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

New Delhi, Dec 20 (Badminton News) Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, reigning world championships runner-up Kidambi Srikanth and bronze winner Lakshya Sen will be the top draw at the 2022 India Open, scheduled from January 11-16 in the national capital.

The USD 400,000 prize money tournament, which will be held without spectators owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, is part of the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500.

Also headlining the tournament will be newly-crowned world champion Loh Kean Yew along.

Singapore's Yew, who created history in Huelva, Spain recently by becoming the first-ever unseeded player in the open era to win the world championships, will lead the international line-up at the 2022 BWF season opener.

Former world No. 1 Srikanth has been named the top seed in the men's singles category followed by the 2019 world championships bronze medallist B Sai Praneeth.

Sen, the youngest Indian male shuttler to clinch a world championships medal, HS Pronnoy, Parupalli Kashyap and Sameer Verma are among the other Indian participants alongside experienced Tommy Sugiarto from Indonesia.

World No. 7 Sindhu has been given the top seed in women's singles category which includes London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, who lifted the title in 2015, alongside other young Indian shuttlers including Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Ashmita Chaliha.

While among the top international participating names are world No. 12 Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand and Singapore's Jia Min Yeo.

The star Indian pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will be the key attraction in the men's doubles category. However, they are set to face a stiff competition as the line-up includes the three-time world champion and world No. 2 Indonesian duo of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan alongside another Indonesian pair of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, who are currently ranked eighth in the world. In the women's doubles, the world No. 9 pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai from Thailand will be among the top names as Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy will lead the Indian challenge alongside Gayatri P and Treesa Jolly.

The mixed doubles competition will also witness participation of three Top-20 pairs.

The 11th edition of the tournament, which is all set to make a return after a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be played at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall inside Indira Gandhi Stadium under strict COVID protocols. 

Also Read : Akane Yamaguchi wins first World Championship title in Spain

News Source : PTI

Bali, Nov 18 (Badminton news) Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy registered similar come-from-behind victories in their respective events to advance to the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Masters Super 750 badminton tournament here on Thursday.

The highlight of the day was Prannoy's stunning 14-21 21-19 21-16 upset victory over Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Victor Axelsen in a tense one hour 11 minutes battle in the the men's singles second round.

Down and out in the first game, Prannoy made a sensational recovery to first level the match and then eke out a memorable win against the world no 2.

This was Prannoy's first victory in six attempts against Axelsen. With the win, the world no 32 Indian shuttler becomes the first player to beat the Dane in full a match since March.

In the women's singles, reining wold champion Sindhu, who is seeded third, took 47 minutes to record a 17-21 21-7 21-12 win over Spain's Clara Azurmendi.

Playing against the world no 47 Azurmendi for the first time, Sindhu went down in the first game before putting up a dominant performance in the next two games to register a brilliant victory.

The two-time Olympic medallist will now lock horns with world no 30 unseeded Turkish shuttler Neslihan Yigit in the quarterfinals. Sindhu has a 3-0 head-to-head record against the Turkish.

On the other hand, former world no 1 Srikanth, dispatched Indonesia's sixth seed Jonatan Christie 13-21 21-18 21-15 in one hour two minutes in the men's singles second round fixture.

The unseeded Srikanth, who had claimed the Indonesia Open Super Series premier in 2017 at Jakarta, will take on Prannoy in the quarterfinals.

However, it was curtains for young Lakshya Sen the men's singles event and the mixed doubles pairing of Dhruv Kapila and N Sikki Reddy.

The 20-year-old Lakshya, who had reached the semi-finals at Hylo Open Super 500 and final of Dutch Open recently, went down 13-21 19-21 to the top seed and two-time world champion Kento Momota of Japan in a 46-minute clash.

Kapila and Sikki, on the other hand, lost a hard fought 15-21 23-21 18-21 battle to Thai duo of Supak Jomkoh and Supissara Paewsampran in the second round mixed doubles match.

Women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy also crashed out of the event in the second round third seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai 18-21 12-21.

Also Read : Sindhu progresses to Indonesia Masters quarterfinals

News Source : PTI

Aarhus (Denmark), Oct 13 (Badminton news) The Indian men's badminton team hammered Tahiti 5-0 to enter the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup for the first time since 2010 but the women's team suffered a crushing 0-5 defeat against a strong Thailand in its last group match here.

