirag-Satwiksairaj pair stuns All England champions

News Source : PTI

Basel, Mar 23 (Badminton News) Seventh seed Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal made a winning start in the singles competition while Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy battled past All England champions Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana to progress in the Swiss Open here on Wednesday.

Srikanth defeated Mads Christophersen in straight games in the men's singles opening round. The Indian beat the Danish player 21-16, 21-17 in a match lasting 32 minutes.

Parupalli Kashyap too cruised to a 21-17, 21-9 win over France's Enogat Roy to enter the second round. In an all-India contest, H S Prannoy pipped B Sai Praneeth 25-23, 21-16 in a tight match lasting 48 minutes.

Third seeds Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy got past Indonesia's Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana after losing the first game in the men's doubles opening round. The final scoreline read 17-21, 21-11, 21-18.

The Indonesian duo had won the All England title last week.

In the women's singles, Ashmita Chaliha scripted a come-from-behind win over France's LéOnice Huet, prevailing 19-21, 21-10, 21-11.

Later in the day, London Olympics bronze medallist Saina outplayed Yaelle Hoyaux 21-8, 21-13 in her opening round fixture.

The mixed doubles duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Sumeeth Reddy lost their first round match and so did the women's doubles combine of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand.

Star shuttler P V Sindhu will play her opening round later tonight.

The Chinese badminton team pulled out of the Super 300 tournament which began on Tuesday due to multiple COVID-19 cases and injuries to its players. 

Also Read : Sumeeth Reddy-Ashwini Ponappa pair move to Swiss Open qualification 2nd round

News Source : PTI

Basel, Mar 22 (Badminton News) The Indian pair of B Sumeeth Reddy and Ashwini Ponappa prevailed over the Denmark duo of Mads Vestergaard and Natasja P Anthonisen in a hard-fought match to advance to the second round of the mixed doubles qualifiers of the Swiss Open badminton tournament here on Tuesday.

The Indian pair won 18-21 21-16 21-17 in a qualification first round match that lasted 59 minutes.

But it was curtains for another Indian -- Sai Uttejitha Rao Chukka -- as she conceded a walkover to Selin Hubsch of Germany in the women's singles qualification first round.

Most of the top Indian players, including P V Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and K Srikanth, are playing in the tournament.

World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen has, however, withdrawn from the tournament after feeling exhausted following back-to-back final appearances at the German Open and All England Championships. 

Also Read : Lakshya Sen's impressive run ends in agony at All England final

News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, Mar 22 (Badminton News) Making the All England Championships final has given him the self-belief to beat top players but Indian shutter Lakshya Sen on Tuesday said he will need to maintain his fitness going into the upcoming big-ticket events.

The 20-year-old from Uttarakhand has been sensational en route to the men's singles final at Birmingham, and he attributed his transformation to the experience of playing in Indonesia and the World Championships last year.

He also said the hard work he put in to improve his fitness during the COVID-19 pandemic, helped.

"I had a lot of time in pandemic where I could improve my fitness to next level. As a junior player I would go on attack and play smashes all the time but, in big venues, you have to play a patient game and build on those winners and then go for attack," he said.

"I played a lot of tournaments after the pandemic, especially in Indonesia and World championships and it gave me the self-belief and realisation that I can't go for attack all the time and have to play a patient game and the transformation happened there.

"Those matches against Viktor (Axelsen), Kento Momota and Kenta Tsukamoto also gave me the confidence to play. A lot has changed since I played Viktor in 2020. There is a difference in my approach and now I have the self-belief to go out there and beat the big players." Sen achieved a career-best ranking of world number 9 and he said it will help him to qualify for big events and also get a good draw in world tour events.

"I have to keep the ranking in mind because it will help me to qualify for big events like the Olympics and I also have to keep myself fit going into big events.

"This world number 9 ranking will also help me with the draw and I will not have to play any top player till quarters, so I am focussed on winning tournaments." Sen said he is enjoying all the attention that he has been getting and remains confident that his strong team will be there to guide him as opponents will now scrutinise his game.

"Yes, definitely. Last six months when people are talking about me and at the same time when you are playing in the circuit, players look out for you and they will read my game and I think I am happy that all these things are happening.

"There has been a lot of changes, I have a strong team around me and lot of people I can talk to and people to guide me. I am always learning." Sen said at international level one "needs to have an overall game and depending on conditions have to adept".

"One has to have everything in your tool bag to use it when required. It depends on players and court conditions." Lakshya said the semifinal win over defending champion Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia at All England, where he attacked in the last few points, is the most memorable match of his career.

"The All England semifinal is the most memorable match that I pulled out with crowd supporting both of us and I would say in Indonesia, I played Momota and Viktor 2-2 time each, I was losing very closely and it was frustrating but it was big learning," he said.

"When you are few points behind, you need to try different thing at those moment. Against Lee Zii Jia, I changed my pace and played attacking. My strategy is to go on the offence for one or two points, not give that upper hand to opponents." Talking about the All England final, Sen said: "The atmosphere and everything made me nervous before the match and starting from the toss, where he chose the perfect end and could take control from the beginning that was an important.

"Toss made a big difference. I could have taken more control in the beginning but the lead was too much and so it was hard for me. I played well in second, I got rhythm and if I could have taken it then I could have had a chance." Asked if he could sleep after that loss, Sen said: "There are two different things. When you go on to court and give everything and you lose, you are not really sad about it, then you have to give credit to opponent and move on from those losses." His father and coach DK Sen, who was also present during the interaction, revealed that "Lakshya would cry if he is losing but he would keep playing".

"There would be tears in his eyes but it wouldn't have any effect in his strategy or game. People used to think we were putting pressure on him, so we would ask him why he cries and he said that he couldn't help it. So we realised it was his strength." 

Also Read : Lakshya will be scrutinised now, need to work on his variations: Vimal

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New Delhi, Mar 21 (Sports News) The legendary Devendra Jhajharia on Monday became the first para athlete to receive the Padma Bhushan, the country's third highest civilian award.

The 40-year-old Jhajharia received the prestigious award from President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Jhajharia is a multiple-time Paralympics medal winner, having won his maiden gold during the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, his second gold medal during the Rio Games in 2016, and a silver medal during the 2020 Tokyo edition last year.

The javelin thrower competes in the F46 events in the Paralympics and was among the four Paralympic medallists to be conferred with the Padma awards this year.

Tokyo Paralympics double medallist shooter Avani Lekhara received the Padma Shri for her excellent showing last year.

Lekhara won a gold medal in the 10m air rifle standing event and a bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions event.

Alongside Jhajharia and Lekhara, gold medal-winning javelin thrower Sumit Anil, gold medallist in badminton Pramod Bhagat were the other Paralympic stars to be conferred with the honour.

That he has achieved a first was not lost on Jhajharia.

"This is the first time a para athlete has got the Padma Bhushan, and I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this. Now I will have more responsibility towards the country, to win more medals for India," Jhajharia said.

"To the youth, I will say work hard. One minute of work will not get you anything. I have worked hard for the past 20 years, 2002 was the first time I won a gold medal," he added.

Lekhara tweeted, "Honoured and grateful to be awarded the Padma Shri. This award is a testament to not only my efforts, but the sacrifices of my family and the support of everyone involved in my career helping me achieve all I have.

"I look forward to representing the country with the same passion!" 

Also Read : Grandmasters Arjun, Abhijeet start as favourites in Delhi International open chess

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New Delhi, Mar 21 (Badminton News) Lakshya Sen will be scrutinised and studied more after his sensational run at the All England Championship and the young shuttler would need variations in his game from the back of the court to stay ahead, reckons his mentor and former India coach Vimal Kumar.

A product of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) in Bengaluru, Sen has been in incredible form in the last six months.

He claimed a maiden bronze at the World Championships, secured the India Open title in January before finishing second best at both the German Open and All England Championships.

"I am happy with his tactical acumen, there is considerable improvement. He is calm and dealing with tough situations better. I also see a remarkable improvement in his defence, especially after how he has tackled the attack of Viktor (Axelsen) and Anders (Antonsen)," Vimal told PTI.

"He will now be scrutinised and studied and he will have to cope with all that. Overall, he is going in the right direction but he can attack more from back of court and bring in more variations." The 20-year-old from Almora had raised hopes of an Indian winning the All England Championship when he stormed into the finals but his dream run at Birmingham ended after he went down in straight games to world number one and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen on Sunday.

"He is disappointed but he has that spirit. He is very realistic and he knows why he lost. He knows what he needs to improve if he has to beat someone like Axelsen. He understands that he can't feel too bad or be disheartened," said Vimal, who is a head coach at the PPBA in Bengaluru.

Sen was going hammer and tongs in 2019, winning five titles but the COVID-19 pandemic threw spanner in his work. When he returned last year following the break due to second wave of the virus, he was desperate to prove his worth at the international stage.

The Thomas Cup snub where he failed to make it to the Indian team after losing just one match in the trials fuelled his ambition further.

Following the disappointment, he left for a two-week sparring stint with Olympic champion Axelsen.

"It did a world of good to his game. He picked up things from Axelsen and went on his own without a coach to the European circuit and it made him tougher as he managed things on his own," said the 59-year-old, a former two-time national champion.

"One thing about Lakshya is that he is very good in taking instructions and implementing them in the game. We generally give an overall idea but he picks up things and knows what needs to be done." Sen also had European training stint in October where he trained with the Danish national team, played for Danish club Aarhus and trained at the Peter Gade Academy.

Lakshya had also spent a lot of time picking the brains of Danish former world No. 1 Martin Frost in the last two years when he used to visit Bengaluru. All these time spent with the legends helped him to evolve his game.

A hectic season now awaits him with big-ticket events such as Commonwealth Games and Asian Games lined-up this year apart from the regular BWF World Tour events, including the World Championships and World Tour Finals.

"He shouldn't get obsessed about anything, just plan and play well and don't think much too ahead." Vimal believes the freedom to choose how, when and where one wants to train will be important for further growth of Sen.

"I don't believe in the thought that one shouldn't train with other top players as they will know your secrets, because there are no secrets," he said.

"And going forward, I would like him to have all the freedom to go and train wherever he wants, whether it is Indonesia, Thailand or Denmark, because that's what elite sports is all about," he signed off.

Also Read : Lakshya Sen's impressive run ends in agony at All England final

News Source : PTI

Birmingham, Mar 20 (Badminton News) Lakshya Sen's dream run at the All England Championships ended with a heartbreaking straight-game loss against world number one and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the men's singles final, continuing India's 21-year-long agonising wait for the coveted trophy.

After four days of sensational badminton, the 20-year-old Sen faltered on the cusp of history as he committed too many errors to go down 10-21 15-21 to former champion Axelsen in a lop-sided summit clash that lasted 53 minutes at the Barclaycard Arena.

On Saturday, Sen had become only the fifth Indian after Prakash Nath (1947), Prakash Padukone (1980, 1981), Pullela Gopichand (2001) and Saina Nehwal (2015) to reach the final of the prestigious tournament after outwitting defending champion Lee Zii Jia in a gruelling semifinal.

A week back, Sen had recorded his first win over former world champion Axelsen en route to his final appearance at the German Open but he couldn't sustain his craft on Sunday as his highly-fancied rival returned the favours, claiming his fifth overall win against the Indian.

While 2020 winner Axelsen claimed the men's singles title for the second time, Japan's Akane Yamaguchi won the women's singles crown, beating South Korea's An Seyoung 21-15 21-15 in the final.

Despite the loss, it has been a creditable performance for Sen, who is still in his early days in elite-level badminton.

A product of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru, Sen has been in sensational form in the last six months.

He secured his maiden world championships bronze in December last, before winning his first Super 500 title at India Open in January and finishing runner-up at the German Open last week. 

Also Read : Jolly-Gopichand pair ousted from All England Badminton Championships

News Source : PTI

Birmingham, Mar 20 (Badminton News) Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand's splendid run at the All England Badminton Championships ended with a straight game defeat against Shu Xian Zhang and Yu Zheng in the women's doubles event here.

The Indian pair fought hard but lost the last-four stage match 17-21 16-21 to the Chinese team, here late on Saturday.

Their defeat came after young Lakshya Sen became only the fourth men's singles player to reach the final of the prestigious tournament after quelling the challenge of sixth seed Malaysian Zii Jia Lee 21-13 12-21 21-19 in an energy-sapping semifinal.

Sen is now up against world number one Viktor Axelsen and goes into the contest with a 1-4 head-to-head record.

The lone win for the world number 11 Indian against the Danish player had come in their last meeting at the German Open, where Sen overcame him in three games. 

Also Read : Sen stuns world no 3 Antonsen to enter All England quarterfinals; Sindhu, Saina & Srikanth out

News Source : PTI

Birmingham, Mar 18 (Badminton News) Indian women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand on Friday progressed to the semifinals of the All England Championships by registering a shocking win over Korean second seeds Lee Sohee and Shin Seungchan here.

Treesa and Gayatri, world no 46, notched up a stunning 14-21 22-20 21-15 win over Lee and Shin in hour and seven minutes to join men's singles shuttler Lakshya Sen in the semifinals of the prestigious tournament.

World Championships bronze medallist Sen had earlier advanced to the men's singles semifinals after his opponent Lu Guang Zu of China gave a walkover.

The 20-year-old from Almora, who had secured his maiden Super 500 title at India Open in January and then claimed a runners-up finish at the German Open last week, will face the winner of the match between Malaysia's sixth seed Lee Zii Jia and Japan's second seed Kento Momota in the last four round.

Fifth seeded Indian pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, however, failed to cross the quarterfinal hurdle losing 22-24 17-21 to Indonesian top seed Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in 47 minutes.

Sen had stunned world no 3 and two-time medallist at World Championships Anders Antonsen of Denmark 21-16 21-18 on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals.

The Indian had defeated world no 1 and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark on his way to his maiden Super 300 final last week. 

Also Read : Sen stuns world no 3 Antonsen to enter All England quarterfinals; Sindhu, Saina & Srikanth out

News Source : PTI

Birmingham, Mar 17 (Badminton News) World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen stunned world No. 3 Anders Antonsen of Denmark in straight games to progress to the men's singles quarterfinals but it was curtains for Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal at the All England Championships here on Thursday.

Sen, the 20-year-old from Almora, who had claimed his maiden Super 500 title at India Open in January and then reached the finals of German Open last week, notched up an upset 21-16 21-18 win over third seed Antonsen.

Antonsen is a two-time medallist at World Championships in 2019 Basel and 2021 Huelva respectively. It was their first meeting at the international stage.

Sen will face China's Lu Guang Zu in the quarter-final.

Fifth seeded Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also entered the last eight stage after making short work of Mark Lamfuss and Marvin Seidel of Germany 21-7 21-7.

World no 7 Sindhu, however, made an early exit after going down 19-21 21-16 17-21 to left-handed Takahashi, ranked 13th, in an hour and six minutes second round match.

Saina Nehwal also bowed out after her gallant fight ended with a loss to second seed Japanese Akane Yamaguchi in a thrilling three-game match in the second round.

Former world No. 1 Saina, the London Olympics bronze medallist, lost 14-21 21-17 17-21 world No. 2 Yamaguchi in a 50-minute women's singles clash.

It was a much improved performance from the Indian, who had lost in straight games to Thailand's Ratchanok Inthanon at German Open last week.

Later in the day, World Championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth also bowed out after losing 21-9 18-21 19-21 to Indonesia's Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in a second round that last just over an hour.

In a significant result, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also entered the quarterfinal after their sixth seeded opponents Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu from Indonesia retired in the second game lagging 14-19 after winning the first game 21-18.

Sen's tactical nous ============ Sen gave ample display of his tactical acumen as he dished out a defensive game and kept Antonsen away from the net to lead 11-9 at the first break. He kept things under control after the interval to move to a 13-9 lead and maintained the lead to pocket the opening game.

Sen kept his clears close to the baseline and tried to use his smashes judiciously to jump to a 9-5 lead early on before grabbing a four-point advantage at the breather.

Antonsen fought his way back to 14-14, riding on six points on the trot. The duo moved 14-14 to 16-16 before Sen managed to eke out a two-point lead at 18-16.

He kept his nerves and unleased a cross court smash to grab three match points. Antonsen saved one after an exciting rally but the Indian shut the door next to make it to the last 8.

Coming into the match with an equal 4-4 head-to-head record, Sindhu was left to do the catch up job as Takahashi led the opening match for most part even though the Indian kept snapping at her heels and had levelled scores at 11-1 and 15-15 before moving to 19-20 at one stage.

Stung by the reversal, Sindhu came out all cylinders blazing, gallping to a huge 14-4 lead, a gap which the Japanese couldn't bridge as the Indian bounced back.

In the decider, Sindhu managed to open up a slender 8-6 lead but Takahashi soon turned the tables and then reeled off five straight points to jump to 15-10.

Sindhu tried to erase the deficit and made it 17-18 before the Japanese sealed the issued comfortably.

Sindhu had made a second round exit at German Open as welll. 

Also Read : Saina Nehwal wins first round match in All England C'ships

News Source : PTI

Birmingham, Mar 16 (Badminton News) Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal began her All England Championships campaign with an easy straight-game win over Beatriz Corrales of Spain in the women's singles here on Wednesday.

Saina, who has been struggling for form for some time, beat her Spanish opponent 21-17 21-19 in her opening round match that lasted 38 minutes.

The 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist Indian, who had reached the final here in 2015, will face the winner of the first round match between second seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan and Kristin Kuuba of Estonia in the second round.

In men's singles, B Sair Praneeth lost to top seed and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen 20-22 11-21 in the first round match that lasted 48 minutes.

H S Prannoy went down fighting to last week's German Open winner Thai player Kunlavut Vitidsarn 15-21 22-24 in 56 minutes while Sameer Verma also lost to Mark Caljouw of the Netherlands 18-21 11-21 in a 41-minute opening match.

In men's doubles, fifth seeded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat Scottish pair of Alexander Dunn and Adam Hall 21-17 21-19 in 38 minutes.

But M R Arjun and Dhruv Kapila lost 21-15 12-21 18-21 to second seed Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.

The other Indian men's doubles pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala also suffered defeat at the hands of the German duo of Mark Lamfuss and Marvin Seidel 16-21 19-21 in just 37 minutes.

In women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Pullela Gayatri Gopichand made it to the second round with a 17-21 22-20 21-14 victory over the Thailand pair of Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard in one hour and seven minutes.

Also Read  : Sindhu, Saina win first round matches in All England C'ships

News Source : PTI

Birmingham, Mar 16 (Badminton News) Ace Indian shuttlers P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal began their All England Championships campaign with easy straight-game wins over their respective opponents in the women's singles here on Wednesday.

Sixth seed Sindhu beat Zhi Yi Wang of China 21-18 21-13 in her first round match that lasted 42 minutes while Saina defeated Beatriz Corrales of Spain 21-17 21-19 in 38 minutes.

The world number 7 Sindhu will meet the winner of the first round match between Sayaka Takahashi of Japan and Supanida Katethong of Thailand in the second round.

Saina, who had reached the final here in 2015, will face the winner of the first round match between second seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan and Kristin Kuuba of Estonia in the second round.

If Sindhu and Saina win their respective second round matches, they will face each other in the quarterfinals. In men's singles, B Sai Praneeth lost to top seed and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen 20-22 11-21 in the first round match that lasted 48 minutes.

H S Prannoy went down fighting to last week's German Open winner Thai player Kunlavut Vitidsarn 15-21 22-24 in 56 minutes while Sameer Verma also lost to Mark Caljouw of the Netherlands 18-21 11-21 in a 41-minute opening match.

In men's doubles, fifth seeded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat Scottish pair of Alexander Dunn and Adam Hall 21-17 21-19 in 38 minutes.

But M R Arjun and Dhruv Kapila lost 21-15 12-21 18-21 to second seed Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.

The other Indian men's doubles pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala also suffered defeat at the hands of the German duo of Mark Lamfuss and Marvin Seidel 16-21 19-21 in just 37 minutes.

In women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Pullela Gayatri Gopichand made it to the second round with a 17-21 22-20 21-14 victory over the Thailand pair of Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard in one hour and seven minutes. 

Also Read : Lakshya Sen climbs a spot to 11th, Sindhu static in 7th position in badminton world rankings

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 15 (Badminton News) Rising Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen rose a place to 11th in the men's singles chart, while double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu is static at the seventh spot among women in the latest BWF world rankings issued on Tuesday.

Sen has risen remarkably over the last few months in the BWF rankings riding on his impressive performances at the world stage. He currently has 70,086 points in the men's singles list which is being headed by Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, followed by Japan's Kento Momota and another Dane Anders Antonsen.

India's Kidambi Srikanth dropped a rung in the chart to be in the 12th spot with 69,158 points, while B Sai Praneeth also dropped a place to be in the 19th position.

Sen rose up the chart riding on his sensational form over the last six months, finishing runners-up at the German Open last week after his title-winning run at the India Open and his bronze medal feat at the World Championships in December last year.

HS Prannoy and Sameer Verma are the next best placed Indians at the 24th and 26th spots respectively.

Among women, Sindhu has maintained her seventh spot with 90,994 points, while another Olympic medallist Sania Nehwal occupies the 28th position.

In the men's doubles rankings list, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are static at eight spot, while the next best Indians are MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila in the 40th position.

The women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy are also static at 19th spot, while the mixed doubles combination of Ponnappa and Rankireddy occupy the 25th position. 

Also Read : Joshi, Bhagat shine as India bag 21 medals at Spanish Para Badminton International

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 14 (Badminton News) Manshi Joshi and Nithya Sre claimed a gold each, while Tokyo Paralympics champion Pramod Bhagat secured two silver and a bronze as India bagged as many as 21 medals at the Spanish Para Badminton International in Cartagena, Spain.

World no 1 Joshi (SL3) and Sre (SH6) were among the six gold medallists, while India also secured seven silvers and eight bronze medals in the level I tournament, which concluded on Sunday.

Raja/Krishna (men's doubles SH6), Raj/Parul (mixed doubles SL3-SU5), Chirag/Raj (men's doubles SU5) and Nitesh/Tarun (men's doubles SL3-SL4) also bagged the yellow metal.

World no 1 Bhagat (SL3) secured two silver and a bronze, while world no 2 Sukant Kadam (SL 4) ended up with a bronze medal at the event.

Tarun Dhillon (men's singles SL4), Krishna Nagar (men's singles SH6), Mandeep Kaur (women's singles SL3), Manasi/Ruthick (mixed doubles SL3-SU5), Hardik/Ruthik (men's doubles SU5) and Manoj/Bhagat (men's doubles SL3-SL4) also won silver medals.

The bronze medal winners were Nitesh Kumar (men's singles SL3), Manoj (men's singles SL3), Nilesh Gaikwad (men's singles SL4), Parul Parmar (women's singles SL3), Bhagat/Kohli (mixed doubles SL3-SU5), Arwaz/Deep (men's doubles SL3-SL4), and Prem Ale/Abu Hubaida (men's doubles WH1-WH2).

