Kiran George defeated Loh Kean Yew at the Swiss Open, while other Indian shuttlers experienced mixed fortunes in the tournament.
India Open badminton: "Bird droppings" interrupt Prannoy-Loh match, add to organisers' woes
Top Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen registered an upset win over former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore to storm into the semifinals of the USD 475,000 Kumamoto Masters Japan in Kumamoto, Japan, on Friday.
Lakshya Sen progressed to the quarterfinals of the men's singles competition at the Kumamoto Masters Japan with a straight game win over Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh in Kumamoto, Japan, on Thursday.
Young badminton players Ayush Shetty and Tanvi Sharma will lead the Indian contingent at the Orleans Masters Super 300 tournament after HS Prannoy's withdrawal due to a shoulder injury.
Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu will miss the Swiss Open as she recovers from travel disruptions in Dubai. H S Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth will lead the Indian challenge.
India's title defence in the women's team event came to a disappointing end after a 0-3 loss to a second-string China in the quarter-finals of the Badminton Asia Team Championships.
Play was briefly interrupted during the women's doubles semifinal of the ongoing India Open Super 750 tournament on Saturday after some "particles from the bird's nest" fell on the court.
Defending champions Indian women's team started its campaign at the Badminton Asia Team Championships on a resounding note, blanking Myanmar 5-0 in their opening Group Y tie in Qingdao, China on Wednesday.
India's women's and men's badminton teams suffered defeats in the Badminton Asia Team Championships, ending their campaigns in the quarterfinals. The women's team lost to China, while the men's team was defeated by Korea.
Former champion Lakshya Sen produced a composed and tactical performance to advance to the quarterfinals of the $950,000 India Open Super 750 badminton tournament but Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy bowed out after a spirited show, in New Delhi, on Thursday.
Earlier, former world No.1 Srikanth had to dig deep to outlast fellow Indian Tharun Mannepalli 15-21, 21-6, 21-19.
Lakshya Sen's title win, a World Championships medal from Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty offered hope amidst a difficult 2025 for Indian badminton.
Lakshya, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, eased past compatriot S Subramanian 21-14, 21-11, while Rakshitha overcame Shriyanshi Valishetty 19-21, 21-8, 21-13 in another all-Indian contest that clocked 58 minutes.
HS Prannoy's campaign ended in disappointment as he retired hurt due to an injury, while Ayush Shetty also bowed out as India's challenge at the Korea Masters Super 500 concluded on the opening day of the main draw in Suwon on Wednesday.
India's top seeded Tanvi Sharma produced a near-perfect match against China's Liu Si Ya to storm into the final of the BWF World Junior Champions, in Guwahati, on Saturday.
India's Ayush Shetty produced a sensational straight-game victory over former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore at the Orleans Masters.
Shot putter Nishchay wins silver for his 2nd medal at Asian U-18 Athletics Championship.
Shetty, the lone surviving Indian in the tournament, will next face the winner of the other quarter-final between Chinese Taipei's Chia Hao Lee and second seed Chun-Yi Lin.
Shetty had earlier shocked former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in straight games in his opening round.
The other semi-final will feature France's Alex Lanier, who beat Taiwan's Wang Tzu-wei 21-19, 21-13, and Lee Chia-hao of Taiwan who defeated Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-9, 21-18.
India currently performs around 6,00,000 to 7,00,000 laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (Lasik) and refractive procedures a year, and the uptake is accelerating.
Later, India's challenge came to a crashing halt after the women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost their quarterfinals.
India's Lakshya Sen came up with a spirited performance to overcome Hong Kong China's Angus Ng Ka Long in three games
However, it was curtains for Kiran George in the men's singles event as he lost 20-22, 6-21 against seventh seed Kenta Nishimoto of Japan.
Overt displays of physical machismo is the stamp of the strongman and it's a symptom that manifests itself in direct proportion to their sense of insecurity, says Kanika Datta.
India's HS Prannoy showed nerves of steel, advancing to his third successive quarterfinals at the World Championships.
The World No. 10 Prannoy was the latest to be eliminated on a day when Sameer Verma, mixed doubles pair of Sikki Reddy and B Sumeeth Reddy along with women singles player Aakarshi Kashyap drew blanks.
The Indian will have yet another uphill task at hand when he takes on Axelsen, the baby-faced badminton giant, who has terrorised his opponents in the last few years.
Lakshya Sen mounted a remarkable comeback to become the first male Indian shuttler to qualify for the singles semi-finals at the Olympic Games.
Lakshya Sen outsmarted reigning World champion Loh Kean Yew as India displayed its might to blank Singapore 3-0 and enter the mixed team badminton final at the Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham, on Monday.
HS Prannoy breezed into the quarter-finals with a stunning straight-game win over former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore but it was curtains for Kidambi Srikanth at the Japan Open Super 750 tournament.
Kiran George lost to World champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Masters.
Check out how India's athletes fared on Day 7, Friday, August 2, 2024:
Indian Mithun Manjunath stunned fourth seed and world number seven Kean Yew Loh of Singapore in the opening round while PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth secured straight-game wins.
Lakshya Sen upset World No 4 Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the round of 32 match at the Malaysia Masters.
Srikanth fought better in the second, but Yew was too good on the day, to emerge triumphant.
Prannoy is only seeded Indian player at No. 7 in the men's singles draw of 32 as he will begin his campaign against Loh Kean Yew of Singapore, against whom the Indian has a 4-1 win-loss record.
Lakshya Sen and Kiran George advanced to the second round but HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth made early exits after suffering narrow losses in their respective opening matches at the Indonesia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament in Jakarta on Wednesday.
There's a spate of book-to-screen adaptations dominating OTT streaming this week. Sukanya Verma lists her recommendations.
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