It was the first defeat for Indian women after beating Spain (3-2) and Scotland (4-1). The women's team has already reached the quarterfinals. The men's team, on Tuesday, recorded its second straight 5-0 win, having beaten the Netherlands with an identical margin on Sunday. The team is now in last-eight stage and the last time Indian men made the quarterfinals of the tournament, they had lost to Indonesia.

In the Uber Cup, the Indian women's team wrapped up its Group B engagement with a drubbing at the hands of Thailand.

Malvika Bansod lost the opening women's singles 15-21 11-21 to Pornpawee Chochowong.

India needed to win the next doubles match but Ashwini Ponappa and Sikki N Reddy went down fighting 16-21 12-21 to Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai.

For India to stay alive, it was imperative for Aditi Bhatt to win the next singles match. She fought her heart out but lost 16-21 21-18 15-21 to Busanan Ongbamrungphan in a match that lasted 59 minutes.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand then fought hard before losing 17-21 16-21 to Puttita Supajirakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai.

Tasnim Mir took the court with an aim to avoid a whitewash but lost 19-21 15-21 to Supaninda Katethong. Tasnim had a good chance to win the first game as she was leading 17-14 but lost points in a jiffy to let slip advantage. Meanwhile, Tuesday's win over Tahiti ensured that Indian men's team will finish in top-two in the four-team Group C. India will take on traditional powerhouse China in the final match on Thursday.

B Sai Praneeth began the proceedings with a 21-5 21-6 win over Louis Beaubois in just 23 minutes in the opening singles.

Sameer Verma made it 2-0 with an easy 21-12 21-12 victory over Remi Rossi in 41 minutes.

Kiran George sealed the tie for India with a 21-4 21-2 thrashing of Elias Maublanc in the third men's singles that got over in only 15 minutes.

In the inconsequential doubles matches, the pair of Krishna Prasad and Vishnu Vardhan achieved a 21-8 21-7 win in 21 minutes before Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat Maublanc and Heiva Yvonet 21-5 21-3.

Also Read : Indian shuttlers reach Thomas Cup quarterfinals with 5-0 win over Tahiti, first time since 2010

News source : PTI

Vantaa (Finland), Sep 26 (Badminton News) The men's pairing of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila was the only bright spot as India suffered a 1-4 loss to Thailand in their group A opener, jeopardising the chances of qualifying for knockout stage of Sudirman Cup badminton here on Sunday.

With P V Sindhu and the men's doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy missing in action, the onus was on senior players such as Kidambi Srikanth and women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy to carry the team through.

However, Srikanth and the duo of Ashwini and Sikki lost their respective matches, while the young Malvika Bansod also went down fighting in women's singles as India's fate against Thailand, a three-time semi-finalists, was sealed after the first four matches.

Former world No. 1 Srikanth was no match for three-time world junior champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn, going down 9-21 19-21 in 50 minutes, while Sikki and Ashwini ran out of steam during a 21-23 8-21 loss to world No. 8 combination of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai.

Exposed to top-tier badminton, Malvika gave a good display of her immense potential but she lacked the power and precision to trouble Pornpawee Chochuwong, going down 11-21 14-21 against the world No. 10 in the women's singles.

Arjun and Kapila's impressive 21-18 21-17 win over Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren, ranked 147th, in men's doubles was the only highlight for India in a disappointing outing.

In the fifth and final match, the pair of B Sai Praneeth and Tanisha Crasto lost 13-21 11-21 to world No. 3 Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai.

India will play defending champion China on Monday, before taking on hosts Finland in the world mixed team championships on Wednesday.

Starting the proceedings, Arjun and Kapila got into attacking positions early, leading 4-0 before entering the break with a two-point advantage.

Arjun and Kapila, ranked 47th, kept their nose ahead despite the Thai pair putting pressure and restored the four-point lead at 17-13 before comfortably pocketing the first game.

The Thai pair made a recovery in the second game, running up a lead of 8-3 but Arjun and Kapila slowly restored parity and grabbed a slender one-point advantage at the interval.

The Indian duo broke off at 12-12 and built a lead to eventually shut the door on their opponents.

India have reached the quarterfinals of the tournament twice, in 2011 and 2017.