"It was a tough week and I couldn't execute what I had planned for. I have identified my mistakes and will start working on them immediately. I am going to head straight back in to training and focus on my upcoming tournaments," Bhagat said.

Kadam lost to world no 1 Lucas Mazur from France 21-19 19-21 12-21 in the semifinal to settle for a bronze.

Mazur went ahead to secure gold medal defeating India's Tarun 21-7 21-9 in the summit clash.

"I had a decent run in the tournament and pushed Mazur to his limits, but came short. I am sure I will work on the mistakes from this game and be ready for the next tournament," Kadam said.

India had claimed 34 medals, including 11 gold, seven silver and 16 bronze, from the Spanish Para badminton International II event recently. 

Also Read : World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen loses in German Open final

News Source : PTI

Muelheim An Der Ruhr (Germany), Mar 12 (Badminton News) World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen's giant-killing run ended with a straight-game loss to Thailand's rising star Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the summit clash of German Open Super 300 badminton tournament here on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Sen, who had claimed his maiden Super 500 title at India Open in January, lost 18-21 15-21 in 57 minutes to the three-time world junior champion Vitidsarn in the final match.

World number 12 Sen came into the match with a 3-3 head-to-head record against Vitidsarn, ranked 20th, having beaten the Thai in their last meeting at Hylo Open last year.

In a battle of equals, Sen and Vitidsarn matched each other in speed in the rallies to move 4-4 before the Thai rode on his variations and deception to grab a comfortabe 11-6 lead at the break.

Sen worked up his pace and took control of the net to make it 15-16 but an alert Vitidsarn managed to grab two game points with a overhead cross-court drop. Sen needed medical attention for a blister on his foot even as the Thai came up with a cross court smash to pocket the opening game.

The gruelling semifinal against Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen seemed to have taken a toll on Sen as Vitidsarn jumped to a 7-3 lead in the second game before moving to a 11-5 advantage after the change of sides.

The Indian needed the doctor's attention again as he fought his way back with four straight points but Vitidsarn managed to move to 19-15 and then took five match points before sealing the second game and the match in the first chance.

Sen had won two Super 100 titles -- Dutch Open and SaarLorLux Open -- besides three international challenge at Belgium, Scotland and Bangladesh in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic came in the way of his progress.

Last year, the youngster made it to the semifinals at Hylo, reached the knockout stage at World Tour Finals on debut before sizzling at the World Championships with a bronze. 

Also Read : Lakshya Sen stuns Olympic champion Axelsen, enters German Open final

News Source : PTI

Muelheim An Der Ruhr (Germany), Mar 12 (Badminton News) World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen stunned Olympic gold winner Viktor Axelsen in a hard-fought match to enter the final of German Open Super 300 tournament here on Saturday.

The 20-year-old Sen, who had claimed his maiden Super 500 title at the India Open in January, continued his rich vein of form as he sent the world No. 1 and top-seed Axelsen packing with a 21-13 12-21 22-20 win in the semi-final that lasted one hour and 10 minutes.

It was a memorable performance from the world No. 12 Indian as he recorded his first win over his highly-fancied rival who has a 4-0 head-to-head record before Saturday's match.

In the final on Sunday, Sen will face Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn who beat Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the other semi-final.

Sen was ahead throughout the first game that lasted 21 minutes. He did not give the Dane any chance to get ahead of him. Axelsen found it difficult to match Sen's pace in the first game.

Sen opened up with a 4-1 lead and then extended it to 9-4. But Axelsen narrowed it down to 7-9 before Sen grabbed four consecutive points to make it 13-7. Sen's attacking game paid dividends as he took five consecutive points to lead 18-10 before clinching the first game with ease.

Axelsen made a comeback in the second game to make it one all and take the match to the decider. He was trailing 3-8 early on but used his height and reach to good effect to take five consecutive points and level the score at 8-8 before zooming ahead. From there on, Sen lost way and Axelsen pocketed the second game without any fuss.

The two players left their best for the last as they fought tooth and nail in the dramatic deciding game. It turned out to be a battle of nerves as rallies got longer with both fighting for each point. From 2-2, it was 4-4 and then 6-6 before Axelsen zoomed ahead 15-8.

But the young Indian fought his way back in a remarkable fashion to close the gap to 15-17 and then to 17-19. He levelled the score 19-19 and then 20-20 before sealing the match with two consecutive points.

In the quarterfinals, Sen had seen off fellow Indian and former top 10 player HS Prannoy 21-15 21-16. 

Also Read : Lakshya Sen enters semifinals, Srikanth bows out of German Open

News Source : PTI

Muelheim An Der Ruhr (Germany), Mar 11 (Badminton News) World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen progressed to the semifinals but fellow Indian Kidambi Srikanth suffered a straight-game loss to Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen to bow out of the German Open Super 300 tournament here on Friday.

The 20-year-old Sen, who had claimed his maiden Super 500 title at the India Open in January, continued his rich vein of form as he saw off former top 10 player HS Prannoy 21-15 21-16 in an all-Indian quarterfinals that lasted 39 minutes.

The world number 14 had defeated Prannoy, currently ranked 24th, at the quarterfinals of India Open as well.

Sen will now face top seed and former world champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the semifinals on Saturday.

World number 1 Axelsen proved a tough customer for Srikanth as he went down 10-21 21-23 in 35 minutes.

It was the Indian's sixth defeat on the trot to Axelsen, whom he had beaten thrice in the past, including en route to his 2017 Denmark Open title in Odense.

Srikanth, who was playing his first event since recovering from COVID-19 that forced him out of the India Open, looked clueless against Axelsen in the initial moments of the match as the Dane galloped to a 17-4 lead.

Srikanth reeled off four points on the trot, before reaching double figures with two more points but it was not enough to stop a marauding Axelsen to pocket the opening game.

Srikanth produced a better display after the change of sides, opening up a 3-0 lead but in a jiffy it was 4-4.

The duo continued to fight it out, moving to 12-12. Srikanth then grabbed a three-point advantage only to squander it as Axelsen nosed ahead at the final moments.

India's hopes now rests on the young shoulders of Sen, who had stunned fourth seeded Indonesian Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21-7 21-9 in a second-round match on Thursday and carried his momentum in the quarterfinals against Prannoy.

On a comeback trail, Prannoy made a positive start, opening up a 4-0 lead early on but Sen caught up with him at 10-10 and zoomed ahead after the interval to take a 1-0 lead in the tie.

The second game was a tight affair initially as the duo moved neck and neck with Sen managing a slender 11-10 lead at the break. But, just like in the first game, Sen produced a five-point burst to eventually seal the contest comfortably. 

Also Read : Para shuttler Sukant Kadam leapfrogs to world no 2 spot in SL 4 category

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 10 (Badminton News) Indian para shuttler Sukant Kadam has achieved world no 2 ranking in SL 4 category following his exploits in the international circuit in the last three months.

Kadam had claimed gold medals at Uganda Para International tournament, National Para Badminton Tournament and the recently-concluded Spanish Para badminton International II.

"I am really excited on becoming world no 2, I have trained really hard to reach here, but this is just the start of my journey. Right now, my focus is performing and giving my best in this tournament. This is an important year and I wish I continue performing at this high level," Kadam said in a release.

The Indian kick started his Spanish Para Badminton International 2022 Grade I tournament on Thursday with an easy 21-13 21-11 win over Germany's Marcel Adam.

He had previously defeated Adam in straight sets in the Spanish Para badminton International II last week to clinch the gold.

In the rankings chart, Kadam is behind French Lucas Mazur, who is currently world no 1 in the SL 4 category. 

Also Read : Srikanth wins, P V Sindhu losses in German Open

News Source : PTI

Muelheim An Der Ruhr (Germany), Mar 10 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu crashed out but world championships silver winner Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the quarterfinals of the German Open Super 300 badminton tournament here on Thursday.

The seventh seeded Sindhu, a 2019 World Champion, suffered a shock 14-21 21-15 14-21 loss to China's Zhang Yi Man in 55 minutes in the women's singles second round.

Srikanth, a former world no 1 and seeded eighth here, prevailed 21-16 21-23 21-18 over China's Lu Guang Zu in a men's singles second round match that lasted an hour and seven minutes.

It proved to be a disappointing start to the European leg for Sindhu, who will be one of the contenders at next week's All England Championships.

The Indian couldn't get going as Zhang broke off at 5-5 and jumped to a 11-5 lead with six straight points. She kept her nose ahead to pocket the opening game without much ado.

Stung by the reversal, Sindhu made a comeback in the second game as she fought her way to a slender 11-10 lead at the break and then slowly marched ahead to bounce back into the contest.

But the Chinese found her bearing in the decider as she moved away after an initial duel to grab a 11-8 advantage at the interval. She didn't give the Indian much chance after that and soon shut the doors on her fancied opponent. 

Also Read : Ishaan-Sai Pratheek pair advances but other Indians lose in German Open

News Source : PTI

Muelheim An Der Ruhr (Germany), Mar 9 (Badminton News) Unheralded Indian men's doubles pair of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Sai Pratheek K moved into the second round even as majority of their compatriots suffered defeats at the German Open badminton tournament, here on Wednesday.

Ishaan and Sai Pratheek took just 30 minutes to get the better of English duo of Callum Hemming and Steven Stalwood 21-15 21-16 in their tournament- opener.

They will next clash with fellow Indians Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala.

The other Indian men's doubles pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila fought hard before going down 13-21 22-20 19-21 to sixth seeded Malaysia combination of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi.

The women's doubles pair of Ashwinin Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy also lost in the opening round to fifth seeded Japanese pair of Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida 13-21 13-21.

Men's singles shuttler Subhankar Dey was shown the door by China's Zhao Jun Peng with a 21-15 21-8 scoreline. 

Also Read : Srikanth enters second round of German Open

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 8 (Football News) Star India woman footballer Bala Devi on Tuesday advised youngsters to ignore negative comments like "why are girls playing" and rather focus on their sport if they want to achieve success in their career.

Bala, who joined Rangers Women FC of Scotland to become the first Indian woman to sign a professional contract with a European club, said family support is crucial in this regard.

"My family supported me throughout but pressure from society was always there. They used to ask 'why are girls playing? What is the benefit of that?'" she said on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

"My parents and I had to hear this a lot but we never answered back. When I went to play in the U-19 National Championship in 2002, Manipur became the champions and I received the best scorer award, and that is when people stopped asking questions and started supporting me,” she said.

Bala missed out on the AFC Women's Asian Cup hosted by the country in January-February as she was recuperating from a surgery.

Indian women's team captain Ashalata Devi said women are not less than men in any way.

"We are no less than any men and we are multi-talented. So anyone looks down upon you or says wrong, you just have to work hard. You need to focus on your dream by putting in a lot of hard work and dedication and keep on moving forward," she said.

"We, the women are built different, but we can very much achieve what men can, and maybe more. In order to move forward, we need to be one and respect each other." Goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan felt the young generation should take inspiration from the like of badminton ace P V Sindhu and the women's hockey team which finished fourth in the Olympics for the first time after 41 years.

“We’ve seen in the Olympics how incredibly our women’s team (hockey) have performed. Obviously, we’ve got P.V. Sindhu as well who’s leading from the front and she set new heights, and is a leading example of how much or how far women can achieve at the International level," Chauhan said.

India were forced out of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after a dozen COVID-19 cases among their players led to the cancellation of a group match against Chinese Taipei minutes before kickoff. 

Also Read : Rajasthan United down 9-man Aizawl FC, Punjab FC thrash Kenkre

News Source : PTI

Muelheim An Der Ruhr (Germany), Mar 8 (Badminton News) World championships silver medallist Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth made a winning start as he defeated France's Brice Leverdez in a three-game opener at the German Open Super 300 badminton tournament here on Tuesday.

The eighth seeded Indian, who was forced out of the India Open Super 500 event in January after testing positive for COVID, prevailed 21-10 13-21 21-7 in 48 minutes over world no 39 Leverdez to extend his head-to-head count to 4-0.

The world no 11 Indian will take on China's Lu Guang Zu in the next round.

Srikanth has a 2-0 record against the world no 27 Chinese.

The 29-year-old from Guntur looked in good touch as he zoomed from 6-6 to 19-8 in a jiffy and pocketed the opening game comfortably.

Leverdez made a roaring comeback in the second game as he dominated the proceeding and led from the start to finish to make it 1-1.

In the decider, Srikanth found his rhythm back as he constructed the points well and slowly made his way to 11-5 at the break and kept his nose ahead to soon jump to 18-7 before sealing it comfortably in the end. 

Also Read : Sindhu, Srikanth & Lakshya lead India's campaign at German Open

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The 15th edition of the IPL is going to be bigger than ever with a brand new format and two new teams. One of the new teams is Lucknow Super Giants which will be coached by Andy Flower with Vijay Dahiya as his deputy and Gautam Gambhir as a mentor. In the 3 draft picks, LSG went for KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis and Ravi Bishnoi.

It was pretty clear that KL Rahul will be the captain and that too for the long term. Rahul captained Punjab Kings for 2 seasons and is also the vice captain of India in all formats. He is always talked about highly in a leadership perspective but is yet to prove it. In both the seasons where Rahul was captain, Punjab finished 6th. Some of his team selection calls were often subject to criticism. It is safe to say that Rahul hasn't had much success as a captain but he will be keen to prove his capability with a fresh start as the captain of LSG.

Lucknow had an incredible auction as they signed some quality players. Avesh Khan was their most expensive buy at 10 crore. The LSG squad has a lot of depth especially in the overseas department. What combination and personnel to go for will be Rahul's biggest headache. There are a few young players like Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Karan Sharma and Ayush Badoni who need to be developed for the future. Big things will be expected from Lucknow with the kind of talent they possess.

On a personal level, Rahul will definitely open the batting. With Quinton de Kock in the side he might give up wicket keeping duties because de Kock is a regular keeper while Rahul rarely keeps wickets nowadays but being the captain he might want that position to get better at DRS calls. His own form has never been an issue it's just his captaincy that will be under the scanner

Lucknow Super Giants full squad:

KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi, Quinton de Kock, Deepak Hooda, Manish Pandey, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Ankit Rajput, K Gowtham, Dushmanta Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Manan Vohra, Mohsin Khan,  Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Evin Lewis, Mayank Yadav, Kyle Mayers.

Also read: Two reasons why India can play 5 bowlers in Tests unlike others

Muelheim An Der Ruhr (Germany), Mar 7 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and world championship medal-winners Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen will be the top Indian contenders at the German Open Super 300 badminton tournament starting here on Tuesday.

While Sindhu eased to a title win at Syed Modi International and Lakshya grabbed his maiden Super 500 trophy at Indian Open in January, Srikanth saw the momentum of the World Championships fizzle out a bit after withdrew from the Delhi due to COVID-19 infection.

The Lucknow title was Sindhu's first since the World Championship gold in 2019 and it must have eased the pressure a bit but the Indian is well aware that she will have to hit top gear during the European leg in a hectic year which also has big-ticket events such as the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

Sindhu, seeded seventh, will open her campaign against Thailand's world no 11 Busanan Ongbamrungphan this week.

A win will bring her face-to-face with Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt and another possible victory can see her clash with top seed and Olympic silver-medallist Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei.

World silver-medallist Lakshya too has been in fine form, making good use of the opportunities that came his way as he first claimed the bronze at Huelva, Spain, and then lifted the India Open title in January. He was also the only bright spot during India's campaign at Asia Team Championships In Malaysia last month.

Lakshya will start his campaign against Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen. If the 20-year-old from Almora puts it past the Thai, he is likely to meet fourth seed Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia.

Srikanth, on the other hand, endured a frustrating phase after being forced out of the events in India due to COVID-19. The 29-year-old, however, started training as soon as he recovered and is eager to find his rhythm.

"This is an important year and I just want to train well and play to the best of my ability," Srikanth said.

The eighth-seeded Indian will face France's Brice Leverdez in his campaign opener.

A win is likely to pit him against China's Lu Guang Zu in the second round and if Srikanth can cross the hurdle, he is expected to take on top seed and reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen.

It is an important year for HS Prannoy as well as he continues his comeback after recovering from lingering side-effects of COVID-19.

A former top 10 player, Prannoy reached three back-to-back quarterfinals -- the World Championship, India Open, and Syed Modi International -- and would look to carry the momentum when he faces seventh-seeded Ng Ka Long Angus in his opening round here.

London Olympics bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal, who has been troubled by injuries and illness, will also be in action after losing early at India Open and pulling out of the Lucknow event in January.

The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist will open against Singapore's Yeo Jia Min.

Having regained fitness after laying low due to a calf injury, former commonwealth games champion Parupalli Kashyap too will be back in action, taking on Thailand's young sensation Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

Commonwealth Games silver-medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who notched up their maiden Super 500 title at India Open, will open against China's Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi, while Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun will clash with sixth seeds Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi from Singapore.

In women's doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy will square off against fifth seeds Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida of Japan, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela will take on Netherlands' Debora Jille and Cheryl Seinen.

In mixed doubles, India will be represented by the pairings of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto, and Sai Pratheek K and N Sikki Reddy. 

Also Read : Spanish Para badminton International: Bhagat wins 3 golds, Kadam claims gold and silver

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 7 (Badminton News) Tokyo Paralympics champion Pramod Bhagat struck gold in all the three categories that he participated in at the Spanish Para badminton International II tournament in Vitoria, Spain.

Sukant Kadam, who is World No 4, also continued his good run and ended his campaign with a gold and a silver in the tournament that ended on Sunday.

In the singles, World No 1 Bhagat defeated Kumar Nitesh 17-21 21-17 21-17 in a hard-fought final which lasted for 1 hour and 1 minute to claim the yellow metal.

In the mixed doubles, World No 1 pair of Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar outwitted fellow Indians Kadam and Nitesh 21-19 11-21 21-11 in the summit clash for another gold.

Bhagat then paired up with his mixed doubles partner Palak Kohli and secured a thrilling come-from-behind 14-21 21-11 21-14 win against the Indian pair of Ruthick Ragupathi and Manasi Girishchandra Joshi for his third gold medal of the tournament.

"This is a special victory for me as it is the first victory for me after a gap of 2 tournaments," Bhagat said.

"I have worked really hard and this is the stepping stone. Now my focus is on the Grade 1 tournament which starts in 3 days and I would like to repeat what I achieved today," added the men's singles SL3 Paralympic champion.

In SL3 classification, athletes with lower limb impairment are allowed to compete.

On the other hand, World no 4 Kadam had a relatively easy outing against Marcel Adam, beating the German 21-13 21-18.

This victory is Kadam's third gold medal in as many tournaments. In the men's doubles, Kadam had to settle for silver after being defeated by World No 1 pair Pramod Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar.

"This is my third gold medal in as many tournaments and I am quite excited about the same. This victory will make me push harder and train tougher for the upcoming tournaments," Kadam, who competes in the SL4 category, said.

"The focus now has shifted to Grade 1 tournament which starts in 3 days and my goal will be to repeat my display." In SL4 class, shuttlers have lower limb impairment/severe and they play standing.

Also Read : Bhagat, Kadam enter semifinals of Spanish Para badminton International II

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 5 (Badminton News) The Indian duo of world no 1 Pramod Bhagat and world no 4 Sukant Kadam progressed to the semifinals of Spanish Para badminton International II in Vitoria, Spain.

Bhagat has made through to the last four in all the three categories he is playing here, while Kadam also qualified for the semifinals of both the two categories he is competing in.

Bhagat had an easy run in the singles where he defeated France's Xavier Debavelaere 21-13 21-12, followed by Canada's William Roussy 21-14 21-7. He later claimed a 21-16 21-12 win over England's William Smith.

The 33-year-old from Odisha will face fellow Indian Umesh Vikram Kumar in the singles semifinals.

In the men's doubles, Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar had an easy run, beating French pair Xavier Debavelaere and Clement Sarrobert 21-9 21-16, followed by another easy 21-10 21-15 victory over Peru pair of Renzo Diquez Bances Morales and Pedro Pablo De Vinatea.

The duo will meet French pair Guillaume Gailly and Mathieu Thomas in the semifinals.

In the mixed doubles, Bhagat and Palak Kohli will face India's Kumar Nitesh and Manisha Ramdass in the semifinals.

Kadam also sailed into semifinals of both singles and men's doubles.

The 28-year-old from Maharashtra first secured a 21-12 21-14 win over Germany's Jan-Niklas Pott , followed by a 21-16 21-18 win over Singapore's Chee Hiong Ang. He went on to defeat France's Guillaume Gailly in 31 minutes with a scoreline of 21-11 21-11 before prevailing 21-11 21-11 over fellow Indian Deep Ranjan Bisoyee.

Kadam will face Diogo Daniel of Portugal in the semifinals.

In doubles, Kadam along with Kumar Nitesh defeated fellow Indian pair of Takar Biri and Umesh Vikram Kumar 21-15 21-17, followed by another victory over England's Bobby Griffin and William Smith with a scoreline of 21-13 21-19.

The duo also beat French pair of Teddy Djemma Ferrazza and Thomas Numitor 21-4 21-10 before defeating Takar Biri and Umesh Vikram Kumar to set up a semifinal clash with another Indian pair of Mohammad Arwaz Ansari and Deep Ranjan Bisoyee. 

Also Read : My sole aim is to win gold at Paris Paralympics, says para shuttler Palak Kohli

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 2 (Badminton News) Young Indian para shuttler Palak Kohli says the Tokyo Games disappointment has increased her hunger for success and her sole aim is to return with a gold from the Paris Paralympics in two years time.

The youngest para badminton player to qualify for the Paralympics at 18, Kohli is currently competing at the Spanish Para badminton International II in Vitoria.

She had qualified in all three formats -- singles, women's doubles (Parul Parmar) and mixed doubles (Pramod Bhagat) at the Tokyo Games but couldn't return with a medal.

"Playing in Tokyo was a wonderful experience. There is no age criteria in para badminton. So being the youngest to qualify for three events was a blessing as I got exposure to all three events," Kohli, whose left-arm is underdeveloped since birth, told PTI.

"There was lot of disappointment after losing the mixed bronze at Tokyo after coming so close but it has also made me lot hungrier and I am living for that one aim, one goal for Paris. I don't want to settle for anything lesser than gold." Kohli, who has been signed by Adidas for its "Impossible is Nothing" campaign, is currently focussing on the Spanish Open, where she is seeded second in women's singles SU 5 group B.

She along with Bhagat are topping the group C in mixed doubles SL3-SU 5 with two wins. She also forms the top seed pair with Parmar in women's doubles SL3-SU5 and has won her first group A match.

"This year I am looking to play in various events. Spanish Open is an important event where I want to do well," said Kohli, who used the post Olympics time to recover from a bone marrow edema in her left tibia, a nagging injury which was first diagnosed in 2019.

"But World championships and Asian Games are the main events which I am looking up to for this year. My long term goals remains 2024 Paris, 2028 and 2032 Olympics," she said.

Kohli has joined the elite club of other Adidas' strong women athletes, including Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain, Hima Das, Nikhat Zareen and many others.

"I am happy to join Adidas. This brand has the ideology of 'impossible is nothing' and being the first para athlete from India to partner with Adidas is a feeling of happiness for me," Kohli said.

"The campaign relates so much with para athletes and my aim is to promote and take badminton to the next level. It will help me to raise my voice." 

Also Read : Para shuttlers Bhagat, Kadam eager to start 2022 season with wins in Spain

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 1 (Badminton News) Having trained in Spain for a month, top Indian para shuttlers Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam are hoping to start the 2022 season with wins in two upcoming Spanish Open tournaments.

Bhagat and Kadam will be playing in both the Spanish Open tournaments which will be held three days apart from each other.

The first tournament, which is a Grade 2 event, starts Tuesday in Victoria while the second competition, a Grade 1 competition, will be held from March 9-13 in Cartagena.

"The Spanish tournament is always important as it kickstarts the season. I have been practising in Spain for the past month and have a got a good idea of the speed of the court which should give me an added advantage," Bhagat was quoted as saying in a media release.

"This is a crucial year for me as this has both World Championships and Asian Games," added the men's singles SL3 Paralympic champion.

Kadam, the world no 4, said his aim is to improve his ranking ahead of the big-ticket events like the Commonwealth Games and Asiad later this year.

"I want to keep my winning momentum going after winning the Uganada International and Nationals tournament. I have been working very hard on my game and that was the reason I came early to Spain to train and stay in focus of my goals," said Kadam, who competes in the SL4 category.

"These tournaments are really important as I want to improve on my ranking and with Asian Games and World championship coming this year, I want to keep my momentum," he added.

In SL4 class, shuttlers have lower limb impairment/severe and they play standing.

Bhagat will be participating in the singles, doubles and mixed doubles events while Kadam will compete in singles and doubles. 

Also Read : Badminton Asia Team C'ships: Indian men's and women's team fail to qualify for knock-outs

News Source : PTI

Vimalraj Jayachandran is one of the country’s rising stars in Tennis, he has been associated with the sport since his childhood. He considers Gael Monfils as his idol for his court coverage, energy and interactions with the crowd. The 25 year old also runs TEE TO Z, a startup which designs all kinds of clothing.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Vimalraj shares his journey on and off the Tennis courts, cricket getting all the attention in the country, running a startup and his future goals in the sport.

Q 1) How did you start playing Tennis and when did you plan to take it up professionally?

I started playing tennis at a very young age but I had briefly stopped playing the sport because I lost my racket. I resumed playing in 3rd grade when I was 9 years old. I started playing professionally at the age of 14 and subsequently started winning national level matches and events which gave me a lot of confidence.

Q 2) Which type of courts are you most comfortable on and how is it better suited than the others?

I prefer playing on clay courts as the ball usually comes slower than other surfaces and it suits my playing style. I tend to use a lot of topspin on my shots which makes the ball bounce higher so it is easier for me. On the other hand I’m a counter puncher, so it tends to be easier to receive, strike and slide easily on the clay courts and to keep on rallying. I'm actually improving on all surfaces but if I’m being honest then grass courts are also my favourite but the problem is that there aren’t many grass courts in India. I have only played once on a grass court but loved the feel of it. I have played a lot of matches on clay and that's where I am most comfortable.

Q 3) With the lack of exposure to the sport in the country, how difficult is it for a player to gain points on tour?

I think our country should support other sports as much as they support cricket or at least somewhat comparable. There is not much support for other sports financially and even crowd wise everything is just cricket and it is very annoying for other athletes. Even though we play professionally it's tough to get sponsors to go abroad and play. Tennis is a very expensive sport and I don't think the government is supporting our athletes enough. It is very difficult to score points because you need to travel abroad very often to get those points. You need to travel every month and play 2-3 ITF tournaments  to get those ATP points. It requires a lot of money and that is why every player needs sponsors.

Also read: I want to gain points to compete at the highest level - Meiraba Luwang

Q 4) What have been some of your most prized moments over the past few years?

I would say winning Khelo India was very good for me as I felt very proud and I really enjoyed playing it. During the finals I had a full body cramp and I was with 3 or 4 physios to play the doubles finals and we won the tournament so it was an amazing experience. Another one was when I played well in China, I also faced the top seed but couldn't take the match towards my side. My entire journey itself has been amazing and when I look back at it there is a smile on my face no matter what the consequences and hurdles. It's always a pleasure to have had that journey.

Q 5) What are some of the challenges that you have faced in your journey so far and how did you overcome them?

Playing any other sport professionally other than cricket in India is itself a major obstacle to pass through. Being able to play the sport for a prolonged period of time without financial support is a challenge as there isn't sufficient funding for the players. It becomes a barrier when you want to play more matches or events. 

These experiences are part of the reason why I started my own business a few months ago. It is a startup called TEE TO Z which is into cloth manufacturing. It has helped me financially as the number of clients are slowly increasing. In my game, I'm focusing on playing more aggressively on court and try to play as many matches as possible on tour.

Q 6) What are your short term and long term goals and how do you plan on achieving them?

I suffered an ACL tear recently which put me out of competition for six months although it did not require surgery as it healed through time. It certainly affected my mind as it was my first injury and made me question my future in the sport. In my comeback, I played a few tournaments and my form was decent which put my mind back at ease.

The short term goals would be to play more matches in the ITF circuit and regain my rankings on tour as I haven't played specific events due to financial restraints. In the long term goals, I want to enter the top 1000 of the rankings by the end of this year.

Shah Alam (Malaysia), Feb 18 (Badminton News) India's campaign at the Badminton Asia Team Championships came to end as the men's and women's teams failed to advance to the knockout round after going down to their respective opponents here on Friday.

While the men's team lost 2-3 to three-time defending champions Indonesia, the women's side were hammered 1-4 by Japan. The Indian men's team had earlier lost 0-5 to Korea and beaten Honk Kong 3-2. It needed an outright win against title holders Indonesia to advance to the knockout stage.

The Indians finished third in the group stage behind Indonesia and Korea. Hong Kong finished last.

The women's team also needed a win to qualify for the knockouts but found Japan to be a formidable opponent. The Indians had earlier lost to hosts Malaysia 2-3.

India Open winner Lakshya Sen and Mithun Manjunath gave a good account of themselves Sen, a world championship bronze medallist, eked out a hard-fought win over Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 21-18 27-25 in 46 minutes to start the proceedings on a bright note for India.

However, the two inexperienced doubles pairs and singles player Kiran George couldn't rise to the occasion.

The pair of Manjit Singh Khwairakpam and Dingku Singh Konthoujam went down in straight games 16-21 10-21 to Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in less than 30 minutes as Indonesia levelled the tie.

The defending champions then took a 2-1 lead as world number 75 Kiran, who had won his maiden Super 100 crown in Odisha, lost 13-21 21-17 10-21 to Ikhsan Leonardo Imanuel Rumbay.

With momentum on their side, the Indonesians then sealed the tie as the Indian duo of Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Rethinasabapathi Kumar lost to Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana 10-21 10-21.

Manjunath Mithun then toiled hard to notch a consolation win, beating Yonathan Ramlie 21-12 15-21 21-17 in one hour three minutes.

While the men's team went out fighting, Japan proved too much for the young women's side.

Japan took a 1-0 lead as India's Aakarshi Kashyap lost the first singles match to Natsuki Nidaira 13-21 21-18 15-21.

Assam's Ashmita Chaliha, the lone winner for India in the tie, then dished out a superb show to see off Riko Gunji 21-17 10-21 21-19 in 53 minutes to bring India back into the contest.

However, neither the two doubles pairs nor young Tara Shah could latch on to the momentum and lost their matches in straight games.

The Indian duo of Khushi Gupta and Simran Singhi went down 15-21 16-21 to Rui Hirokami and Yuna Kato while Tara succumbed to a 12-21 16-21 loss at the hands of Hina Akechi.

Arul Bala Radhakrishnan and Nila Valluvan also proved no match for the Japanese duo of Riko Gunji and Natsuki Nidaira, losing 10-21 15-21.

The women's team ends the group stage last, having lost to both Japan and Malaysia. 

Also Read : I want to gain points to compete at the highest level - Meiraba Luwang

News Source : PTI

Born in Manipur, 19 year old Meiraba Luwang is one of India’s brightest badminton stars. He won his first international singles title at the White Night Russian Junior International Badminton at St Petersburg in Russia and has excelled at both the domestic and international stage since then. He has trained at the Prakash Padukone Academy since 2013 and has honed his skills to develop into a shuttler who is now a force to be reckoned with.

In this exclusive interview, Meiraba Luwang speaks about his badminton journey, memorable achievements, training regime, mental health, overcoming challenges, future goals and more!

Q 1) How did your journey in badminton begin and who were your childhood sporting idols while growing up?

My father is a Badminton coach and I was influenced to play badminton by him. I don’t remember the exact age I took up the sport but I used to play it with friends at home. When I was 7-8 years old, I started going to the Manipur Badminton Association to play with the professional shuttlers. That’s when I started seeing people like Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei on the television and I was quite inspired by the way they play on the court, the way they handle situations and as the time grew I started learning more from them. That’s how I started my journey and this is how I have taken inspiration and learnt from them.

Q 2) What are some of the most memorable achievements in your career and why?

There is one tournament that comes to my mind, it was in Qatar when I won the U13 National title because it was my first national title in badminton and I remember that nobody expected me to win, including myself which is why it was quite memorable for me. Somehow I won the tournament and my journey began. That is the most memorable moment that comes to mind. 

Q 3) What is your training regime like and how important of a role does mental health play in achieving the desired result in badminton?

Right now our training is scheduled to be taken by our new coach who has come from South Korea. I cannot say there is a fixed timing everyday since it depends on the training we would do today and also what he has plans for the next day. Most of the time the session starts around 6:00-7:30 am and after that from 9:30-1 pm. We have our lunch and there is another session which starts from 3:30 pm and ends when the training is finished. As I have gone through my journey, I have discovered the importance of mental health, not just in badminton but also in many things off the court. It is also important to know how to deal with mental health problems. I have taken a mental training session from my coach Samiksha. A lot of things have improved in terms of how to handle my mind so it has helped me a lot.

Also read: My goal is to become a Paralympic medallist - Asiya Mohamed

Q 4) What are some of the challenges you have faced in your career so far? How did you overcome them?

There are many challenges I have faced in my career and I just adapt to the challenges and find various ways to tackle them differently. There is always a new challenge everyday, whether it’s on the court or outside. I like it because it is fun to have challenges and it gets me hyped up to overcome them. Depending on the situation, I find the right method or strategy to overcome my challenges.

Q 5) How was your experience at the Prakash Padukone Academy? How have they helped you in your development of the player you are today?

I have been at the Prakash Padukone Academy since 2013, which is about 9 years. The academy has kept growing since the time I have joined and it has all the facilities an athlete needs to compete at the international level. It feels like home for me.

Q 6) What are some of your future goals and aspirations? How do you plan to accomplish them? 

As of now, my goal is to participate in as many tournaments as I can to accumulate points so that I get the opportunity to play at the biggest events.

Having suffered a tragic accident at the age of two, Asiya Mohamed lost both her legs and many fingers on her left hand. Due to various circumstances, she lost both her parents at a young age and endured difficulties that would make most individuals give up on their life. However, despite the innumerable hardships, she recently became the first Kenyan female rower to compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. The 29 year old excels in wheelchair marathons, tennis and rowing and is an ardent disability advocate to improve the conditions of other para-athletes.

In this exclusive interview, Asiya Mohamed speaks about her journey so far, experience at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, overcoming hardships, being a disability advocate and her future goals. 

Q 1) When were you first introduced to Wheelchair tennis? What motivated you to switch from wheelchair marathon events to tennis?

Wheelchair tennis was introduced to me in 2013 in Mombasa by Lawrence Karanja. I have been doing wheelchair marathons for the longest time compared to any other games and I haven’t moved to wheelchair tennis. I play them all when I am available and when I am both physically and mentally fit.

Q 2) You are the first Kenyan female rower to compete at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. How was the experience at the event and is it one of the proudest moments in your career?

It was a mind blowing experience, from the Paralympic Village to the Forest river where rowers were competing. There was an air of competing at the highest level or packing your bags and going home, which I was not ready for. It is definitely one of my most proudest and memorable moments.

Q 3) You have undoubtedly endured many hardships in your journey so far. What are some of the challenges that you have faced in your sporting career and how did you overcome them?

There have been so many challenges but the main one is the lack of sponsors to facilitate training and participation in international competition. Most of the time I overcome this through contributions from my family and funds from the government. In terms of emotional challenges, I overcome them by having self love and self belief which makes me mentally strong.

Also read: Being a good person takes precedence over being a good athlete - Smit Toshniwal

Q 4) What are the various issues that you feel strongly about as a Disability Advocate? What must be done to address them?

1. The government doesn’t give para sports the spotlight compared to able bodied sports.

2. Majority of us disabled people are not educated 

3. Women with disabilities face double the amount of challenges compared to able bodied women.

4. There is still that misconception that we’re cursed.

5. Youth and teenagers living with disabilities are not given the special attention needed as they pass double of what able bodied teenagers and youth are passing through.

What should be done?

1. Equal opportunities and funds should be given to both para and able bodied sports.

2. The government should build vocational training facilities across the country, especially rural parts and sensitize the importance of education to parents of children living with disabilities.

3. Empowerment activities for women living with disabilities and call centers for women to aie their grievances and find refuge. 

4. Mobilization and sensitization to able bodied persons living with disabilities especially to the rural parts across the country.

5. Center for guidance and counseling for the youth and teenagers living with disabilities. 

Q 5) What are your goals and aspirations for the future? How do you plan to achieve them?

My dream is to become a Paralympic medallist and the first Kenyan rower, either male or female, to participate in either Olympics or Paralympics for two consecutive times. I plan on finding sponsors for my training outside the country since I lack specialized coaches, equipment, high quality training and the experience of participating in competitions.

Shah Alam (Malaysia), Feb 16 (Badminton News) A young but talented Indian women's team put up a brave effort before going down 2-3 to hosts Malaysia in its opening match of the Badminton Asia Team Championships here on Wednesday.

Ashmita Chaliha and Tara Shah notched up convincing wins but the two inexperienced doubles pairs couldn't make a mark as the Indian team jeopardised its chances of reaching the knockout stage of the tournament.

With the in-form Malvika Bansod pulling out at the last minute due to health issues, world No. 56 Aakarshi Kashyap, who had reached the semifinals of India Open, started the proceedings but she couldn't get past 64th ranked Kisona Selvaduray, losing 16-21 21-18 16-21 in an hour and 12 minutes in the opening match.

Khushi Gupta and Mehreen Riza were then shown the door 1-21 6-21 by the Malaysian combination of Valeree Siow and Pearly Tan to make it 2-0 in the home team's favour.

Assam's Ashmita Chaliha dished out a superb show to see off Siti Nurshuhaini 21-11 21-19 in 29 minutes to bring India back into the contest.

However, Arul Bala Radhakrishnan and Nila Valluvan proved no match for Anna Ching Yik Cheong and Teoh Mei Xing, losing 10-21 12-21 as Malaysia took an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Little-known Tara Shah, who had claimed the Hungarian International Junior Championships in 2020 and had reached the finals of U-15 Asia Junior Championships, beat Myisha Mohd Khairul 21-16 21-15 to make it 2-3 in the end.

The Indian women's team will take on defending champions Japan in group Y on Friday.

The men's team, led by world championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen, had also lost its opening match 0-5 against Korea on Monday.

They will face Hong Kong on Thursday. 

Also Read : Being a good person takes precedence over being a good athlete - Smit Toshniwal

News Source : PTI

In a world where everything appears to be a rat’s race, especially in a competitive industry such as sports, placing importance on sportsmanship and using your platform for the greater good is a welcoming breath of fresh air. International badminton player Smit Toshniwal has overcome many odds to reach the stage she is at today and aims to use her on field capabilities to try and change the world.

In this exclusive interview, Smit Toshniwal speaks about her badminton journey, her childhood idols, importance of mental strength, memorable achievements, overcoming challenges and future goals.

Q 1) Tell us about your badminton journey, how old were you when you started, who introduced you to the sport and when did you decide to pursue it professionally?

I started as a 7 year old as my mom introduced me to the sport but mostly as a hobby. I decided to pursue it professionally at 14 when my mom and I moved to Hyderabad. She has been the backbone of my career. I moved for the love of the sport but without her staying there leaving all her family behind for 4+ years, none of this would have been a reality. The person who really inspired and motivated me was S.M Arif sir as the former Dronacharya Award and Padma Shri Awardee has been the backbone for badminton over the years.

Q2) Who were some of your badminton idols while growing up and why?

I tend to believe in being a good person before being a good athlete. For me sportsmanship comes before anything and for this reason I always looked up to Ratchanok Intanon because she tends to keep her cool on court and display immense levels of sportsmanship on the badminton court.

Q 3) Despite badminton being a physically demanding sport, how important do you think is mental toughness to achieve the desired result?

I have always believed in giving greater focus on mental toughness in order to be in form during the matches, physical fitness does matter but once you are set mentally then it helps you regain your physical health.

Also read: Esports gives equal opportunities if you’re skillful - Parul ‘Alpha’ Sharma

Q 4) As an international badminton player, what are some of your most memorable achievements in your career so far and why?

The most memorable achievement for me was that as a kid, the U10 and U13 were years where it wasn’t complicated as it is today. It was as easy as being on the court and playing and I’m grateful to have been introduced to the sport at a young age. It was a very different and fulfilling experience which I still remember to this day.

Q 5) What are some of the obstacles and challenges you have faced in your journey so far? How did you overcome them?

Every athlete has so many obstacles and challenges especially in a country like India. Everyday is a challenge but for me specifically for so long I've tied winning to my self worth. Just getting over that phase has been a challenge and it continues to be even today. Also staying away from home for long periods away from friends and family is always a challenge. I am extremely close to my dad. Not currently, but for the longest time that I have been in Hyderabad, my mom has stayed with me. It's almost been 7-8 years, I have hardly spent time with Dad, I don't like that at all. Apart from that, if you want to compete in Europe twice a year, that does take a lot of money. Getting sponsors has been so challenging I cannot stress on that enough.

Q 6) What are your short and long term goals as a badminton player? What are you doing to achieve them?

Honestly I feel that short term and long term aims and goals are conceptualised. I never aimed to win the Odisha medal, it just happened. You can always have goals but you can never know what's in store for you and what's coming. Success can come to you in so many unexpected ways that these ideas are very conceptual. I watch a lot of Tennis and I'm a follower of Naomi Osaka. She uses her platform for activism and to try and change the world. She is known for not just her on field capabilities and I want to be something like that. You could say that is one of my goals. Take one day at a time and devote it to things that make your heart full.

Shah Alam (Malaysia), Feb 15 (Badminton News) The young Indian men's team, led by world championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen, suffered an embarrassing 0-5 defeat against Korea in the opening group A match of the Badminton Asia Team Championships, here on Tuesday. A lot was expected from India Open winner Lakshya but the world number 13 Indian went down 11-21 19-21 to Jeon Hyeok Jin in 42 minutes.

The pairing of Ravikrishna PS and Sankar Prasad Udayakumar, who had reached the finals of the Odisha Open, then slumped to a 8-21 10-21 defeat against Hwi Tae Kim and Kim Jaehwan as India lagged 0-2.

World number 75 Kiran George, who had won his maiden super 100 crown in Odisha, then failed to get across Joo Wan Kim, losing 18-21 14-21 to Joo Wan Kim in 42 minutes as Korea grabbed an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Nothing changed in the second doubles with Manjit Singh Khwairakpam and Dingku Singh Konthoujam losing 7-21 15-21 to Yong Jin and Na Sung Seung.

Mithun Manjunath then put up a brave effort before going down 16-21 27-25 14-21 against Min Sun Jeong in the fifth and final match.

The men's team will next face Hong Kong on Thursday.

The Indian women's team will start their campaign against hosts Malaysia in group Y on Wednesday. 

Also Read : Young Indian shuttlers look for glory at Badminton Asia Team championships

News Source : PTI

Shah Alam (Malaysia), Feb 14 (Badminton News) India's young badminton brigade, led by world championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen and in-form Malvika Bansod, will aim to put up a good show in the Badminton Asia Team championships starting here on Tuesday.

The Indian men's and women's teams will be keen to make a winning start when they take on Korea and hosts Malaysia in group A and group Y respectively on the opening day of the continental championship.

With the seniors skipping the event, the onus will be on India Open winner Sen to lead the men's team. Kiran George and Mithun Manjunath are also likely to play pivotal roles in the tournament where the men's team has been clubbed with three-time defending champions Indonesia and Hong Kong, apart from Korea.

Kiran had won his maiden world tour crown when he claimed the Odisha Super 100 title, while Manjunath had reached semifinals of Syed Modi Super 300. Raghu Mariswamy is the fourth singles players.

In doubles, Ravikhrisna PS and Sankar Prasad Udayakumar, finalists at Odisha last month, and Manjit Singh Khwairakpam and Dingku Singh Konthoujam, who reached semifinal at Bahrain international challenge last year, will hope for a good outing.

Korea also doesn't boast of any big name and the team will be led by Jeon Hyeok Jin, who was part of the team that claimed the gold at the 2014 Asian Games and reached the quarterfinals at Thomas Cup last year.

In women's event, the Indian team, comprising Syed Modi International finalist Malvika, Aakarshi Kashyap and Ashmita Chaliha, will fancy its chances when it faces Malaysia and defending champion Japan in group B during the continental event.

For Malaysia, world number 64 Kisona Selvaduray is their top singles player, while world number 15 pair of Tan Pearly and Thinaah Muralitharan will carry the responsibility of getting the team wins in the doubles matches.

Teams finishing at the top two positions in each group of both the men's and women's events will make it to the last four and also qualify for the Thomas Cup finals in Bangkok on May 17-22.

The Indian men's team had won two bronze but the women's side had never returned with a medal from the tournament.

Lakshya was part of the team which had claimed a bronze in the 2020 edition after losing to Indonesia in the semifinals.

Dinesh Khanna remains the only Indian player to have won the gold medal at the Asian Badminton Championship in 1965.

In the individual event, India also won 11 bronze medals.

The championships lost some sheen with the withdrawal of Thailand, Chinese Taipei and China due to concerns over rising cases of COVID-19. 

Also Read : Tasnim Mir wins Iran Fajr International Challenge.

News Source : PTI

Shiraz (Iran), Feb 11 (Badminton News) Junior World No 1 Indian shuttler Tasnim Mir on Friday notched a three-game win over Yulia Yosephine Susanto of Indonesia in the final to claim the women's singles title at the Iran Fajr International Challenge here.

The 16-year-old from Gujarat, who became the first Indian woman shuttler to claim the world no 1 status in u-19 singles, beat second seed Susato 21-11, 11-21, 21-7 in 51 minutes.