Also Read : Badminton: New-look Indian team ready for Sudirman Cup challenge

News Source : PTI

Vantaa (Finland), Sept 24 (Badminton News) An Indian team which is a nice little blend of youth and experience, will have to punch above its weight in what's going to be an arduous challenge in the Sudirman Cup mixed team championships here on Sunday.

India have been drawn in Group A alongside defending champions China, three-time semi-finalists Thailand and hosts Finland in the BWF tournament, which comprises two singles and three doubles matches in a tie.

With many of its star shuttlers missing, India team will have task cut out when it starts campaign against Thailand in the prestigious World Mixed Team Championship.

With double Olympic medallist and reigning world champion P V Sindhu excusing herself following a hectic Olympic campaign and former world no 1 Saina Nehwal also giving it a miss, the onus will be on the young shoulders of Malvika Bansod and Aditi Bhatt in women's singles.

In men's doubles, world no 10 Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy too withdrew at the last moment after the former suffered from muscle pull (Abs) and was advised a week's rest.

In their absence, young Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun will have to deliver the goods in men's doubles.

India, however, do have plenty of experience in men's singles and women's doubles with B Sai Praneeth, Kidambi Srikanth and the pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy in the team.

First up for India will be Thailand, who have reached the semifinals thrice -- 2013, 2017 and 2019.

With 2013 World Champion Ratchanok Intanon withdrawing, the 17-member Thailand squad will be led by Asian Games (women's team) bronze medallist and world no 10 Pornpawee Chochuwong and world no 13 Busanan Ongbamrungphan in women's singles, while world no 18 Kantaphon Wangcharoen will be the top player in men's singles.

India will also have to get the better of World no 8 women's pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai, world no 3 Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattana Chai in mixed doubles among others.

After Thailand, India will face China on September 27 and Finland on September 29.

China have won the title 11 times in the past, and has named a formidable team, including Olympic champion Chen Yufei and former All England champion Shi Yu Qi, for the event.

World no 21 men's doubles pair of He Ji Ting and Tan Qiang has also been named in the squad, which also comprises Lu Guang Zu, Li Shi Feng, He Bing Jiao, Wang Zhi Yi, Liu Cheng and Feng Yan Zhe.

The third and final team in the group stage will be hosts Finland who have never never qualified for the knockout stage at the mixed team championships. The top two teams from each group progress to the knockout round (quarterfinals). The quarter-final draw will be held immediately after the last group match.

India first participated in the tournament in 2009 and finished at the quarter-final stage in the 2011 edition.

Also Read : Chirag-Satwik pair withdraws from Sudirman Cup on medical grounds

News Source : PTI

Paris, Mar 27 (PTI) Saina Nehwal bowed out in a straight games in the women's singles semifinals but unheralded duo of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnu Vardhan Goud Panjala kept India in the title hunt by storming into men's doubles final at the Orleans Masters here on Saturday. London Olympic bronze medallist, Saina lost 17-21 17-21 to Denmark's Line Christophersen in 28 minutes, while women's duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy also faltered 18-12 9-21 to top seeded Thai pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai at the semifinals. However, Krishna and Vishnu cheered up the Indian camp with a 21-17 21-17 win over English pair of Callum Hemming and Steven Stallwood in a 35 minute semifinal clash to reach their maiden final of a Super 100 event. The Indian duo, playing their first event together this year, will take on either Indonesian pair of Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani or fourth seeded English combination of Ben Lane and Sean Vendy in the title clash on Sunday. Krishna and Vishnu had a slender 4-2 early on but the English paur soon jumped to a 11-8 lead at the break. However, the Indian pai soon caught up at 13-13 and marched on to seal the opening game. In the second game, Krishna and Vishnu slowly moved ahead to a 11-7 advantage at the interval and even though their rivals narrowed down the gap to 15-17, the Indian duo ensured there was no hiccups. Krishna, 21, is India's no. 1 ranked doubles player and used to pair up with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy in his junior days. After Satwik and Chirag Shetty were paired together, Krishna started playing with Dhruv Kapila since November, 2016. The duo continued for two and a half years before separating in 2019. The 20-year-old Vishnu also played with a few other Indian doubles players in his junior days. He and Ishaan Bhatnagar had reached the finals at the 2019 Bulgarian Junior international.