Tasnim, ranked number 404 in the senior world rankings, lagged 1-3 early on but she soon clawed back at 5-5 before reeling off six straight points to create a huge gap, which her rival couldn't bridge.

The Indonesian came out all cylinders blazing in the second game, jumping to a 9-2 advantage. She kept moving ahead to roar back into the contest in a jiffy.

In the decider, Tasnim got her bearings back, zooming to 6-1. She didn't look back and shut the door on her rival to comfortably pocket the title.

En route to the title, Tasnim defeated Iran's Nazanin Zamani, Armenia's Lilit Poghosyan, Iran's Fatemeh Babaei, India's Samayara Panwar before outwitting top seed and World Number 71 Martina Repiska in the semifinals. 

Also Read : BATC 2022: Indian men's and women's teams clubbed with defending champions Indonesia, Japan

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Feb 8 (Badminton News) India have received decent draws at the Badminton Asia Team Championships with the men's and women's teams clubbed with defending champions Indonesia and Japan, respectively, at the continental event scheduled in Shah Alam, Malaysia from February 15 to 20.

The young Indian men's team, led by world championships silver medallist and India Open winner Lakshya Sen, will also have to compete with South Korea and Hong Kong in group A.

The women's team, comprising Syed Modi International finalist Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Ashmita Chaliha, will face Malaysia and Japan in group B during the continental event, which will also act as qualifiers for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals.

The group A consists of Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Korea.

Teams finishing at the top two positions in each group of both the men's and women's events will make it to the last four and also qualify for the Thomas Cup finals in Bangkok on May 17-22.

The championships lost some sheen with the withdrawal of Thailand, Chinese Taipei and China due to concerns over rising cases of COVID-19.

Three-time champions Indonesia will be looking to win a fourth men's title while reigning women's champions Japan will hope to retain the crown they won last time. 

Also Read : Subramanian, Panwar win at the Iran Junior International badminton

News Source : PTI

Widely regarded as India’s most successful wheelchair cricket captain, Ramesh Sartape has not only made his mark but paved the way for disabled individuals in the future to pursue a career in sport. Suffering from polio, the 38 year old did not let his limitations come between his love for the game and has enjoyed a successful career in the Indian wheelchair cricket team.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Ramesh Sartape shares his cricketing journey, expectations from the 2nd T20 Asia Cup, overcoming challenges, getting support from governments and private institutions and his future goals.

Q 1) Despite having polio, what motivated you to play cricket and make a career from this sport?

Being born and brought up in India, everyone has cricket in their blood. I have polio in both legs so I used to walk on crutches earlier when there used to be Divyang cricket for the disabled Dadar Shivaji Park which was started by Ajit Wadekar. Watching them practice gave me a lot of motivation and I saw that people with worse disabilities than mine were also participating so I went there and started playing. I used to hold crutches with one hand and bat with the other and run between wickets with crutches. Eventually I started gaining knowledge and experience about cricket. 

While browsing on Facebook I came across Mr. Haroon Rasheed's profile and saw that he works with Divyang cricket. I contacted them and found out that he is trying to promote wheelchair cricket. The Divyang Cricket Control Board of India runs wheelchair cricket along with deaf and dumb, blind and women's cricket. He informed me that there are trials in Agra and I should participate. I told him that I don't have a wheelchair after which he told me to just show up and assured me that he will take care of it. When I went there it inspired me to start my wheelchair cricket journey which has taken me to an international level.

Q 2) Pakistan will be hosting the 2nd T20 Asia Cup of Wheelchair Cricket. What are your expectations from that tournament and do you believe India can win it?

India's wheelchair cricket team defeated Bangladesh at home by 3-0 and were also runners up in the Asia Cup which was held in Nepal. The International Wheelchair Council has given Pakistan the permission to host the 2nd T20 Asia Cup. I truly believe that the mistakes we made in the 1st Asia Cup will not be repeated. India is widely considered as the strongest wheelchair team and our team will try our level best to make sure we become victorious. 

Q 3) You are regarded as the most successful captain of the Indian wheelchair cricket team. Which achievement is the most special to you in your career and why?

The first time I wore the Indian jersey during the Bangladesh series remains one of the most special moments in my career. If we win the upcoming Asia Cup under my captaincy, then it will be a major milestone in wheelchair cricket and will be my biggest achievement.

Also read: My main target is to play at the 2024 Paris Paralympics - Prem Kumar Ale, Para Badminton player

Q 4) What are some of the challenges that you have faced as a wheelchair cricketer in India? How have you overcome them?

The initial challenges in wheelchair cricket was access to the grounds and buying kits. We used to practice in Malad and whenever we tried to practise on some grounds, the management would question us about the tires damaging the pitch. We also need active wheelchairs which only start at 30,000-40,000 and it’s unaffordable. While travelling for tournaments we face difficulties in the journey. Even in the first class or sleeper coach in trains, our wheelchair does not have enough space to move around because of which the only option we have is the coach for disabled.

In terms of accommodation, many places in India are not wheelchair friendly as there is no option of a ramp and they will only have steps to get to places. While playing on the grounds, the washrooms are also not accessible by wheelchair. In order to play wheelchair cricket an individual has to go through a lot of challenges.

Q 5) Do you believe wheelchair cricketers in India receive adequate support from the governments and associations? What must be done to improve the status of wheelchair cricket in the country?

Firstly the government doesn't give us much support, usually when we have a tournament then we have to seek support from private investors. BCCI recently announced that they are making a differently able committee which will hopefully support wheelchair cricket in the future. Secondly, the future wheelchair cricketers need to have basic amenities and benefits that we aren’t receiving so that it will encourage more disabled individuals to take up the sport

Q 6) Do you believe you can become a coach for the future generation of wheelchair cricketers? What are some of your goals and aspirations for the future?

Yes I want to be a coach in the future. Being the captain of the wheelchair cricket team, we suffer the same problems everywhere we go. We tend to arrange our own transportation, stay, cricketing equipment and we also play tournaments without much support. My future goal is to have better facilities for wheelchair cricketers and most importantly make them financially stable. In short, I don't want the future generation to go through the same problem that I have experienced.

New Delhi, Feb 8 (Sports News) Two-time Olympic medallist badminton star P V Sindhu and Tokyo silver winner weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu were among the five nominees for the BBC Indian Sportswoman (ISWOTY) of the Year award announced here on Tuesday.

Besides Sindhu and Mirabai, star golfer Aditi Ashok, multiple medal winner at Tokyo Paralympics in shooting Avani Lekhara, Tokyo bronze winner boxer Lovlina Borgohain were the other three nominees, shortlisted by an distinguished jury of sports journalists, experts and sports writers.

"Success doesn’t come easy, it's not just few months of hard work, but years of hard work. Every day is a process, that’s how you come up to a certain level," Sindhu, who won a bronze at Tokyo Olympics to go with her silver five years back at Rio de Janeiro, said in a release.

Online voting for the award will remain open until February 28 and the winner will be revealed on March 28 at a ceremony here.

Aditi Ashok, who finished fourth place at the Tokyo Olympics said: "I am grateful and thankful because this was a good year for me, and I had some great performances. I am happy that golf is becoming more popular in India." The awards ceremony will also honour a legendary sportswoman with the BBC Lifetime Achievement award, and a young female player will be named as the BBC Emerging Player of the Year. 

Also Read : Deepak Hooda helps Jaipur Pink Panthers overcome Gujarat Giants

News Source : PTI

Pune, Feb 7 (Tennis News) A strict bio-bubble for the players, two separate dedicated hotels for officials and linesmen, 600 tests over 10 days and a drastically reduced workforce, were key factors in successful hosting of Tata Open Maharashtra, the organisers said on Monday.

Not a single main draw player got infection and no match was cancelled in the ATP 250 event, country's biggest tennis tournament.

The organisers say given the massive withdrawals witnessed at the India Open badminton tournament and the way Indian women football team was forced out of the Asian Cup, they certainly felt the pressure.

"These incidents happened and we were under pressure to deliver. But we were determined to pull it off. Now we can boast about an incident-free and successful event for the world to see and prove critics, who demean India most of the time, wrong," Sunder Iyer, Secretary of Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), told PTI.

"The successful hosting of the event has given a positive message to the world about the reopening of the sports events. We don't need to cancel any sporting event, we just need to find a way to do it." "Not only this, the big message is that India can successfully host big tournaments," Iyer, who is also a AITA joint secretary, said.

India's Ramkumar Ramanathan and Rohan Bopanna won the men's doubles title while Portugal's Joao Sousa annexed the men's crown.

Fans were also allowed in the stands during the last three days.

The MSLTA cut down the number of people working for the tournament to about 100-130, including housekeeping, security and logistics team as compared to usual 300 in pre-Covid era.

The volunteers were also less in numbers - from 55-60 to 18-19.

"The players stayed in one hotel while we settled in another. A different hotel was dedicated to the balls men, the linesmen. Everybody working in the vicinity, near and around the players, who are in direct contact with each other, are all in the bio-bubble and were regularly tested," "We carried out over 600 RAT tests and RTPCR a during the last 10 days," informed Iyer. The result was that one German player, who was in the qualifying event, and only 4-5 MSLTA officials contracted infection but no main draw player was affected.

The German player was replaced by an alternate and the officials were quarantined and isolated immediately.

Tournament Director Prashant Sutar said hosting the Tata Open was not only crucial for the sporting fraternity and the players but also for many a different people, who work in unorganised sector.

"The sports industry is a major contributor to economic and social development. The cancellations and postponement of events adversely affected the players, coaches, and others involved.

"The event generated a revenue of about Rs 15-16 crore in terms of prize money, production, media broadcasting, catering, event management companies, people in security and medical services.

"The sound guys, light guys, carpenters, plumbers got work. The sigh of relief these people, got was evident from their enthusiasm for work.

"One of the guys came to me and said that he had barely received Rs 20,000-25,000 in the whole year, but I was able to earn a lakh from this tournament. Close to 20 officiating people earned about 14-15 lakh collectively," said Sutar.

The organisers felt that India's image had taken a massive hit during the second wave of the pandemic when pictures of floating dead bodies were widely circulated but now the country has proved that it can cope with the COVID-19 challenge. 

Also Read : Sakkari seeking chances to enter top 5 at St. Petersburg Open

News Source : PTI

(Badminton news) Prem Kumar Ale has had a meteoric rise in the field of Para Badminton, the former soldier plays in the wheelchair singles, doubles and mixed doubles categories. A few years ago, Prem’s pull ups video became a huge hit as it gave motivation to all the netizens. He has been playing Para Badminton for over 9 years and currently trains in Lucknow.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Prem Kumar Ale speaks about how he started playing Badminton, coaching tactics during his famous win at Basel, overcoming challenges and preparing for an action packed year.

Q1) When was the first time you played Badminton and who inspired you to become a professional?

The first time I played Badminton was in 2014 and my senior NB Gurung guided and told me to take up the sport as he was a former Olympian athlete himself. 

Q2) How did you adapt to the big competitions since you turned professional within a year of playing?

Mr Gurung's words inspired me to take up the sport, after that I practiced for only 2 months and got the chance to play in the nationals where my category was wheelchair badminton 1. I not only performed well but won a Bronze medal in the singles category and that boosted my self belief as I got the confidence to pursue it as a profession.

Q3) After winning over 8 International and 21 national medals, what are some of the biggest lessons you have learnt on court?

The sport has taught me a lot of lessons. We need to bring a positive approach at every point of learning as it can help an athlete move forward. One also has to have patience when you are working towards a goal, it takes a lot of time and effort to be an International player.

For people who are new to Para Sports, i would like to say that it is difficult in the start but you can always focus on building your strengths. My coaches have stressed on the importance of physical fitness which always helps an athlete and keeping the mind away from negativity.

Also read: My goal is to make Godlike Esports the best team in the country and represent India - Vivek Aabhas "ClutchGod" Horo

Q4) After coming from a game down, how did you defeat top seed Thomas Wandschneider in the world championships in Basel three years ago?

I had two things in mind coming into the court at the Basel World Championships. First one was to give my best and to make my coach proud. I knew that Thomas Wandschneider was a higher ranked and much stronger opponent; but my coach told me to keep rallying instead of trying to finish the points quickly and avoid unforced errors. I kept rallying and it finally wore him out at the end of the match.



Q5) What are some of the challenges that you have been facing and how do you overcome them?

Challenges will occur every now and then whether it's related to tournaments or disability. At times, I feel unlucky about my disability and start thinking about what would be if I was able. There are people who have overcome many more struggles than I have which gives me the faith to keep moving forward. I feel grateful about things which I have and try to be positive.

Q6) What are your future plans and how do you intend to achieve them?

We have the World Championship and Asian Games this year for which we are currently practicing at GKBA Academy under the guidance of Gaurav Khanna. My main target is to play in the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

Shiraz (Iran), Feb 4 (Badminton News) Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian and Samayara Panwar secured the Under-19 boys and girls' singles titles respectively at the Iran Junior International Series badminton tournament here on Friday.

While top seed Subramanian got the better off Ali Hayati of Iran 21-17 21-17 in the boys' singles final, Panwar defeated another Iranian, Ferdous Foroughi 21-14 21-15 in girls' singles summit clash.

Panwar was also in the fray for the girls doubles crown, but lost in the final. 

Also Read : Para shuttlers Pramod Bhagat, Sukant Kadam begin training in Paris 

News Source : PTI

(Boxing news) The International Boxing Association (IBA) invited candidates for election to positions on the IBA Board of Directors, even that of President. Before becoming candidates, they will have a process of eligibility checks that will also select the candidates that have the right skills to help lead IBA to a brighter future. 

“Over the past year, IBA has undergone a very impressive transformation in our ability to serve boxers. We have made huge progress in governance reform, financial integrity and sporting integrity,” said IBA President Umar Kremlev. “The way these elections will take place reflects that transformation. The IBA election process has been developed to the highest standards, with the support of the best minds in governance, and we are grateful for that support.”

The present IBA Board of Directors features 28 members, the next Board will be reduced to 18: President – elected by the IBA Congress, Five Directors representing the Continental Confederations – elected by the Confederations, Ten independent Directors – elected by the IBA Congress, Two athletes – elected by their peers.

The upcoming elections will be for the President and ten independent directors. Of the ten independent Directors, at least five must be women and a minimum one from each continent. 2nd March will be the final deadline for nomination. The list of eligible candidates will be published by 22 April and the elections will be held by the Electoral Congress on 13-14 May, during the IBA Women’s World Championships in Istanbul.

All candidates have to provide insights of their eligibility according to a set of strict criteria, including term limits. All candidates will also be a part of background checks conducted by Genius Sports, an independent provider. An independent Interim Nomination Unit will then overlook the applications and will apply a skills analysis to those nominated for the position of independent Director. Skills needed are finance, marketing, medical and exceptional sporting ability. After the assessment, the independent Unit is expected to recommend a group of 20-30 candidates for election.  

The independent Interim Nomination Unit’s five members are:

Prof. Piermarco Zen-Ruffinen, Professor Emeritus of the Law Faculty at the University of Neuchatel, Dr. Catherine Ordway, Sport Integrity Research Lead at the University of Canberra, Chair of the Badminton World Federation Vetting Panel,  Louise Reilly, Barrister-at-Law, Chair of the Board of the Biathlon Integrity Unit, Jacques Blondin, Head of Regulatory Enforcement at FIFA, Roberto Cammarelle, AIBA World Champion and Olympic Champion.

The election process was brought by an independent Governance Reform Group led by Prof. Ulrich Haas. The Group’s report was approved unanimously by IBA members at an Extraordinary Congress held in December 2021. 

The elections will also be conducted in accordance with a comprehensive set of regulations.

Also read: World Boxing Tour competition system to be trialled by IBA in 2022

New Delhi, Feb 4 (Badminton News) Top Indian para shuttlers Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam have begun their preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games with a 10-day training stint in Paris.

Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Bhagat and World No 4 Sukant Kadam are currently training at the "CREPS ile de France" academy in Paris. The duo had trained in Spain for 15 days earlier.

The duo, who are coached by Michel Taalba, Clement Gillot and Fabrice Bernabe, have been training with Mathieu Thomas, who represents France in SL3 category.

"We wanted to get acclimatized to the conditions of courts and weather in Paris as the 2024 Paralympics is going to be held here and that is the final goal and I am working towards the same. We also wanted to understand the thought process and strategy these players use," World No 1 Bhagat said in a release.

Sukant hoped the training stint will help their Olympic preparations.

"With Paris 2024 little more than two years away, we hope that training with the French team will benefit us in our preparation for the big event. Besides we are looking to adapt to the new BWF rule of different grades and levels in the tournament," he said.

Bhagat and Sukant along with other Indian para shuttlers are gearing up for the Spanish International to be held at Cartagena from March 8-13.

"I am really happy that Pramod and Sukant were able to come to France to train with me and also that they can also discover Paris for the Paralympic Games in 2024," Thomas said.

"It's a great opportunity to have them because it's been a long time since I played internationally because of the Covid. I have the best player in the world and he is for me the best training partner I can have. they are real friends and I am happy to build a real strong relationship." The Indian duo recently were present at the French capital to watch Lionel Messi play for PSG. 

Also Read : Unnati claims women's singles title, becomes youngest Indian to win Super 100 tournament

News Source : PTI

Cuttack, Jan 30 (Badminton News) Teenager Unnati Hooda became the youngest Indian to win a Super 100 tournament as she beat compatriot Smit Toshniwal in straight games to claim the women's singles title in the USD 75,000 Odisha Open badminton tournament here on Sunday.

The 14-year-old Unnati produced an excellent performance to emerge triumphant.

In the mixed doubles final, India's MR Arjun and Treesa Jolly suffered a 16-21 20-22 defeat at the hands of Sri Lankan duo Sachin Dias and Thilini Hendadahewa in a match that lasted 36 minutes.

Unnati won 21-18 21-11 to be crowned the Odisha Open champion for the first time.

Unnati, who entered the final after she surprised Indian Open finalist Malvika Bansod 24-22 24-22 in the last-four clash on Saturday, took 35 minutes to get the better of Toshniwal in the summit showdown of the women's singles at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Indoor Statdium.

Toshniwal too pulled off an upset, knocking out Ashmita Chaliha, seeded five, 21-19, 10-21, 21-17, to set up the title clash with the 14-year-old Unnati.

Unnati claimed the the first game after making a comeback and riding on the momentum, she won the second game without much difficulty as Toshniwal had no answer to her opponent's aggressive approach. 

Also Read : Lakshya, Malvika to lead Indian team at Badminton Asia Team Championships

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 29 (Badminton News) India Open champion Lakshya Sen and Syed Modi International finalist Malvika Bansod will lead the Indian men's and women's squad in the Badminton Asia Team Championships to be played at Shah Alam, Malaysia from February 15-20.

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) announced a new look team for the continental team championship giving importance to the performances in the two All India Ranking tournaments played in Chennai and Hyderabad last month.

The players were selected on the basis of aggregate ranking points scored in the two events.

"We have been considering domestic tournaments for selection for a while now and selecting players in the top-25 world ranking directly. But with most senior players recovering from Covid and injury, it is a good opportunity for us to give the bench strength opportunities to make their mark in the tournament," BAI secretary Ajay Singhania said in a statement.

The men's team had won the bronze medal in the last edition of the tournament in Manila, Philippines while the women's team was withdrawn due to the pandemic as most players were not willing to travel then.

The men's doubles charge will be led by Kerala's PS Ravi Krishna and Udaykumar Shankarprasad, who also impressed with their performance against the experienced Malaysian combination of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi at the India Open.

The combination of Simran Singhi and Khushi Gupta along with the experienced Aarthi Sara Sunil and Riza Mahreen would look to make a mark in women's doubles.

Teams: Men's singles: Lakshya Sen, Mithun Manjunath, Kiran George, Raghu M Doubles: PS Ravi Krishna/UdayKumar ShankarPrasad, Amsakarunan Hariharan/Ruban Kumar, Dingku Singh Konthoujam/Manjit Singh Khwairakpam.

Women's singles: Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, Ashmita Chaliha, Tara Shah Doubles: Simran Singhi/Khushi Gupta, V Nila/Arubala, Aarthi Sara Sunil/Riza Mahreen. 

Also Read : Odisha Open: Teenager Unnati Hooda stuns Malvika Bansod to sail into final

News Source : PTI

Cuttack, Jan 29 (Badminton News) Teenager Unnati Hooda produced a stunning performance to take down in-form shuttler Malvika Bansod in straight games and cruise to the women's singles final of the Odisha Open here on Saturday.

The 14-year-old Unnati fought hard to grab a 24-22 24-22 victory over favourite Malvika in a nail-biting 50-minute semifinal clash at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Indoor Stadium.

Malvika has been in good nick recently, having defeated her idol Saina Nehwal at the India Open earlier this month before losing to PV Sindhu in the final of the Syed Modi International last week.

She had also defeated junior world No. 1 Tasnim Mir in the pre-quarterfinals here.

The win against Malvika would be a huge confidence booster for Unnati, who is ranked 418th in the world.

In the other women's singles semifinal, world No. 163 Smit Toshniwal upset fifth seed and higher-ranked Ashmita Chaliha, 21-19 10-21 21-17 in one hour one minute to set up a summit clash with Unnati.

The mixed doubles duo of MR Arjun and Treesa Jolly also advanced to the final with an easy 21-9 21-9 win over compatriots Balkeshari Yadav and Swetaparna Panda.

With the win, Arjun and Jolly set up a summit clash with the Sri Lankan pair of Sachin Dias and Thilini Hendahwa, who dispatched Indians Mauryan Kathiravan and Kuhan Balashri, 21-8 21-17 in little less than half an hour. 

Also Read : I want to win medals at the Paralympics, Asian Games and World Championships - Wheelchair Badminton player Ammu Mohan

News Source : PTI

The country’s top ranked wheelchair Badminton player Ammu Mohan has fought many battles on and off the court. She has endured all the challenges and is a staunch believer in hard work which always helps her to progress as a player.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Ammu Mohan gives an insight about her Para badminton career, staying away from family, managing work along with career and aiming for medals at Paralympics.

Q1) When did you start playing Para Badminton as a professional?

I started in the year 2017, I got internationally classified, before that I used to play domestic tournaments but professionally I would say 2017 I started with Para Badminton.

Q2) How challenging was the transition between Tennis to Badminton and what made you change your sport?

If you look at tennis, it is completely different from badminton in terms of shot making and rules. What made me change the sport is my disability as I felt badminton would suit my disability because I got internationally classified in wheelchair Badminton. I was not able to receive good training in tennis compared to badminton as I felt not very motivated playing tennis. I get a lot of support from not only my coaches but also my colleagues who have helped me through the initial stages in practice and  also now in improving my game. I've been staying in Lucknow since last year. I also won the gold medal at the nationals, which shows how far my game has improved. My current coach is aware of the wheelchair accessibility and also playing with international caliber players has helped improve my game. 

Q3)  How was the experience of winning three medals at the Uganda Para Badminton International championship?

I wasn't expecting to win 3 medals and I am so glad to have won 2 golds and 1 silver at that tournament. My colleagues knew about my game and they motivated me. There was a lot of positivity from the coaches as well. My coach had given a justification to SAI beforehand that I will win in Uganda and get a medal. It was a very tough time for me. I was so happy to be getting recognition on social media as well. Olympian Pramod Kumar called me a rising star which was a big moment for me.

Winning a gold medal in International competition is very hard and in a wheelchair category is more difficult. The media also informed me that I was the first woman from the country to get a gold medal in the wheelchair category in Para Badminton. Wheelchair badminton is very fast paced and you have to be very quick. My family, friends and my colleagues at the London Stock Exchange were also very happy for me. It also motivated me to keep working harder and achieve more things.

Also read: I try to watch and learn from every player who does well - Malaysian cricketer Virandeep Singh

Q4) With Para Badminton making its debut at the Paralympics last year, do you think the sport has evolved in our country in the last decade?

It definitely has. There has been a lot of growth in Para Badminton. Previously there were very few players but after it was added in the Paralympics there are a lot of players who started taking up the sport. In Odisha more than 500 players had come whereas before there used to be around 100 in all categories. The game is growing with every minute. The states are also supporting the players and doing the best they can. In Para Badminton most of the ranked players are from India in multiple categories. Getting a medal in the wheelchair category used to be difficult and no one ever thought that it could be done but now everything has changed. Coaches help us by giving proper training and breaking barriers. In Lucknow, Gaurav Khanna's academy has wheelchair accessibility where we have all the facilities. We get recognition as well now whereas before it wasn't there.



Q5) What are some of the challenges you have faced in your career and how did you overcome them?

One of the main challenges during my initial days was to strengthen my physical and mental condition for training. During that time it was more like a social service as I did not have much hope in my performance. I started playing sports after my father passed away and when I started playing Tennis there were a lot of problems. I could not hit the ball well as I was very weak and my stamina was drained.

People used to make fun of me when they saw me playing and that negativity had an impact on me. I took it as a challenge whenever I was playing in the wheelchair and then worked on my physical fitness through personal coaching. I entered Athletics and in 2014 I started winning gold medals which came as a surprise to many people. That motivated me to stay in sports and was confused to choose between Tennis or Athletics.

In 2015 I played Para Badminton, instantly there was a connection and I wanted to play the game. I tried to contact many coaches and then contacted the governor in 2017 saying that I needed coaching which was not available in Bangalore. He informed me that I needed to get classified. I got classified when I played an event in Japan for the Wheelchair 2 category. From then the training started but still I was not satisfied and being in constant touch with my coaches brought me to Lucknow.

It is also difficult for me to balance office work and Para Badminton as I need the job for financial support. I specifically requested the company for 4-1 evening shift, it has been challenging as we fix the technical/ manual issues of the clients which needs 100 percent involvement. Even when I take leave ,I only take while tournaments are going on. Two sessions of training in the morning and then I come to the office for work which goes till 1. Every athlete needs sufficient rest after training sessions and am unable to attend 3 sessions in a day. My job supports me in open tournaments where I spend my own money, getting a sponsor is also very time consuming. If I have proper rest and am able to do three sessions then there will be a lot of positive changes in my game. I have overcome a lot of negative comments, tears to reach this level and my coaches always get me back with a positive mindset. 

I try to be as independent as possible. I used to play with the Indian wheelchair which was 30,000 rupees and still used it at the International level. Then by God’s grace, there was a scheme in the Karnataka government which sanctioned 2 crores for equipment. I met an IAS officer who was into sports and told him about my wheelchair. After continuous follow up which lasted a year, I finally got the RGK wheelchair and at present am the only one from Karnataka in wheelchair category; I am also the country’s top ranked player in the wheelchair category.

Q6) What are your future goals and how would you want to achieve them?

I want to win medals at the Paralympics, Asian Games and World Championships. I also stay away from my family as they are in Bangalore and there are a lot more sacrifices to be made in the future. I am working hard for that and also need support from everyone to reach nearer to my goal.

Cuttack, Jan 28 (Badminton News) Kiran George upset third seed Subhankar Dey to advance to the men's singles semifinals while in-form shuttler Malvika Bansod also cruised to the last four round in the women's event at the Odisha Open badminton tournament here on Friday.

The unseeded Kiran eked out a hard-fought 21-16 10-21 21-19 win over the higher ranked Subhankar, who was the last remaining seed in the men's singles event.

The 21-year-old will meet the winner of the quarterfinal between Ansal Yadav and Tharun Mannepalli.

Malvika, who reached the final of the Syed Modi International where she lost to PV Sindhu before defeating Saina Nehwal at the India Open earlier this month, continued to impress as she registered a 21-13 16-21 21-17 victory over fellow Indian Tanya Hemanth in a gruelling 58-minute quarterfinal contest.

Fifth seed Ashmita Chaliha got the better of Rhucha Sawant 21-17 21-15 to book her spot in the last four of the women's singles, where she will meet compatriot Smit Toshniwal, who came from behind to beat USA's Ishika Jaiswal 8-21 21-9 21-14.

In another women's singles quarterfinal, Unnati Hooda handed fellow Indian Samiya Imad Farooqui a 21-10 21-15 defeat in 26 minutes. She will lock horns with Malvika, who is ranked 87th, in the semifinal.

Unseeded Mithun Manjunath, who had stunned seventh seed June Wei Cheam of Malaysia on Thursday, lost a hard fought battle 21-13 14-21 8-21 to Priyanshu Rajawat in 51 minutes in another men's singles quarterfinal match.

In the mixed doubles event, three Indian pairings -- MR Arjun-Treesa Jolly, Balkeshari Yadav-Swetaparna Panda and Mauryan Kathiravan-Kuham Balashri -- advanced to the semifinals. 

Also Read : Malvika Bansod defeats Tasnim Mir, cruises to quarterfinals of Odisha Open

News Source : PTI

Cuttack, Jan 27 (Badminton News) Continuing her good run of form, young Indian shuttler Malvika Bansod got the better of compatriot and junior world No. 1 Tasnim Mir in straight games to advance to the quarterfinals of the Odisha Open here on Thursday.

Bansod took just over half an hour to dispatch 16-year-old Tasnim 21-13 21-15 in the women's singles pre-quarterfinals of the BWF Super 100 tournament.

The 20-year-old Bansod, who had lost to PV Sindhu in the final of the Syed Modi International last week before defeating her idol Saina Nehwal at the India Open earlier this month, will take on the winner of the second clash between Tanya Hemanth and Vijetha Harish.

Fifth seed Ashmita Chaliha also booked a quarterfinal spot as she got the better of compatriot Anupama Upadhyay 21-17 21-16. She will now take on Rucha Sawant, who defeated Nikki Rapria to reach the final eight.

In men's singles, third seed Subhankar Dey, who had stunned sixth seed Xiaodong Sheng of Canada on Wednesday, notched a 21-16 21-14 victory over fellow Indian Rahul Yadav Chittaboina in 33 minutes.

Kiran George also moved to the men's singles quarterfinal with an easy 21-12 21-13 win over compatriot Chirag Sen in another second round match.

In the mixed doubles event, the India pairing of Dhruv Rawat and Shikha Gautam lost 11-21 14-21 to the Sri Lankan duo of Sachin Dias and Thilini Hendahewa in the second round, while Ayush Makhija and Deeksha Choudhar handed Chirag Arora and Nish Rapria a 21-5 21-16 loss to move to the quarterfinals. 

Also Read : Men's singles finalists at Syed Modi meet to share prize money after 'no match'

News Source : PTI

At just 22 years of age, Virandeep Singh can already reflect on his career and consider it a success. He has captained the Malaysia team in the 2016 Under-19 Asia Cup, became the leading run scorer for Malaysia in the 2018 Asia Cup Qualifier and was the youngest male cricketer to captain a national team in a T20I match when he was just 20 years old.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Virandeep Singh shares his insights about his cricketing journey, being the youngest captain, receiving the Player of the Year thrice in a row, overcoming challenges, childhood cricketing idols and future goals.

Q 1) When did you start playing cricket and how did your journey lead you to become the youngest player to represent Team Malaysia at the age of 15 and 308 days?

I started playing at the age of 5, after watching my brother pick up the sport at school. We were lucky in a way that our school offered cricket at that time. My first coach Mr Munusamy was kind enough to allow me to join the school training sessions even though I was still not schooling. In Malaysia, we start school at the age of 7, so the initial 2 years jump start was great in helping me develop an interest in the game. Soon after, the new school coach Mr Damith suggested to my parents that I join the Royal Selangor Club for more exposure as there was plenty of training and matches being played at the club with the leather ball. Damith also gave me the opportunity to open the batting for the Kuala Lumpur U15 team. That exposure and experience of opening the batting at such a young age helped shape me to grow as a batsman. Moving on, at the age of 13, after a successful interstate tournament, I was selected to represent the Malaysian U16 team for the ACC U16 Elite Cup in 2012. One of the most memorable moments of the tournament was when I scored 54 runs not out and helped the team beat Nepal in the finals, winning our first ever ACC championship. I then went on to make my debut for the Malaysian U19 team the following year. As mentioned, I did become the youngest player to play for the Malaysian senior squad at the age of 15. It was at the ACC T20 Cup held in Dubai. It’s been an amazing journey so far, and I'm loving every moment of it. 

Q 2) You were the youngest T20 International captain at 20 years and 190 days. How proud are you of that achievement and tell us about the experience?

Playing for the country at a young age itself is an absolute honor and being appointed captain at a young age is definitely the icing on the cake. I am not one who chases after personal records but being provided with this opportunity meant a lot to me. To be honest with you, I was not aware I had become the youngest T20i captain in the world until I read a tweet by one of the cricket followers a few months after. Well, I would not say that it  was completely a new experience for me as I had captained the Malaysian U16 and U19 teams prior to that. Being a part of the circle from a young age also helped as we had a strong bond, the passion to win and most importantly mutual respect amongst all the players. I must especially mention Ahmad Faiz who was more than willing to guide me whenever I approached him for assistance and guidance. It is a special feeling to have a unique world record to my name now running for the 3rd year, but there are bigger goals that I'm looking at. 

Q 3) You were awarded Player of the Year by the Malaysian Cricket Association for three years in a row. How did you maintain your consistency and performances that has led to this impressive achievement.

Cricket has always been my passion. I love the game so much and am willing to do anything to strive to be the best. I remember watching my seniors play and thinking to myself , ‘I want to be as good as them’ and I guess that hunger to achieve or to be the best grew from there. I detested losing or coming off second best. Maintaining consistency I believe is all about hard work. Whatever I've achieved till date in my short playing career has come from hard work, and I'm extremely proud of that. There are no shortcuts to success. You want to achieve something, you have to put your heart and soul into it.  As I progressed, I had  completely changed my work ethics and discipline. For example, from hitting 100 balls at practice sessions to hitting 300, from batting for 30 mins to batting for 90 mins, from zero gym work, to a proper gym routine. To me, the recognition is the final product, but the excitement is in the process. That satisfaction you get after completing a challenging training routine and the feeling that you were pulled out of your comfort zone is something I crave for. Throughout, many coaches have assisted and guided me in different phases of my career and I'm grateful to each and everyone of them. I believe we crossed paths for a reason. My state coach was Neville Liyanage who used to bowl quick with his full run up on artificial pitches. It was scary but the challenge made me mentally stronger. Thushara Kodikara who until today pushes me to be more disciplined on and off the field. Sampath Perera who brought the best out of me in different ways. Bilal Asad, my mentor, who guided me through my transition from junior to senior cricket. It’s been a collective effort.

Also read: Let your performance do the talking says Pankaj Advani - Indian billiards and snooker player

Q 4) What are some of the challenges that you have faced in your journey as a cricketer? How did you overcome them?

Personally, apart from trying to balance studies and playing, I would say there hasn't been any major challenges that I have faced. I feel I've been pretty blessed throughout. I've met the right people who've guided me through the years. However if there’s one challenge that not only me but the whole national team face is to make the sport a popular game in Malaysia. There has been some progress though. We have more schools playing the game, more cricket clubs across the country, MOU’s being signed with universities that provide cricket scholarships, job opportunities for cricketers, etc. Our national team is currently ranked 31 in the world. I strongly believe for things to change and to popularize the game, our national team ranking has to move up. Just look at how the sport has been transformed in countries like Afghanistan, Nepal, Oman, UAE,  to name a few. I guess that the challenge would be to assist and guide my team to move up the ranks. I hope, in the years to come, the impression people have of cricket in Malaysia will change and this glorious game will be accorded the same recognition that sports like football and badminton enjoy.

Q 5) Who were some of your childhood cricketing idols and why?

I can’t name one because as a kid I was very indecisive, well actually I still am. It would be Sachin Tendulkar today and Rahul Dravid the next day. I came up with a formula for myself. I now look at players and try to emulate them in different ways. I would watch Virat Kohli, and try to understand how he goes about the run chase, Hardik Pandya for his aggressive batting and swag, Tim David for his power hitting, Ravindra Jadeja for his accurate left arm spin, ABD for his 360 shots. I try to watch and learn as much as I can from every player who does well. I actually did have local heroes growing up as well. Watching the fiery pace of Suresh Navaratnam, batting skills of Suhan Alagaratnam, patience of Ahmad Faiz, explosive batting of Anwar Arudin and many more. 

Q 6) What are your future goals and ambitions? How do you plan to achieve them?

As mentioned above, I would like to perform and contribute to the national team's success. Moving up the ranks, preferably top 20 would be a dream come true. We have to play a lot of competitive matches against top nations in order to grow and build our confidence. Personally I endeavor to play in more franchise leagues that are gaining popularity around the world.

New Delhi, Jan 25 (Badminton News) The men's singles finalists at the Syed Modi International badminton event will share the prize money after the title clash was declared a "no match" with one of the players testing positive for COVID-19.

"The two men's singles finalists at the Syed Modi India International 2022 will receive finalist World Ranking points and an equal share of the prize money.

"The men's singles final was declared 'No Match' after one of the finalists tested positive for COVID-19 and the other finalist was deemed a close contact," said BWF in a statement on Tuesday.

The all-French final between Arnaud Merkle and Lucas Claerbout was scheduled on Sunday.

Indian star P V Sindhu had won the women's singles title beating compatriot Malvika Bansod. 

Also Read : Saina top attraction in Odisha Open beginning on Tuesday

News Source : PTI

It would require an entire book to list the number of achievements Pankaj Advani has accomplished in billiards and snooker. The 36 year old is a 24 time World Champion, 15 times winner of the IBSF World Billiards Championship, three times winner of the IBSF World Snooker Championship and is the only cueist to have won the Asian and World Championships in all formats of billiards and snooker. He has also been bestowed the Arjuna Award in 2004, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2006, Padma Shri in 2009 and Padma Bhushan in 2018 by the Government of India.
 
In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, The Prince of India - Pankaj Advani reflects upon his formative years and his journey, the role of Arvind Savur in his development, his most memorable achievements, facing and overcoming challenges in his career, advice to aspiring players, future goals and more!
 
Q 1) Tell us about your formative years and your journey towards becoming the poster boy of Indian snooker.
 
As a youngster, I was exposed to sports like badminton, cricket, table tennis and basketball. Our family was based in Kuwait but because of the Gulf War, we shifted to India! My older brother Shree used to play snooker in a small club near our home in Bangalore. I was fascinated with the coloured balls, the technique and rules of the sport just by watching him and his friends play. 
 
After 3 weeks of observing them, I finally tried my hand at it and in the first go, I pocketed the ball to my surprise and delight! I was very passionate right from the start. I attended summer coaching camps in the Karnataka State Billiards Association to hone my skills and compete with better players. I never knew how far I’d go but I knew I wanted to do something with the talent I had. My school, college and family supported me and that really helped in taking cue sports as a career. At age 18, I won my first World Title in China against a Pakistani player Md. Saleh in the final, a moment I’ll never forget. There was no looking back after that.  
 
Q 2) How important of a role did former national Snooker champion Arvind Savur play in your early snooker development? What are some of the valuable lessons you learnt from him?
 
He refused me initially because I was too short. When we eventually started working together, my game and level improved rapidly. I started winning titles at an early age and I guess the reason for winning consistently is because of Mr Savur’s contribution to my career. He never ever charged me a single penny because he wanted to create a World Champion and realize his dream through me. He was a semifinalist himself years ago. He’s a father figure, philosopher and guide to me. One of the most generous kind hearted people I’ve ever known.  
 
Q 3) You have a number of achievements in your illustrious career so far, which one do you consider the most special and why?
 
There are many highs, especially my World Championship Gold Medals. It is difficult to pick one out of them. I’ve always felt I wanted to do something different in cue sport. I managed to win both the Billiards and Snooker IBSF World Championships in Doha in 2017. 99.9 % of cueists specialize in either billiards or snooker. I believed I could do it in both and excel and win titles. The dual fear in 2017 was a record! One of my biggest achievements in my cue sports career.
 
Also read: My aim is to win gold for India at the 2022 Asian Games - Golfer Avani Prashanth
 
Q 4) You are also the first player to hold the world title and the continental title at the same time, how proud are you of that achievement?
 
The nature of snooker is unpredictable compared to billiards. To win both Asian and World Titles in Snooker and that too in the shortest format - 6 reds, is truly a special and wonderful feeling. Very difficult to repeat for me.

 
Q 5) Despite the immense success that you have accomplished, what are some of the challenges you have faced in your career and how did you overcome them?
 
As an athlete in India, you get support once you start performing and doing well.  Initially I remember my mother had to break an FD to send me to the UK for my first ever international competition. My father passed away when I was 6 years old. Those were tough times. I was also not taken seriously because of my height when I began my journey in cue sport. I only believed in one thing - let your performance do the talking. 
 
Q6) What would you want to say to young aspiring players, who look up to you and want to make it big on the world stage? Do you have any tips for them?
 
Be patient, nothing comes on a platter! Work towards your goals and be disciplined but always be open minded to learning something new everyday. I believe I still have so much to learn even after 20 years of competitive billiards and snooker! 
 
Q 7) Having achieved nearly everything there is to accomplish, what are the next steps in your career?
 
I love playing. I love competing and I love representing my country at the international stage. Currently, I am preparing for the IBSF World Snooker Championships to be held in Doha in March. I would love to see our great sport on television and for fans to understand it and appreciate what we do on the table.
 

Cuttack, Jan 24 (Badminton News) London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal will be the star attraction in Odisha Open Super 100, the state's first ever international tournament under Badminton World Federation, which begins here from Tuesday.

Saina has been seeded first in the women's singles while P Kashyap is the top seed in men's singles of the tournament to be played at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.

More than 300 players from 17 countries are participating in this tournament. The event begins with the qualifying round on Tuesday and will continue till January 30.

The tournament, a BWF event, is being organised jointly by the state sports and youth service department, Badminton Association of India and its Odisha unit.

"It is a matter of pride for our state to host such a prestigious sports event," Odisha sports minister T K Behera said.

As the tournament is played as per the COVID-19 guidelines, no spectators will be allowed to enter the stadium.

COVID-19 tests of all players, technical officials and volunteers have been conducted, after their arrival here. Only those found COVID-19 negative will be allowed to enter the stadium.

The matches would be played in five categories -- men's singles, women's single, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.

"About 350 players from as many as 17 countries from across the world will participate in five events in this tournament, in which there has been a toral prize money of 75,000 US dollar," said Girish Nattu, deputy chief referee of the tournament.

"I am glad that organisers have made excellent arrangements to make this international badminton tournament a grand success and I am sure many more such tournament will come to Odisha in future days," Nattu added. 

Also Read : Sindhu wins Syed Modi International badminton title

News Source : PTI

Lucknow, Jan 23 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu eased past young compatriot Malvika Bansod in straight games to win her second women's singles title at the Syed Modi International badminton tournament here on Sunday.

Playing in a depleted field due to multiple COVID-19 cases, top seed Sindhu hardly broke her sweat to get past Bansod 21-13 21-16 in a lop-sided title contest.

The final lasted just 35 minutes.

It was former world champion Sindhu's second Syed Modi title after having annexed the BWF World Tour Super 300 event in 2017.

Before that, seventh seeded Indians Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto clinched the mixed doubles title with a straight game win over compatriots T Hema Nagendra Babu and Srivedya Gurazada.

Bhatnagar and Crasto inflicted a 21-16 21-12 on the unseeded Indian duo in the summit clash that ended in 29 minutes.

Earlier, the men's singles final between Arnaud Merkle and Lucas Claerbout was declared a 'No Match' after one of the finalists tested positive for COVID-19.

It was expected to be a one-sided women's singles match between world number seven Sindhu and young Bansod, ranked 84th in the world, and it turned out to be exactly that.

Sindhu used her vast experience and skills to great effect as Bansod found it extremely difficult to adjust to her opponent's game from the onset.

The Tokyo Olympics silver medallist took off from the word go and raced to a 7-0 lead in no time. The ace shuttler used her height and reach to great effect to increase her lead to 11-1 at the break.

After the break, Bansod tried to up her game and collected a few points to close the gap but it was no match for a much superior Sindhu, who closed out the first game with consummate ease.

The second game, however, produced a better contest with Bansod trying her best to lift her game, and she did that too, but it was not enough to challenge Sindhu's class.

Sindhu used her height to mix her smashes with pinpoint drop shots, which Bansod failed to counter as the Olympic medallist raced to a 11-4 lead at the break.

Sindhu continued in the same vein even though Bansod tried her best to forge a comeback and in the process secured four points on the trot to reduce the deficit to 17-12.

Bansod managed to pick up four more points but lacked the temperament and class as Sindhu closed out the contest without any fuss. 

Also Read : Bhatnagar-Crasto win Syed Modi mixed doubles title

News Source : PTI

Lucknow, Jan 23 (Badminton News) Seventh seed Indians Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto clinched the mixed doubles title at the Syed Modi International badminton tournament with a straight game win over compatriots T Hema Nagendra Babu and Srivedya Gurazada here on Sunday.

Bhatnagar and Crasto hardly broke a sweat as they inflicted a 21-16 21-12 on the unseeded Indian duo in the summit clash that lasted just 29 minutes.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu is now up against compatriot Malvika Bansod the in the women's singles final of the BWF World our Super 300 event.

Earlier, the men's singles summit clash between Arnaud Merkle and Lucas Claerbout was declared a 'No Match' after one of the finalists tested positive for COVID-19. 

Also Read : Sindhu enters final of Syed Modi after Russia's Kosetskaya retires midway

News Source : PTI

Lucknow, Jan 22 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu reached the women's singles final of the Syed Modi International badminton tournament after her fifth seeded Russian opponent Evgeniya Kosetskaya retired hurt midway into their semifinal here on Saturday.

Sindhu, the top seed, easily pocketed the first game 21-11 before Kosetskaya conceded the second women's singles semifinal match.

Former world champion Sindhu will face compatriot Malvika Bansod in the summit clash on Sunday.

Malvika defeated another Indian, Anupama Upadhyaya, 19-21 21-19 21-7 in a tough three-game contest.

It was expected to be an easy outing for Sindhu going by form, world ranking as well as head-to-head record.

Ranked seventh in the BWF rankings, Sindhu had defeated world number 28 Kosetskaya twice before Saturday's tie, and the Indian ace once again came out on top to extend her dominant record against the Russian. 

Also Read : Prannoy crashes out of Syed Modi International with loss in quarterfinals

News Source : PTI

Lucknow, Jan 21 (Badminton News) India's HS Prannoy crashed out of the Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament with a straight-game defeat to Arnaud Merkle of France in the men's singles quarterfinals here on Friday.

The fifth-seeded Indian, a former top 10 player, lost 19-21 16-21 to his French opponent in a 59-minute quarterfinal match.

Mithun Manjunath, however, advanced to the semifinals after beating Sergey Sirant of Russia 11-21 21-12 21-18 in a quarterfinal match that lasted one hour and one minute.

Manjunath will face Merkle in the semifinals.

In the mixed doubles event, the Indian pair of MR Arjun and Treesa Jolly beat the eight seeded French duo of William Villeger and Anne Tran 24-22 21-17 in the quarterfinal match that lasted 42 minutes.

Arjun and Jolly will face compatriots and seventh seeded pair of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto in the semifinals.

In the women's doubles quarterfinals, India's Ramya Venkatesh Chickmenahalli and Apeksha Nayak conceded a walkover to eight seeded Malaysian pair of Anna Ching Yik Cheong and Teoh Mei Xing. 

Also Read : State gears up to host 2022 Odisha Open international badminton tournament

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Jan 20 (Badminton News) The state government has geared up to host 2022 Odisha Open, the inaugural edition of a BWF international badminton tournament which will see over 300 players from 18 countries vie for the top honours.

The 2022 Odisha Open is a BWF Super 100 tournament and no spectators will be allowed to be present at the events that will take place at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack from January 25 to January 30.

Odisha Sports Minister T K Behera said COVID guidelines and norms laid down by the state government and Badminton World Federation (BWF) will be strictly followed at the tournament.

“Our collective efforts are to ensure an overall safe and secure environment for players to participate in their respective games,” Behera said.

The sports and youth services department is working closely with Badminton Association of India and Odisha State Badminton Association to ensure that the tournament is as per BWF standards and is conducted smoothly with utmost priority to safety of the players.

"The COVID protocol have been clearly defined. We look forward to hosting all the players and officials and wish them a wonderful stay in Odisha and good luck for their event," he said.

As per the protocol laid down by the government and BWF, RT-PCR test is mandatory for all players and officials and they have to arrive before January 23 to participate in the event.

Players also need to carry their RT-PCR negative reports (72 hours) at the time of arrival along with their vaccination certificate. No player will be allowed to enter the venue (event and practice) without a prior negative RT-PCR report in confirmity with BWF norms, Behera said.

Random testing shall also be conducted for officials and players not staying at the official hotels, he said.

The Odisha State Badminton Association has been asked to intimate players on these guidelines and teams from Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and Capital Hospital along with a dedicated team from the state sports department will be deployed for the testing of the players and officials.

The venue has gone through minor upgradation and enhancement befitting the event and the district administration and Cuttack Municipal Corporation are working to ensure that the silver city is ready for it. 

Also Read : PV Sindhu eases into Syed Modi quarterfinals

News Source : PTI

Lucknow, Jan 20 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu stormed into the women's singles quarterfinals of the Syed Modi International badminton tournament after registering a straight-game win over American Lauren Lam here on Thursday.

Top seed Sindhu took just 33 minutes to get the better of her American rival 21-16 21-13 in her second-round match.

Sindhu will take on sixth-seeded Thai shuttler Supanida Katethong in the last-eight stage.

Sindhu had earlier defeated compatriot Tanya hemanth 21-9 21-9 in her campaign-opener.

In another women's singles second round match, India's Samiya Imad Farooqui entered the quarterfinals after beating compatriot Kanika Kanwal 21-6 21-15.

Anupama Upadhyaya beat Smit Toshniwal 21-12 21-19 to set up a clash against Farooqui.

Also Read : Sindhu cruises into second round of Syed Modi International

News Source : PTI

Lucknow, Jan 19 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu stormed into the second round of the Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament with a dominating straight game win over fellow Indian Tanya Hemanth in the women' singles competition here on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old from Hyderabad, who lost in the semifinals at India Open Super 500 last week, thrashed Tanya 21-9 21-9 in a lop-sided contest at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium.

A former world champion, Sindhu will square off against USA's Lauren Lam, who managed to get past a fighting Ira Sharma 15-21 21-16 21-16.

In another match, India's Kanika Kanwal overcame USA's Disha Gupta 21-15 16-21 21-6 to also make a winning start to her campaign. 

Also Read : Satwiksairaj and Chirag rise to eighth in BWF rankings after India Open triumph

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 18 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and former world number one Kidambi Srikanth remained static in the latest badminton world rankings but the men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty moved two places up to eighth after their triumph in the Indian Open.

Former world champion Sindhu maintained her seventh position with 90994 in the women's rankings while Srikanth remained in the 10th place with 69158 points in the men's chart.

Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu leads the women's rankings with 108800 points while reigning Olympic champion Victor Axelsen heads the men's list with 116779 points.

From the Indian perspective, the biggest gainer has been the men's Indian doubles pair of Satwiksairaj and Chirag, who jumped from tenth to the eight place with 76708 points in the latest rankings issued by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

They defeated top-seeded Indonesian pair Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan 21-16, 26-24 to win the men's doubles crown at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open on Sunday.

Coming into the match with a 1-3 head-to-head record, Satwik and Chirag dished out a brave effort against the Indonesian pair and staved off a fightback to reign supreme in the final.

Satwik and Chirag had won the Thailand Open Super 500 title in 2019, besides reaching the final of the French Open Super 750 the same year.

No Indians featured in the women's doubles and mixed doubles rankings. 

Also Read : Prannoy enters second round of Syed Modi badminton, Sameer retires hurt

News Source : PTI

Lucknow, Jan 18 (Badminton News) India's HS Prannoy entered the second round of the men's singles competition at the Syed Modi International badminton tournament after registering a straight-game win over Ukraine's Danylo Bosniuk here on Tuesday.

On a comeback trail, the fifth seeded India took just 36 minutes to get the better of Bosniuk 21-14 21-18 in his opening clash.

A former top-10 player, Prannoy, who gave a good account of himself before being stopped by 20-year-old Lakshya Sen in the quarterfinals of the India Open last week, will next meet compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat, who got a first round walkover from Rahul Yadav Chittaboina.

However, the tournament was over for fourth seed Sameer Verma after he retired hurt against Ireland's Nhat Nguyen.

Sameer was training 2-7 in the first game before he decided to concede the match due to a calf muscle injury, which he had sustained in October last year.

Subhankar Dey also conceded his match against compatriot Kartikey Gulshan Kumar due to an injury when he was trailing 2-9 in the opening game.

Among women, Ashmita Chaliha gave a first round walkover to Malvika Bansod, while Aakarshi Kashyap defeated Mugdha Agrey 21-13 21-14 and Anupama Upadhyaya eased past Rituparna Das.

Two-time Olympic medallist and top seed PV Sindhu will open her campaign against compatriot Tanya Hemanth on Wednesday, while London Games bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, seeded fourth, will test her fitness when she takes on Czech Republic's Tereza Švábíková in the first round. 

Also Read : More relieved than happy to have pulled off Indian Open: BAI secretary general Singhania

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 17 (Badminton News) Badminton Association of India secretary general Ajay Singhania is more relieved than happy that it has successfully conducted this edition of Indian Open despite being rocked by COVID-19 cases during the tournament.

The hiccups in conducting the USD 350,000 prize money event started with uncertainty over the clearance for the tournament due to escalating COVID-19 cases in Delhi at the start of the year.

"By the time the tournament week started a small core group was responsible for pulling off this event and I am more relieved than happy that we pulled this off," said Singhania in a BAI release.

The India Open was held after a gap of two years following the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020.

While the first two days witnessed a smooth sailing, seven Indian players returned positive results in the mandatory RT-PCR tests, not only throwing the pre-quarterfinal schedule haywire but also leaving the officials with another task to deal with.

The said players could not stay in the official hotel after testing positive and had to be accommodated elsewhere.

"Sending them to a government hospital for quarantine was risky. But thankfully we somehow managed to convince a city hotel while most refused to host these players," Singhania added.

The other major area of concern for BAI was hunting for a host broadcaster in a short span of time as the previous contract had expired.

"Sony came on board to show the matches and we are grateful to them. It was a touch and go situation but things fell in place even if last minute," he said.

The action will now move to Lucknow for the Syed Modi International next week and then the Odisha Open.

BAI is confident that the three-event Indian circuit would provide the perfect start to the new international badminton season despite the challenges of COVID-19 in the country. 

Also Read : Singapore shuttler Yeo Jia Min tests COVID positive on return from India

News Source : PTI

Singapore, Jan 17 (Badminton News) Singapore woman shuttler Yeo Jia Min has tested positive for COVID-19 upon her return from India after withdrawing from the just-concluded India Open in New Delhi.

The Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) said Yeo had tested negative in India. However according to SBA, the rapid antigen test (RAT) she took upon arrival in Singapore on Sunday returned positive. Her positive test result was later confirmed by a second confirmatory RAT test on Monday.

The 22-year-old Yeo withdrew from the tournament last Thursday after she experienced "high fever".

In an Instagram post on Monday, Yeo said she is back in Singapore but has tested positive for COVID.

"I am now in isolation and complying with all the procedures," she said in her post. "I will do my best to recover well and get back on the court soon." Thanking her fans, the young shuttler said many people have sent her well wishes.

"Sorry it's been pretty hectic in the midst of trying to recover physically," added Yeo, who is ranked 17th in the world.

SBA added: "The health and welfare of our players are our priority and this is also why we decided to pull her out of this week's competition and fly her back home after she fell ill last week." "We have reminded our players, coaches and staff who are currently overseas to take extra care and precaution and avoid unnecessary mingling to lower the probability of infection." Several players from around the world were forced to withdraw from the event after a spate of COVID-19 cases across India.

Singapore reported 863 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, 363 were individuals arriving here from abroad, according to the Ministry of Health website.

As of Sunday, Singapore had 2,91,849 coronavirus cases and 843 COVID-related deaths since the outbreak of the disease here.

The ministry also confirmed 675 Omicron cases on Sunday, 253 of which were imported or those arriving here from abroad. 

Also Read : Lakshya withdraws from Syed Modi International citing exhaustion

News Source : PTI

It is alway important to rise back when you fall down. An athlete needs a support system to stay on top of the game, injuries are the major reasons for their downfall. Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation helps them to get back in shape for the game. Dr. Richa had always wanted to go into the medical field and her love for sports turned out to be a perfect match. She runs the Kinesis- Sports rehab and physiotherapy clinc at Pune.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Dr. Richa Kularni speaks about her passion for sports since childhood, the importance of rehabilitation, being mentally fit and her experience with the Timor-Leste national soccer team.
 

Q 1) How did your fitness journey begin? What inspired you to pursue a career in sports rehabilitation and physiotherapy?

My fitness journey started at the age of 7 years. We had a strong family background of sports wherein my father was a cricketer and mother was into athletics, so they knew the importance of having sports in an individual’s life. They made sure that we 3 siblings enjoy the liveliness and enthusiasm a sport gives in one's life right from our childhood. Uptill now I have played almost all the games but in the end, Badminton is my game and passion which has kept me fit to date.

I always aspired to go into the medical field but also wanted some association of sports in it. I started doing research on how I could fuse my two passions into my profession and that's when I got to know about the field of Physiotherapy which had the perfect combination of sports and medicine. 

Q 2) According to you, how can sports rehabilitation be made accessible to athletes across all levels of sports, i.e from the grassroots to professionals?

Nowadays, Sports Rehabilitation is a Subject which is talked about quite frequently between the athletes and their parents. Awareness of Sports Rehabilitation is quite grown as now athletes know the importance of it. There are certified Sports Physiotherapists who run private clinics or there are Rehab centers where an athlete can undergo rehabilitation post injury. Also many clubs and sports associations have their own Sports Physiotherapists in house for the athletes. Whereas in tournaments on field and off field Sports Physiotherapy is always made available to the athletes.

Q 3) How much of a role does sports physiotherapy play in increasing the longevity of an athlete’s career? 

Sports Physiotherapy plays a vital role in increasing the longevity of an athlete’s career. A Physiotherapist helps an athlete to prevent and manage injuries on field. As well as a physio helps an athlete on safe participation of his/her sport on field which enhances their performance in the game. Sports Rehabilitation helps and supports faster recovery of the injuries which happened as well as through guided rehab protocols one can prevent major injuries on the field which helps in top notch performance in the respective sports.

Q 4) How was the experience of being the sports physiotherapist for the National Soccer Team of U-23 and Senior Men's team of Timor-Leste at FIFA World-Cup pre-qualifiers in Malaysia 2019 and AFC Championship at Myanmar 2019?

 It was phenomenal, superb, mind blowing. It was a dream come true moment. As I said earlier, I did physiotherapy for being associated with sports and medicine. This was the prestigious moment which I was waiting for years in my career. It had a huge responsibility of handling and managing the entire team. There were moments wherein there was so much pressure to handle and treat the injured players and make them play on field. But all the efforts were rewarded at the end when my injured players performed their best on the field with the immediate recovery and preventive measures instructed and followed as told.

Q 5) What can be done to raise awareness about the importance of sports rehabilitation amongst athletes?

To increase the awareness of Sports rehabilitation amongst athletes, first of all educating them about this concept is of utmost importance. Following we can take camps for the athletes where they can understand how to prevent an injury as well as how to take care of it through a guided rehab. Also we can promote and endorse sports rehab on social platforms to increase the awareness through educational videos where we can show how recovery is done post injuries in a rehab.

Q 6) While physiotherapy is mostly dealing with the body, how important is mental fitness according to you? What can be done to ensure an athlete or an individual remains both mentally and physically healthy?

A sport is a combination of the physical and mental well being of an individual, so I think mental fitness is equally important as being physically fit. You need to be mentally sound enough when you play any sport so you give your 100% in your performance by being completely focused. For example, while playing Badminton you need to be physically fit but at the same time you are nervous and have high anxiety levels then it becomes difficult to give your 100%. These conditions will lead to losing matches which may lead to depression and irritation ultimately leading to poor performance. So along with Sports Rehab and Physiotherapy, Sports Psychology also plays a major role in an athlete’s sports career.

Also read: Our main goal is to make India an Asian powerhouse in basketball - Suresh Kumar Ranot, member of national selection committee

New Delhi, Jan 17 (Badminton News) Newly-crowned India Open champion Lakshya Sen on Monday pulled out of the Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament after feeling "exhausted" following his participation in back-to-back tournaments since October last year.

The 20-year-old from Uttarakhand had stunned world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the finals to clinch his maiden Super 500 crown at the season-opening India Open on Sunday.

"Since completing the India Open 2022 tournament in Delhi last night, I am feeling very exhausted and suffering from tiredness. In these circumstances, I am afraid I will not be able to do justice to my participation in the event," Sen said in his letter to the organisers.

"Therefore, after consulting my coaches, my physios and family, I have decided it would be best for me to withdraw from the Syed Modi International 2022 tournament so that I can take some much needed rest and recuperate, before I start training in earnest for the upcoming events from March onwards,” he added.

The youngster has competed in nine tournaments since October last year.

He entered the finals of the Dutch Open, reached the semifinals at Hylo and entered the knockout stage at World Tour Finals on debut before sizzling at the World Championships with a bronze last year.

"My sincere apologies for the short notice to withdraw from the event. I trust you will understand my position and appreciate your support in this matter. I hope the tournament goes off smoothly, and I wish all participants, especially my fellow participants from India, all the very best in the event,” Sen added.

A hectic season awaits Indian shuttlers with big-ticket events such as Commonwealth Games, Asian Games lined-up this year apart from the regular BWF World Tour events, including the World Championships and All England Championships Sen, who had emulated his mentor Prakash Padukone by winning the World championship bronze in Huelva, Spain last month, will now look to claim the All England Championships in March.

Top men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also decided to give the Super 300 tournament a miss after becoming the first team from the country to win the India Open crown.

Among other Indians, top seed Kidambi Srikanth, top women's doubles player Ashwini Ponnappa and men's doubles player Manu Attri have confirmed to PTI their withdrawal from the tournament.

Srikanth, Ashwini and Attri were withdrawn from the India Open after testing positive for COVID-19 last week. 

Also Read : Sen now needs to work on tactical acumen and endurance for consistent run: Vimal

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 17 (Badminton News) Former India coach Vimal Kumar is impressed with the title-winning performance of Lakshya Sen at the India Open but said the young shuttler still needs to work on his endurance and tactical acumen to have a consistent run in the international circuit.

The 20-year-old from Uttarakhand stunned world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore 24-22 21-17 in men's singles final to clinch his maiden Super 500 crown at the season-opening India Open here on Sunday.

"Lakshya was tactically much better, he was in control of the match, never allowed Loh to attack. His counter attack was very good. His net dribbles were excellent and with the same action he was flicking the shuttle to the back of the court. Overall, he played a very mature game," Vimal told PTI.

"He is at par with anybody, but he still needs to work on his tactical side, strength and conditioning. He can work on stability around the net areas, his endurance can be better. So, technically there are all the areas where he can work on.

"There are many youngsters from Europe, Thailand and Japan, who will be gunning for him now. It will be tough ahead. I don't want to put pressure on him by talking about the 2024 Olympics, it's all about how best he can play, how best he can take care of his body," he added.

Sen was not selected to represent India at the Sudirman Cup mixed team competition in Finland and Thomas Cup Finals in Aarhus, Denmark after he lost his first match to Sai Charan Koya at the round-robin group stage during the selection trials.

But a training stint with Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen and Loh Kean Yew in Dubai rejuvenated him.

"He was shattered after missing the Sudirman Cup and Thomas cup," said Vimal, who has guided Sen since his young age as part of the Padukone Dravid Centre for Excellence (PDCE) in Bengaluru.

"But then (Viktor) Axelsen phoned him and invited him for a two week training stint in Dubai. Loh was also there. So he stayed there and trained. That stint helped him to brush aside the disappointment," he said.

A rejuvenated Sen entered the final at the Dutch Open, played some close matches against Japan's Kento Momota, reached the semifinals at Hylo, reached the knockout stage at World Tour Finals on debut before sizzling at the World Championships with a bronze.

"Right from Europe circuit, he has been consistent in last three months. It is very important that he plays consistently well from now on. This performance will give him a clear understanding where he stands." Vimal, a former Olympian, said Sen is known for his attacking game but in the last few months he has shown that he can also outlast his opponents in gruelling three-game matches.

"There has been criticism in the past that once his attack doesn't work, he runs out of ideas. But in World Championships, he played some tremendous rallies, and long exhausting matches and prevailed in those long matches and that gave him the confidence," he said.

"He is playing better badminton overall and he is grabbing the opportunities. In the semifinals, it was tough against the Malaysian but he pulled through, he employed his smashes well. Also against HS Prannoy he had a long match, winning these matches shows his maturity." "Many players can't get that breakthrough, can't convert opportunities. But Lakshya has the ability to beat good players." Sen was in rampaging form three years back, winning five titles including two Super 100 tournaments but then the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of the BWF circuit.

"He was in good rhythm in 2019 but the pandemic was a damper. If he could have had that opportunity, I was confident that he could have qualified for Tokyo," Vimal said.

"Many players suffered due to the pandemic, sometimes it kills the spirit of youngsters when you are not able to compete. I am glad he survived that phase and found the enthusiasm to play." 

Also Read : Sindhu looks to end title drought at Syed Modi International

News Source : PTI

Lucknow, Jan 17 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu will look to recover from her unexpected semifinal loss at the India Open and end her title drought at the Syed Modi International, which begins here on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old from Hyderabad was well on course to win her first title since the 2019 World Championship triumph last week before left-hander Supanida Katethong of Thailand shattered her hopes with a three-game win at the India Open.

Sindhu, who had finished runner-up at Swiss Open and World Tour Finals last year, will hope to turn things around this week when she begins her campaign against compatriot Tanya Hemanth.

The Indian will be itching to settle scores against Supanida, whom she is likely to face again at the semifinals at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium here.

Second seeded Canadian Michelle Li, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist, will be one of the strong contenders for the title in women's singles, which also has Polish eighth seed Jordan Hart, second seed Iris Wang of USA and Russia's fifth seed Evgeniya Kosetskaya.

Men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has decided to give the Super 300 tournament a miss after claiming their maiden India Open Super 500 crown.

Lakshya Sen, who secured his maiden Super 500 title at New Delhi on Sunday, also is likely to follow suit after playing continuously since October last year.

Among others, World Championships silver medallist and top seed Kidambi Srikanth also is unlikely to compete this week as he is undergoing seven-day mandatory quarantine after withdrawing from the main draw last week following a positive COVID-19 result.

Third seed B Sai Praneeth, who had pulled out of India Open after testing positive, is also awaiting a RT-PCR test result, while Ashwini Ponnappa and Manu Attri are yet to recover from the virus and will miss the tournament.

Ashwini is part of the top seeded women's doubles pairing, while Manu and B Sumeeth Reddy are seeded third in the men's doubles event. On a comeback trail, former top-10 player H S Prannoy gave a good account of himself before being stopped by 20-year-old Sen in the quarterfinals last week.

Fifth seed Prannoy will hope to go deep in the draw this week when he opens his campaign against Ukraine's Danylo Bosniuk.

London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, seeded fourth, too will test her fitness when she takes on Czech Republic's Tereza Švábíková in the opening round. She had lost in the second round last week.

There are a host of other Indians in men's singles, such as seventh seed Sourabh Verma, fourth seed Sameer Verma -- who he is still recovering from a calf muscle injury -- Subhankar Dey and youngsters like Kiran George, Mithun Manjunath and Priyanshu Rajawat.

In women's singles too, Aakarshi Kashyap, who had reached the quarterfinals last week, will look to continue her good run when she faces fellow Indian Mugdha Agrey in opening round.

Malvika Bansod and Ashmita Chaliha will be tied in a battle of supremacy in the opening round, while Samiya Imad Farooqui, Ira Sharma and Sri Krishna Priya Kudaravalli will be the other prominent Indians in action.

Fourth seeded Ashwini Bhat K and Shikha Gautam will look to put up a good show in women's doubles.

There are likely to be more withdrawals and a clearer picture will emerge only after the manager's meeting later in the day. 

Also read : We played one of the best matches ever: Satwik

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 16 (Badminton News) India's top doubles player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy says they were desperate for a podium finish after a mixed 2021 season and described their performance at the India Open finals as "one of the best ever" in their career.

Satwik and Chirag Shetty became the first team from the country to win India's flagship tournament after registering a 21-16 26-24 result over three-time world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.

"It was a dream match for us, we still can't believe it. We had a clear plan and we wanted to implement that and give 100 percent. I feel we played one of the best matches ever," Satwik said during a virtual press conference. "We stayed calm. I could see they were under pressure. So happy with the win." The Indian pair had lost thrice to the world number 2 Indonesian pair in four meetings but they came up with a plan to extend the rallies and play a more defensive game against the experienced pair.

"We know how to play them, we played against them in Thailand Open last year. We wanted to stay neck to neck, we wanted to keep them under pressure. We thought let them make mistakes and let's not give easy points.

"They are best in taking quick points but we kept calm and played big rallies, that was the positive point. Even when we were 24-24, we wanted to play big rallies. I kept telling Chirag that we should just try to keep the shuttle inside." Satwik and Chirag had failed to cross the group stages at their maiden Olympics despite notching up stunning wins in two of the three matches.

They ended the World Championships in Spain with a pre-quarterfinal loss, last month.

"Yeah, 2021 was a mixed feeling for us. We wanted to win a tournament, wanted to play a final. After world championships, I cried a lot, I wanted to win a medal," Satwik said.

"I was crying literally, I had a fire that I wanted to finish at the podium as much as possible, so that hunger was there and luckily we could win here, hopefully we will continue this form." His partner Chirag had expressed their target of reaching the world's top five this season.

After stunning Ahsan and Setiawan, Chirag said it was a performance worthy of being in top 5. "We usually don't play this kind of a game, it is a new thing for us and it is working well and it shows that we can get points and win matches while defending, so I think we definitely played like a top 5 pair today," he said.

"That is one thing which kinds of differentiates the top five pair and top 10 because things go your way, you try to change and play a plan 'B' kind of game, that in something that worked really well." World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen then made it a double delight, securing his maiden Super 500 title with a stunning 24-22 21-17 victory over world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.

"This is the biggest world tour tournament I won. Winning feels good. In the match, in the closing stages I was nervous and anxious to finish it off as it was a big tournament but I am happy I could pull it off," Sen said.

"I think I played some good physical matches since quarterfinals. It will give me a lot of confidence to go ahead and play the whole season. Winning a world tour 500 event is a big thing for me." Talking about the final, Sen said he was anxious in the closing stages.

"I gave couple of easy points towards the end but after being a match point down, I played calmly. I took a break and it helped me to think better and play calmly." Sen and Loh have trained together in Dubai last year and so far have played each other four times in the international circuit with each winning two matches each.

"We know each other's game well, what to expect. I had beaten him last few months ago, I was confident and had a game plan and it worked well. I am happy I won today and again it was a close game," Sen said. 

Also Read : Satwik-Chirag pair claims maiden India Open title

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 16 (Badminton News) India's Lakshya Sen secured his maiden Super 500 title by winning the Yonex-Sunrise India Open with a stunning straight-game victory over reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the men's singles final here on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Sen, who had claimed his maiden world championships medal with a bronze in Spain last month, produced a fine performance to outshine the fifth seeded shuttler 24-22 21-17 in the summit clash that lasted 54 minutes.

In a repeat of last year's Dutch Open final, the Indian ensured that he had the last laugh this time around.

Going into this match, the two had a 2-2 head-to-head record with Sen losing two of the last three meetings, but the Indian was the better man on show on Sunday as he showed great athleticism, used his attacking shots to good effect and came up with his punched winners from the back at the right moments. 

Also Read : Satwik-Chirag pair claims maiden India Open title

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 16 (Badminton News) Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Sunday became the first team from country to win the Yonex-Sunrise India Open after toppling three-time world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, here.

The world number 10 Indian pair, which had won its first Super 500 tournament in Thailand in 2019, upset the top seeded Indonesian pair 21-16 26-24 in 43 minutes to make a rampaging start to the new season.

Coming into the match with a 1-3 head-to-head record, Satwik and Chirag dished out a brave effort as they staved off a fightback to reign supreme in the final.

From almost missing the tournament following a false COVID positive result to winning the title, it turned out to be an incredible start to 2022 for the Indian pair, which accumulated valuable ranking points ahead of a busy season, which comprises some big-ticket events such as the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

The Indian pair started on a positive note and even through the Indonesian combination clawed back, Satwik and Chirag ensured they are two points ahead at the first interval.

The Indians tried to engage their rivals in rallies and led 18-13 but the Indonesians reduced the deficit to 16-18 before Satwik and Chirag prevailed in the opening game.

Fast-paced but short rallies were the norm in the second game as well as Ahsan and Satiawan grabbed a three-point lead at 9-6 early in the second game.

But the Indian pair again ensured they have the advantage at the break, grabbing a slender 11-10 lead. Sawtik and Chirag maintained the intensity in the rallies after the break to lead 15-13.

The world number two again drew parity at 17-17 but Satwik and Chirag moved to 19-17 when Ahsan erred at net. But Chirag went long next as it was 19-19. Indonesian managed to move to a game point with a tap by Ahsan.

What followed next was frequent exchange of points as both India and Indonesia earned and squandered their advantage positions in equal measure.

After a fierce battle, it was the Indian pair who showed better nerves to emerge victories with the Indonesia squandering five game points.

Satwik and Chirag had won the Thailand Open Super 500 title in 2019, besides reaching the finals at French Open Super 750 the same year.

The duo also claimed the silver medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, besides winning the Hyderabad Open Super 100 and finishing runners-up at Syed Modi International in 2018.

Satwik and Chirag also played a crucial role in India earning the historic mixed team gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The Indian pair also had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics last year but couldn't cross the group stage despite winning two out of three games. 

Also Read : Want to improve my senior ranking, qualify for Olympics: Tasnim Mir

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 16 (Badminton News) Newly-crowned junior world No. 1, Tasnim Mir knows she has to take defeats in her strides on the senior circuit, which is full of challenges, as she is determined to realise her long term goal of representing India at the Olympics.

On Wednesday, the 16-year-old from Gujarat had become the first Indian to grab the top rank in the under-19 girls singles.

"It is a big confidence boost for me. Just like I became world number one in U-19, I want to continue that performance in seniors too," Tasnim, currently ranked 602 in seniors, said in a virtual press-conference organised by Sport Authority of India (SAI) on Sunday.

"My long term goal is to improve my ranking in seniors as well, so that I can participate in Olympics and represent India. So my main aim is to play as many senior tournaments as possible and perform well in them so that my ranking can improve." Tasnim's ascent to the top in the junior circuit has fuelled hopes that India may have finally found a successor to the likes of Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu.

"There is a lot of competition at India level. In the India open, we have seen Malvika (Bansod) and Ashmita (Chaliha), Aakarshi (Kashyap), they are giving good performance.

"I do feel the pressure and responsibility that the entire nation has high hopes from me. Of course I would try to improve myself and live up to the expectations." Korea's An Seyoung has emerged as one of the most sensational talents in the senior circuit in the last couple of years.

Asked if she too would like to have a similar start like the 19-year-old Korean, Tasnim said: "An Seyoung performance is unbelievable and it is going to be tough to emulate that and I want to perform like her, but it will take time..." Tasnim has been simply sensational last year as she secured titles in three junior international tournaments to jump three places to grab the top position in the junior world rankings.

However, she says she will have to learn to deal with failures as she graduates to the senior circuit.

"When I would lose matches, I used to think that I won't be able to do it. If I would have given up then, I wouldn't have reached this stage," she said.

"I don't like losing. In last 2-3 years I have been winning and I am performing well but as I step into seniors circuit, I am facing losses. So I feel it is very difficult. So I used to think about giving up earlier but then I feel from these failures I will improve more." Talking about her training stints, Tasnim said : "I left training under my father six years back. For two years, I was at Gopichand academy and then moved to Assam, where I have been training under Edwin Iriawan for last four years.

"My coach has trained Saina and Sindhu, he is very experienced. So his training regime has helped me a lot. I have evolved as a player, I have improved my strength.

"There are lot of men players there, so I could train against them. It has been a good training stint in Assam." 

Also Read : India Open: Sen, Chirag-Satwik enter final, Sindhu out of title race

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 15 (Badminton News) World championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen progressed to the men's singles summit clash with a thrilling win but it was curtains for two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open here on Saturday.

The 20-year-old Sen rallied his way to a 19-21 21-16 21-12 win over world number 60 Malaysia's Ng Tze Yong to enter his maiden World Tour Super 500 summit clash.

However, there was disappointment in store in women's singles as top seed and home favourite Sindhu lost 14-21 21-13 10-21 to sixth seeded Thai Supanida Katethong.

Young Aakarshi Kashyap too had a golden chance but she squandered five game points in the opening game to allow Busanan register a 26-24 21-9 win in the other women's singles semifinal.

Sen, seeded third, will face reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the summit clash on Sunday in a repeat of Dutch Open final last year.

"It is a good feeling to play my first super 500 final at my home country," said Sen, who had won two Super 100 titles -- Dutch Open and SaarLorLux Open -- besides three international challenge at Belgium, Scotland and Bangladesh in 2019. "The first game was pretty close, I did some errors which cost me. But I kept my calm in the second and third game and managed to it pull off." Loh, seeded fifth, was given a walkover in the other semi-finals by Canada's Brian Yang after developing a sore throat and headache.

In the men's doubles, world number 10 pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy cruised to a 21-10 21-18 win over France duo of William Villeger and Fabien Delrue to make it to the finals.

Chirag and Satwik will square off against three-time world champion Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan from Indonesia on Sunday. In other results, Indian women's doubles pair of Haritha Manazhiyil Harinarayan and Ashna Roy lost 12-21 9-21 to fourth seeded Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard of Thailand.

On Sunday, Sen will be itching to set the record straight after losing the Dutch Open final to Loh. Overall, the duo has a 2-2 head-to-head record with Sen losing two of the last three meetings.

"Both of us are playing well, it will be a good match tomorrow and I am really looking forward to playing him," Sen said about his final clash.

In the men's singles semifinals, both shuttlers showed their attacking prowess during the last-four clash.

Sen made his opponent move across the court with his returns and used his smashes to good effect to open up a four-point lead at 10-6 after being 2-4 down initially.

The Indian entered the interval at 11-8 after Yong went wide.

After the break, Sen came up with some stiff smashes to bother the Malaysian but he couldn't sustain the pressure as Yong made it 14-14. The Malaysian left Sen wrong-footed with a precise net shot to take the lead.

Yong then won a video referral to take a two point lead at 16-14. Sen controlled the proceeding thereafter to claw back at 17-17.

However, Yong grabbed two game points when a return of serve from Sen went wide and sealed it comfortably.

Yong carried the momentum in the second game, opening up a 4-1 advantage. Sen did well to erase the deficit but Young ensured he had his nose ahead at the break.

Resuming at 9-11, Sen continued his pursuit to turn things around. He drew parity at 13-13 and crafted his way to a 19-16 lead with a powerful drive away from the forehand of his opponent. A net error from Yong gave Sen four game points and he sealed it when Yong again erred at the net.

In the decider, Sen made a confident start, leading 4-1 and then reached 9-5 with another cross court jump smash. He played another precision shot at the baseline and with Yong going wide, Sen entered the interval with a massive six-point advantage.

Sen went on a smash hitting spree thereafter to quickly jump to a 18-12 lead. He grabbed eight match points with a drop and sealed it without much ado after his opponent went to net again.

Sindhu, who had beaten Katethong at the Indonesia Masters last year, however, couldn't summon her best against an opponent ranked 33rd in the world.

She had no answers to her opponent's compact game as the opening game slipped through her fingers in a jiffy.

A rattled Sindhu dished out some aggressive returns after the change of sides to lead 4-2 and then managed a slender 11-10 lead at the break. She looked in control thereafter and soon grabbed eight game points. She squandered the first chance before roaring back into contest when Katethong erred.

The decider started as a close affair but Katethong soon eked out a slender 9-7 lead before entering the interval at 11-7.

Katethong was precise with her return and water-tight in her defence, attributes which helped her to move to 16-9 lead, before grabbing massive eight match points and sealed it when Sindhu went long again.

Also Read : World championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen enters India Open final

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 15 (Badminton News) World championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen entered his maiden World Tour Super 500 summit clash on Saturday with a come-from-behind win over Malaysia's Ng Tze Yong at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open, here.

The 20-year-old from Almora, who had joined his mentor Prakash Padukone and B Sai praneeth as a medallist at the World championships last month, notched up a 19-21 21-16 21-12 win over the world number 60 Yong in a thrilling semifinal clash.

Third seed Sen, ranked 17 in the world, will face world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the summit clash on Sunday in a repeat of Dutch Open final last year.

Loh, seeded fifth, was given a walkover in the semifinals by Canada's Brian Yang after developing a sore throat and headache.

Sen will be itching to set the record straight after losing the Dutch Open final to Loh. Overall, the duo has a 2-2 head-to-head record with Sen losing two of the last three meetings.

Sen had won two Super 100 titles -- Dutch Open and SaarLorLux Open -- besides three international challenge at Belgium, Scotland and Bangladesh in 2019 before COVID-19 somewhat halted his progress.

Last year, the youngster made it to the semifinals at Hylo, reached the knockout stage at World Tour Finals on debut before sizzling at the World Championships with a bronze. 

Also Read : Two players withdrawn from India Open due to COVID-19; Brian Yang too pulls out

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 15 (Badminton News) The COVID-19 pandemic continued to take a toll on the Yonex-Sunrise India Open badminton tournament with two players being withdrawn from the main draw ahead of their mixed doubles semifinal clash here on Saturday.

Second seeded Russian mixed doubles player Rodion Alimov tested positive for the virus and was withdrawn from the USD 400,000 tournament.

His mixed doubles partner Alina Davletova was also withdrawn after being identified as a close contact.

Indonesian pair of Yong Kai Terry Hee and Wei Han Tan thus made it to the mixed doubles final after getting a walkover.

"Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm that one player from the current draw has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been withdrawn from the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2022," the world's governing body BWF said in a statement.

"The player returned a positive result to a mandatory RT-PCR test conducted on Friday. His doubles partner has been identified as a close contact and has also been withdrawn from the tournament. Their opponents will be given a walkover to the final." Meanwhile, world champion Loh Kean Yew made it to the 䂪en's singles finals without breaking a sweat after his semifinal opponent, Brian Yang, pulled out of the tournament after complaining of "sore throat and bit of a headache".

"Brian Yang complained of sore throat and bit of a headache in the morning. He said he is not feeling well and hence he has withdrawn," Badminton Association of India (BAI) said.

"Yang though has tested negative for COVID -19. Loh Kean Yew therefore is through to the finals." Russian women's doubles pairing of Ekaterina Malkova and Anastasiia Shapovalova also withdrew from the season's first event after the former developed a back pain.

Their semifinals opponents -- third seeded Russians Anastasiia Akchurina and Olga Morozova thus qualified for the summit clash.

On Wednesday, as many as seven Indian shuttlers, including reigning world championship silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth, were withdrawn from the event after testing positive for the virus.

Besides Srikanth, the other players withdrawn were Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thkar, Treesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Aman Singh and Khushi Gupta.

Earlier, India's B Sai Praneeth, the 2019 world championship bronze medallist, double specialists Manu Attri and Dhruv Rawat had tested positive and had pulled out before the start of the tournament.

The entire England badminton contingent had also withdrawn ahead of the Super 500 event after the country's doubles specialist Sean Vendy and coach Nathan Robertson tested positive for the virus.

Organised by the Badminton Association of India, the 2022 edition of India Open is being held behind closed doors at the Indira Gandhi Stadium's KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.

As per the COVID-19 protocols, all the participating players are being tested everyday at the hotel and outside the stadium. 

Also Read : COVID-19: Two players withdrawn from India Open

News Soucre : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 15 (Badminton News) The COVID-19 pandemic continued to take a toll on the Yonex-Sunrise India Open badminton tournament with two players being withdrawn from the main draw ahead of their mixed doubles semifinal clash here on Saturday.

Second seeded Russian mixed doubles player Rodion Alimov tested positive for the virus and was withdrawn from the USD 400,000 tournament.

His mixed doubles partner Alina Davletova was also withdrawn after being identified as a close contact.

Indonesian pair of Yong Kai Terry Hee and Wei Han Tan thus made it to the mixed doubles final after getting a walkover.

"Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm that one player from the current draw has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been withdrawn from the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2022," the world's governing body BWF said in a statement.

"The player returned a positive result to a mandatory RT-PCR test conducted on Friday. His doubles partner has been identified as a close contact and has also been withdrawn from the tournament. Their opponents will be given a walkover to the final." On Wednesday, as many as seven Indian shuttlers, including reigning world championship silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth, were withdrawn from the event after testing positive for the virus.

Besides Srikanth, the other players withdrawn were Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thkar, Treesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Aman Singh and Khushi Gupta.

Earlier, India's B Sai Praneeth, the 2019 world championship bronze medallist, double specialists Manu Attri and Dhruv Rawat had tested positive and had pulled out before the start of the tournament.

The entire England badminton contingent had also withdrawn ahead of the Super 500 event after the country's doubles specialist Sean Vendy and coach Nathan Robertson tested positive for the virus.

Organised by the Badminton Association of India, the 2022 edition of India Open is being held behind closed doors at the Indira Gandhi Stadium's KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.

As per the COVID-19 protocols, all the participating players are being tested everyday at the hotel and outside the stadium. 

Also Read : Olympic medallist P V Sindhu enters semifinals of India Open.

News Sources : PTi

New Delhi, Jan 14 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu progressed to the women's singles semifinals after defeating fellow Indian Ashmita Chaliha in straight games at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open badminton tournament here on Friday.

Top seed Sindhu, a former world champion, took 36 minutes to get the better of 21-year-old Chaliha 21-7 21-18 and set up a last-four clash with Thailand's Supanida Katethong, seeded sixth.

Katethong entered the semifinals after the third seeded Yeo Jia Min of Singapore pulled out of the tournament due to "high fever".

The last time Sindhu was up against Chaliha, at the 83rd Yonex-Sunrise Senior National Championship in 2019, the youngster from Assam had produced a spirited performance.

On Friday, Chaliha took time to get into the groove and put up a good fight in the second game but couldn't stop Sindhu from walking away with the match.

Sindhu came out all guns blazing in the opening game, jumping to a 11-5 lead at the interval and then reeling off the last 10 points to earn the bragging rights.

Chaliha gave a better account of herself in the second game as she tied 9-9 before Sindhu managed a slender one-point advantage at the break. Sindhu zoomed to 15-11 but Chaliha again clawed her way back to 15-15.

Thereafter, Sindhu switched gears and grabbed four match points. Chaliha saved two match points before Sindhu closed out the match.

In the other semifinal, Aakarshi Kashyap will face second seeded Thai Busanan Ongbamrungphan after the Indian notched up a 21-12 21-15 win over compatriot Malvika Bansod in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Busanan trounced USA's Lauren Lam 21-12 21-8 in another last-eight clash.

The men's doubles pair of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Sai Pratheek K cut a sorry figure against Malaysian third seeds Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, losing 7-21 7-21 in just 19 minutes.

In mixed doubles, the Indian pairing of Venkat Gaurav Prasad and Juhi Dewangan, seeded 8th, were no match for Malaysian combination of Chen Tang Jie and Peck Yen Wei, going down 10-21 13-21 in just 23 minutes.

Another Indian pair of Nithin HV and Ashwini Bhat K lost 15-21 19-21 to Singapore's Hee Yong Kai Terry and Tan Wei Han to bow out of the USD 400,000 event. 

Also Read : Sony Network to broadcast India Open badminton tournament

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 14 (Badminton News) Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Friday announced Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) as the exclusive broadcast partner for the ongoing Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2022.

The BWF super 500 tournament is being held closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic but viewers will now be able to watch the exciting on-court action as the event will be shown live on Sony Ten 1 channel and streamed live on SonyLIV, the network’s OTT platform, starting from the quarter-finals "We are glad to have Sony Pictures Networks India as the broadcaster for the Yonex-Sunrise India Open," BAI General Secretary Ajay Singhania said in a release.

"Unfortunately, this year we are not having spectators as well as media covering the event, but now they can enjoy the action from their home and watch world-class badminton action played in India after a long time." Reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew and bronze medallist Lakshya Sen as well as the two-time Olympics medallist PV Sindhu are among the top players who are participating in the USd 400,000 event.

Also in action will be three-time world champion duo of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, World No. 12 Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand, Indian pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and HS Prannoy.

India Open, which kickstarted the BWF World Tour calendar, made a return after a gap of two years following cancellation of the last two editions due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Also Read : Saina has always been my idol, win over her one of the biggest of my career: Malvika

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Jan 13 (Football News) The Indian football team arrived here for the AFC Women's Asian Cup on Thursday, hours after its scheduled flight from its training base Kochi got delayed.

Amid the concerns caused by the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese Taipei became the first team to arrive here for the continental tournament.

The delay in their flight from Kochi, the Indian team's base since its return from the tournament-cum-exposure tour of Brazil, also led to the postponement of the host nation's scheduled media session on Thursday evening.

Looking forward to the tournament, India head coach Thomas Dennerby said, "This is the moment we've been preparing for over the past six months. We've had over 200 sessions, a number of matches against quality opponents across four countries, and now it's time to implement all the things that we have been working on." The 62-year-old Swede, who had also previously coached the Swedish and the Nigerian national teams, revealed that a pep talk with the players before departure to Mumbai, has helped put everyone in the correct mindset.

"We had a small meet with the players and we explained to them how important the coming few weeks are in their lives. I think this has really struck a few chords, and you can now see the determination in their eyes," he said.

The Indian team has been drawn against Iran (January 20), Chinese Taipei (January 23) and China (January 26) in Group A of the competition that consists of 12 teams.

It has also been learnt that all the teams playing in Pune will arrive in Mumbai and then commute to Pune by road.

"We are expecting the first team to be in Pune by 15th, which is Korea Republic. The teams (playing in Pune) will stay in two plush hotels in the city," a source in the know of developments said.

All teams will be staying inside a strict bio bubble and everyone involved in the tournament including all players and officials will undergo regular COVID-19 tests.

"All the staff working in the hotel will also be in the bubble and will not physically interact with anyone outside the bubble. Same goes for the drivers who will be with the team and AFC. They have also been provided accommodation," the source added.

India is hosting the continent's highest competition for the first time since 1980 and at stake is a possible berth in the 2023 FIFA World Cup.

One of the venues hosting matches is the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi on the outskirts of Pune city.

It has hosted a plethora of international events in the past including the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008.

Built in the 1990s, the Balewadi sports complex, as it is popularly known in sporting circles, had hosted the National Games too.

Be it tennis, rugby, football, boxing, athletics or basketball, the picturesque sports complex has witnessed many memorable sporting events.

From the 2008 CWG Youth Games, when the facilities at the stadium saw a revamp, till February 2020, the complex has hosted 36 international tournaments.

The most prominent among them is the Maharashtra Open ATP 250 WTA tennis tournament, where 50 international players participated.

In 2019, the ATP tennis tournament was hosted here and again this year the tennis courts are gearing up to host the marquee event.

In 2017, the stadium had hosted Davis Cup matches.

Coming to football, the stadium is set to host Asia's marquee event, and the Group C matches would be played at the venue.

Earlier, it has hosted the Federation Cup International Football tournament in 2010 and in 2011, they hosted the Pre-Olympic football qualifier.

The pitch at the venue has been significantly upgraded to support modern football. Also new flood lights with LED panels have been installed at the stadium, which would save power to a large extent, a senior state government official said.

New training facilities were reconstructed for the tournament. Two additional practice pitches have also been constructed to cater to the teams and apart from that the team dressing rooms, hospitality areas and the media tribune have also been upgraded.

The old lights have been shifted to one of the practice pitches while LED lights are being installed at the other practice pitch.

Some of the other prominent tournaments that the complex has hosted include Asian Junior Basketball tournament in 2009, World Junior Badminton Championship in 2008, Asian kick-boxing championship.

The complex has also hosted the Khelo India Games. 

Also Read : Two Indian coaches lock horns as Goa look to pile more misery on NEUFC

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 13 (Badminton News) Growing up idolising Saina Nehwal and her power game, promising shuttler Malvika Bansod on Thursday termed her India Open victory over the Olympic medallist "one of the biggest" of her fledgling career.

As Malvika got down to reflect on her second-round win over the injury-plagued star in the Super 500 tournament, she said it was yet to sink in.

"This has not sunk in yet. The feeling is great and I was really excited after the win," Malvika, 20, said after her 21-17 21-0 win over the former world number one.

"She has been my idol because she has been the flag bearer of women's badminton in India for more than a decade. Seeing her matches when I started out, I used to get very overawed by her game.

"Her style of play, she has got a lot of power so I idolise that in her game. Today I played an all-round game, there was nothing specific about it." It was the first time the two were meeting in big tournament.

"She has always been my idol. So playing against her was a dream come true and that too in the Indian Open, on such a big stage. A Super 500 tournament, it was a big achievement for me, one of the biggest wins of my career so far." Having overcome a difficult journey in the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Malvika is now aiming to improve her world rankings. The player from Nagpur is currently ranked 111th.

"I am aiming for better ranking in the near future so that I can play in high ranking tournaments like Super 500 Super 300 and Super 1000, so that I could improve my ranking faster." Speaking about the recent times, she said, "The journey in the last two years has been difficult in many ways because of the pandemic as training has not been the way it was before the pandemic." Malvika has so far won three all India senior ranking tournaments -- the first one was in Bareilly in 2018, the next was in Kozhikode, Kerala in 2019 and the third one was in Hyderabad last year.

"My coach Mr Sanjay Mishra has taken special effort to keep my training on during these difficult times and he has kept special sessions for me during the lockdown periods so that I don't miss training. It's because of that I could win these tournaments." "I don't think think there was any pressure on me today. I just thought that I have to give my best and play freely." She said the experience of turning up in the Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup helped.

"My performance in Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup four-five months ago were definitely good. I have learnt a lot from that experience and I got to play with Saina during practice sessions. That experience did help me today." Asked where she needs to improve, Malvika said, "I think that after having a big lead, I tend to lose points. I need to cut down on unforced errors." Saina, 31, who has been dealing with injuries since her knee surgery post the Rio Olympics 2016, lavished praise on her younger opponent after the match, saying she is a "very good" rally player.

In her most recent bout with injuries, Saina had sustained a groin injury in October during her first Thomas and Uber Cup Final match against Spain's Clara Azurmendi in Denmark. The Indian was forced to retire as a result.

"I started playing on December 26-27, in the 6-7 days that I got before the tournament I tried to improve my movement, though I could not work much do physical fitness.

"But I am happy that the body could stand those two matches . I didn't have to give up anywhere because of my groin or my knee but I could play those shots," Saina said.

She added, "Today I was moving on the court but my fitness is still not where it should be. I came here to see were I stand. My body is good but fitness level (need to improve)." 

Also Read : Sindhu advances, Saina knocked out of India Open

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 13 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy advanced to the quarterfinals but Sania Nehwal's campaign ended at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open here on Thursday.

Former champion and 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Saina suffered a 17-21 9-21 straight game loss to compatriot Malvika Bansod.

Malvika, ranked 111th, took 34 minutes to see off the former world number 1.

Earlier, the top seed Sindhu had no problem dispatching fellow India Ira Sharma 21-10 21-10.

She will meet compatriot Ashmita Chaliha, who got the better of french shuttler Yaelle Hoyaux 21-17 21-14, in the quarterfinal.

Malvika will next take on fellow Indian Aakarshi Kashyap in the quarterfinals.

Aakarshi had defeated compatriot Keyura Mopatin 21-10 21-10 in another women's singles second round match.

Prannoy received a walkover as his opponent Mithun Manjunath withdrew from the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.

The men's top seed Kidambi Srikanth, doubles player Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thkar, Treesa Jolly, Simran Aman Singh and Khushi Gupta are the other players who had to withdraw from the tournament due to the positive COVID-19 results, which led to several walkovers.

Prannoy will meet the winner of the second round clash between third seed Lakshay Sen and Felix Burstedt of Sweden.

Sameer Verma's campaign also came to an end in the men's singles as he retired midway during his second-round match against Brain Yang of Canada due to calf strain. 

Also Read : India Open: Srikanth, six other players withdrawn after testing positive for COVID-19

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Jan 13 (Football News) Amid the concerns caused by the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese Taipei on Thursday became the first team to arrive here for the AFC Women's Asian Cup, even as the Indian contingent's flight from Kochi got delayed.

The delay in their flight from Kochi, the Indian team's base since its return from the tournament-cum-exposure tour of Brazil, has led to the postponement of the host nation's scheduled media session on Thursday evening.

The Indian team has been drawn against Iran (January 20), Chinese Taipei (January 23) and China (January 26) in Group A of the competition that consists of 12 teams.

India is hosting the continent's highest competition for the first time since 1980 and at stake is a possible berth in the 2023 FIFA World Cup.

One of the venues hosting matches is the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi on the outskirts of Pune city.

It has hosted a plethora of international events in the past including the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008.

Built in the 1990s, the Balewadi sports complex, as it is popularly known in sporting circles, had hosted the National Games too.

Be it tennis, rugby, football, boxing, athletics or basketball, the picturesque sports complex has witnessed many memorable sporting events.

From the 2008 CWG Youth Games, when the facilities at the stadium saw a revamp, till February 2020, the complex has hosted 36 international tournaments.

The most prominent among them is the Maharashtra Open ATP 250 WTA tennis tournament, where 50 international players participated.

In 2019, the ATP tennis tournament was hosted here and again this year the tennis courts are gearing up to host the marquee event.

In 2017, the stadium had hosted Davis Cup matches.

Coming to football, the stadium is set to host Asia's marquee event, and the Group C matches would be played at the venue.

Earlier, it has hosted the Federation Cup International Football tournament in 2010 and in 2011, they hosted the Pre-Olympic football qualifier.

The pitch at the venue has been significantly upgraded to support modern football. Also new flood lights with LED panels have been installed at the stadium, which would save power to a large extent, a senior state government official said.

New training facilities were reconstructed for the tournament. Two additional practice pitches have also been constructed to cater to the teams and apart from that the team dressing rooms, hospitality areas and the media tribune have also been upgraded.

The old lights have been shifted to one of the practice pitches while LED lights are being installed at the other practice pitch.

Some of the other prominent tournaments that the complex has hosted include Asian Junior Basketball tournament in 2009, World Junior Badminton Championship in 2008, Asian kick-boxing championship.

The complex has also hosted the Khelo India Games. 

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New Delhi, Jan 13 (Badminton News) The India Open tournament was on Thursday rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic with as many as seven Indian shuttlers, including reigning world championship silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth, withdrawing from the event after testing positive for the virus.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced this in the wee hours, before the Badminton Association of India (BAI) confirmed the names.

Besides Srikanth, the other players withdrawn are Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thkar, Treesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Aman Singh and Khushi Gupta.

"The players returned a positive result to a mandatory RT-PCR test conducted on Tuesday. Doubles partners deemed close contact of the seven players have also been withdrawn from the tournament," the world governing body said in a statement.

"The players will not be replaced in the main draw and their opponents will be given a walkover to the next round." N Sikki Reddy, Dhruv Kapila, Gayatri Gopichand, Akshan Shetty and Kavya Gupta were also pulled out of the competition after being deemed closed contacts of the infected. They, however, didn't test positive for the virus.

While Sikki partners Ashwini in women's doubles, Dhruv plays mixed doubles with Sikki, Akshan forms the mixed doubles team with Simran, while Kavya is the women's doubles partner of Khushi.

Initially, the BWF didn't reveal the names of the seven players.

Earlier, B Sai Praneeth, the 2019 world championship bronze medallist, double specialists Manu Attri and Dhruv Rawat had tested positive for the virus ahead of their departure for the national capital and had pulled out before the start of the tournament.

The entire England badminton contingent had also withdrawn ahead of the Super 500 event after the country's doubles specialist Sean Vendy and coach Nathan Robertson tested positive for the virus.

Organised by the BAI, the 2022 edition of India Open is being held behind closed doors at the Indira Gandhi Stadium's KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.

As per the COVID-19 protocols, all the participating players are being tested everyday at the hotel and outside the stadium.

Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu, World Championships silver and bronze medallists Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen, London Games bronze winner Saina Nehwal are among the Indian players who have reached the second round of the tournament.

Among top international stars, world champion Loh Kean Yew, three-time men's doubles world champion Mohammad Ahsan, and Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan are competing in the tournament, which is being hosted for the first time in three years following the cancellation of the last two editions due to the pandemic.

Delhi reported 27,561 COVID-19 cases, the second-highest single-day rise since the pandemic began, and 40 deaths on Wednesday. 

Also Read : Para shuttlers Bhagat, Kadam begin Europe training stint with Paris 2024 in mind

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New Delhi, Jan 12 (Badminton News) Tokyo Paralympics champion Pramod Bhagat and fellow shuttler Sukant Kadam are hopeful their overseas training stint will prove beneficial for them in the upcoming tournaments and the 2024 Paris Games.

Bhagat and Kadam are set to undergo training in different countries in Europe for the next two months. They are currently in Cartagena, Spain, which will also host the Spanish Para Badminton International – a Level 1 tournament- from March 8.

BWF has recently announced new grades and levels in the tournament structure for the para-badminton calendar. "The main focus of this training stint is to acclimatize to the weather and court conditions here, adapting to European playing style, learning new skills and tactics etc," Kadam told Paralympic India.

"This stint will also help us know different approaches of players to training and competition. We have been planning for this exposure stint for a long time now but it was put on halt due to the Covid-19 situation worldwide." The Indian duo is also looking to have training stints with the German and French nation team, which boasts the likes of Paralympic champion in men's singles SL4 Lucas Mazur.

"With Paris 2024 little more than two years away, we hope that training with the French team will benefit us in our preparation for the big event. Besides, we are looking to adapt to the new BWF rule on different grades and levels in the tournament,” said Kadam, who competes in the SL4 category.

In SL4 class, shuttlers have lower limb impairment/severe and they play standing.

Bhagat, the men’s singles SL3 Paralympic champion, added: “After the Paralympics, I wanted a personal space for myself where I can chalk out plans for the year 2022 and beyond.

"I believe this training cum competition programme will help me focus on my goal of winning the major championships including the Asian Para Games, World Championships and Paris 2024 Paralympics." In SL3 classification, athletes with lower limb impairment are allowed to compete. 

Also Read : Tasnim Mir becomes first Indian to claim world no 1 status in u-19 girls singles

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New Delhi, Jan 12 (Badminton News) Young shuttler Tasnim Mir on Wednesday became the first Indian to grab the world no 1 ranking in the under-19 girls singles in the latest BWF junior rankings.

The 16-year-old from Gujarat was rewarded for last year's stellar run when she had secured titles in three junior international tournaments to jump three places to grab the top position in the junior world rankings.

"I can't say that I expected this. I thought I will not be able to become no 1 as tournaments were getting affected by COVID-19 but I won three events in Bulgaria, France and Belgium. So I am really excited and happy that finally I could become the world no 1. It is a great moment for me," Tasnim told PTI from Guwahati.

"I will completely focus on the senior circuit from now on and looking forward to playing at Iran and Uganda next month. My aim now is to improve my senior ranking. If I can weave some good performances and get into top 200 by end of the year that would be great." Tasnim, who is supported by OGQ, is currently ranked a lowly 602 in the women’s singles.

Tasnim's feat has never been achieved by any Indian girl, including two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and London bronze winner Saina Nehwal.

While Sindhu was world no 2 in her under-19 days, Saina didn't make the cut for being a junior with the BWF junior rankings starting only in 2011. Another Indian Samiya Imad Farooqui of Telangana came close but could only reached the second spot in the BWF junior rankings.

In Boys singles, Lakshya Sen, Siril Verma and Aditya Joshi had become the world no 1.

Tasnim was part of India's campaign at the Thomas and Uber Cup held late last year in Denmark and says it had a huge impact on her game.

"It was a huge moment for me, it was first time that I was among the seniors, playing against world class players in big stadiums, it was a great experience. I also met Viktor Axelsen there, I like his game. I also like to watch players such as Tai Tzu Ying and An Seyoung," she said.

Tasnim has been training under Indonesian coach Edwin Iriawan at the Assam Badminton Academy in Guwahati for the last four years.

"I have been training for last four years under Edwin, it has been great experience, we get to train with men players, so I has helped to improve my game," said the teenager, who won the 2019 Dubai Junior International.

Tasnim got her first lessons on badminton from her father Irfan Mir, who is a badminton coach and also ASI in Mehsana police.

"My father is a badminton coach and also works for Mehsana police. He has always been interested in sports and used to take me alongwith him when I was about 7-8 years old," she said. I Tasnim, whose younger brother Mohd Ali Mir, a Gujarat state junior champion, also trains with her in Guwahati, has been an achiever right from her young days.

She won the national junior champion (U-19) at the age of 14 and also claimed the national crown in the under-13, under-15 and under-19 girls’ singles categories.

Tasnim also won U-15 singles and doubles titles at the All-India Sub-Junior ranking tournaments in Hyderabad and Nagpur in 2018.

At the 2019 World Junior Championships in Russia, she could not go past the round of 32 but returned to win the title at the Asian U-17 & U-15 Junior Championships the same year in Indonesia.

She also emerged victorious at the President Cup Nepal Junior International Series 2020 in Kathmandu.

"I will need to work on my stamina and mental aspect of my game, which will play a big role. I have confidence on my shots but it is important to focus on mind," she signed off. 

Also Read : I've a point to prove, I can be in top 5: Prannoy

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New Delhi, Jan 12 (Badminton News) Indian male shuttler H S Prannoy believes he can still break into the world's top 5 and said he is looking to add new dimensions to his game to achieve his target this year.

A former world no 8, Prannoy's performance suffered after he was diagnosed with a gastroesophageal reflux disease (a digestive ailment in which stomach acid or bile irritates the food pipe lining) during the 2018 World Championships.

Once he somewhat recovered from it, the Indian was hit by coronavirus in November 2020 and ever since, he has been battling the after-affects of the infection, which continued to disturb his game and soon his ranking plummeted to world no 26.

"There was a time when I was not physically alright and that was main issue for performance not happening on court," Prannoy said after winning his opening match at the season-opening India Open here on Wednesday.

"Definitely there is a point to prove that I am not done yet and I am a player who can be in the top 5 of the world, I trust my instinct and hopefully in the next few months we will have something good." Prannoy, 29, made a creditable quarterfinal finish at the World Championships last month and said he is looking to work further on his game ahead of the busy schedule.

"There was slight disappointment but then I am extremely happy how I played in Worlds, there was lot of positive which I could come back and train with a positive mindset...so yeah things are looking up.

"I am looking forward to the training time where there are many new things I want to add on to my game." India Open kickstarted another hectic year which will comprise the big-ticket events such as Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, besides the regular BWF world Tour events.

Prannoy, who was part of the mixed gold-medal winning Indian team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, said it will be tough to make it to the national team this time around.

"It is a very long year, we have some big tournaments this year. There is tough competition for all of us who are part of Indian team. There has been lot of good performances and it will be definitely tough to qualify for Asian Games and Commonwealth Games," he said.

"But apart from that, there are many other tournaments which I am looking forward to. My goals are very short termed, not looking at 6-7 months. I am focussing on couple of months max, my aim is to prepare better each day and not look at the result but get the process right and get better each day." 

Also Read : Emma Raducanu falls in opening match at Sydney Tennis Classic

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New Delhi, Jan 12 (Badminton News) Top Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal, Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy progressed to the second round of the India Open with contrasting wins here on Wednesday.

Former world no. 1 Saina, who missed a lot of tournaments last year due to multiple injuries, moved to the second round after her opponent Czech Republic's Tereza Svabikova suffered a back injury and retired mid-way while lagging 20-22 0-1 in the opening round match.

"Playing after so long gives you the match confidence, how to pull out those points, because in practice you don't have the privilege to play points with the same intensity as you do in tournaments.

"The quality of some of the points I got today...I hope it somehow helps me tomorrow," Saina said after her match.

Saina, seeded fourth, will next meet compatriot Malvika Bansod, who defeated fellow Indian Samiya Imad Farooqui 21-18 21-9 in another women's singles match.

In men's singles, eighth seed Prannoy, a former world top 10 player, got the better of Spain's Pablo Abian 21-14 21-7 and will next face Mithun Manjunath, who eked out a hard-fought 21-16 15-21 21-10 victory over France's Arnaud Merkle.

Third seed Sen, who claimed the world championships bronze on debut last month, thrashed Egypt's Adham Hatem Elgamal 21-15 21-7 to set up a face-off with Sweden's Felix Burestedt.

Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy, seeded second, also entered the second round after prevailing 21-7 19-21 21-13 over compatriots Janani Ananthakumar and Divya R.Balasubramanian.

Among other Indians, Aakarshi Kashyap beat compatriot Anura Prabhudesai 21-14 21-14, while Rahul Yadav Chittaboina got a walkover after Spain's Luís Enrique Penalver's withdrawal.

Kashyap will square off against Keyura Mopati, who has been promoted from reserve. Mopati beat fellow Indian Smit Toshniwal 15-21 21-19 21-8. Rahul will be pitted against Ireland's Nhat Nguyen, who knocked out Ajay Jayaram 19-21, 21-7 21-14 in another men's singles contest.

Tanya Hemanth got rid of Sai Uttejitha Rao Chukka 9-21 21-12 21-19 in another women's singles match.

PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and Sameer Verma had reached the second round on Tuesday. 

Also Read : Want to see what all injuries my body can cope with: Saina

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New Delhi, Jan 12 (Badminton News) Injury-ravaged Saina Nehwal on Wednesday opened up about her prolonged fitness issues, saying the thought of giving up did cross her mind but she has taken it up as a challenge to see how many more injuries her body can cope with.

The former world number one was forced to miss a lot of tournaments in 2021, including the World Championships, due to multiple injuries.

Still not completely fit, Saina reached the second round of the India Open, where she was not even expecting to play.

She advanced after her opponent Czech Republic's Tereza Svabikova suffered a back injury and retired mid-way, on Wednesday. Saina was leading 22-20, 1-0 at that time.

"I was able to take the tough training but one bad slip and my groin had lot of issues. I got a tear (during Thomas and Uber Cup Final) but I didn't know that the knee was also going through some issues which got bad in French open," Saina said during a virtual press conference.

"Till that match, I didn't know it was so bad and after that I was limping. It is a challenge and I want to accept. Let's see what all injuries my body can cope with. It is not easy, sometimes you feel like giving up." Saina said sitting on the fence, waiting for injuries to heal is something which really bothered her. "The mental part is very difficult because tournaments are happening, players are winning and I am just sitting and watching them play. It is a challenge but let us fight. May be there are some good days ahead." Saina had returned to action at the Thomas and Uber Cup Final in Aarhus, Denmark in October but had to retire midway in the round-robin match against Spain's Clara Azurmendi due to what she thought was a niggle in the groin region.

She played in Denmark but again withdrew midway into the second game of the first-round match at the French Open.

"It was about three issues: I tore my cartilage, I had issues with patella and there was one more meniscus, or something which got really irritated. The knee went through a lot of trauma. Finally a stage came when I couldn't walk after French open," said the 31-year-old.

"I was worried about by groin but I didn't know that my knee was in big trauma and when I came back and did MRI, my doctor was like: 'I don't think you can go for world championship or play till end of December'." The London Olympics bronze medallist said she is "happy with her rehab" and hope to regain full fitness by March.

"I had good practice for 7-8 days before this event but I wasn't expecting to play India Open. I hope I can get some more practice sessions on court. I am happy to play in India, so let's see how many rounds I can progress.

"I am 60-70 % now. I will have to go with weight training. I can't sit back even a day. I would say by January-end, I will get back to my full physical fitness level. We have one month in February for training as next events are in March, so I will get 4-5 week for training on court as well." Asked if individual coaching is the way to go for Indian shuttlers, Saina said it depends on individuals but it does help if you have one in an individual sport like badminton.

"Personal coaching is good for individual sports, where everyone is playing at highest level. Carolina (Marin), Tai Tzu (Ying) all have individual coaches, they know where to work on, give more time, so definitely improvement chances are better.

"But some player are good in group training. I have seen (Kidambi) Srikanth and B Sai Praneeth are good in that but I feel, you need individual trainer, coaches." 

Also Read : India Open: Chaliha upsets fifth seed Kosetskaya, Sindhu also sails into 2nd round

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Cape Town, Jan 11 (Sports News) The Indian Olympic Association on Tuesday appointed senior vice president of the Indian Olympic Association Rakesh Anand as the Chef de Mission of the country's contingent for the upcoming Commonwealth Games to be held at Birmingham from July 28-August 8.

The IOA also announced the appointment of president of Wushu Association of India Bhupender Singh Bajwa as India's Chef de Mission for the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 10-25.

IOA president Narinder Dhruv Batra also announced general team managers for the Commonwealth Games and deputy Chefs de Mission for the Asian Games.

The team managers appointed are Rajesh Bhandari, secretary general of Himachal Pradesh Olympic Association and vice-president of Boxing Federation of India; Chiranjib Choudhary, secretary general of the Meghalaya Olympic Association and vice-president of the Table Tennis Federation of India and Prasant Kushwaha, secretary general of the Kayaking and Canoeing Association of India.

Secretary general of Badminton Association of India Ajay Kumar Singhania, president of Bengal Olympic Association Swapan Banerjee, secretary general of Goa Olympic Association Gurudatta Bhakta and executive board member of the Netball Federation of India Hariom Kaushik will act as deputy to Bajwa in the upcoming Asian Games. 

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