Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu’s valiant fight ended in disappointment, but Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lifted the spirits of the Indian camp with a dominant performance as they stormed into the semifinals of the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Friday.
Satwik and Chirag, the 2022 champions, pulverised the Korean pair of Jin Yong and Kang Min Hyuk with a barrage of attacking shots, winning 21-10, 21-17 in just 41 minutes.
The victory marked their third consecutive semi final appearance on the tour, following finishes in the last four stages at the China Masters and Malaysia Super 1000 last year.
The seventh seeded Indians will face Malaysian third seeds Sze Fei Goh and Nur Izzuddin in the semifinals.
“Right from the word go, we were all guns blazing. I think that’s what we wanted to do because once they were able to defend, if we are a bit slow, then they are able to capitalize on the opponent being a bit slow and try to maneuver the shuttle around,” Chirag said.
“We were pretty comfortable even though it was close. It was our mistakes we did in the last three points, so there was no tension. We are under control, we are telling like nothing to worry, just one point at a time. So we kept believing that and we are very positive from the start as well,” Satwik added.
Earlier, Sindhu, a former champion, suffered a 9-21, 21-19, 17-21 loss to Paris Games bronze medallist Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in a gripping 62-minute women’s singles quarterfinal.
“It is sad that I lost in the third set after fighting so hard, but I think the game is such. I have to obviously come back stronger. At that point, I would say anybody would have lost that point,” Sindhu told reporters.
“There were long rallies. I need to be more consistent and keep the shuttle in the court. In the second and third sets, I was not leaving the drops or half-smashes or cut drops. But, in the first game, I wasn’t comfortable and made easy mistakes.”
India’s only hope in men’s singles, Kiran George, then suffered a 13-21, 19-21 loss to China’s Hong Yang Weng. Nevertheless, his maiden Super 750 quarterfinal finish will give him confidence ahead of the upcoming tournaments.
In the other matches, top seed An Se Young of South Korea beat Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min 21-11, 21-12 and Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand stunned Chinese third seed Han Yue 21-17, 21-16 in women’s singles.
In the men’s singles quarterfinals, Paris Olympics champion Viktor Axelsen was made to work hard for a 21-19, 13-21, 21-8 victory over former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.
The match began with a fierce rally, but thereafter, it was complete domination from Satwik and Chirag. The Indians kept the rallies short, launching relentless attacks and engaging in criss-cross net play to lead 11-3 at the break.
Jin and Kang tried mixing rallies with drops and deep tosses, but the Indians were relentless, zooming to 18-8. Satwik and Chirag soon earned 11 game points with two more smashes, before another thunderbolt from Satwik sealed the first game.
In the second game, Jin and Kang initially held a slender 4-3 lead but it was short-lived. A barrage of attacking shots from the Indians helped them make it 9-4 as they entered the interval with a five-point cushion following Satwik’s down-the-line smash.
The Koreans clawed back to make it 13-15 and won a 37-shot rally to level the score at 16-16.
However, Chirag unleashed a smash to extinguish any hope of a revival, and with a final net error from the Koreans, Satwik and Chirag grabbed three match points before sealing the match at the first opportunity.
Tunjung dominated early with her delectable drops, racing to an 11-4 lead at the break. Sindhu struggled with her strokes, and the game soon slipped away.
In the second game, the Indonesian grabbed a 6-2 lead after the change of sides but Sindhu fought back, levelling at 9-9 with Tunjung erring repeatedly. A wide shot from Tunjung gave Sindhu a one-point advantage at the break.
Sindhu’s attacking play, featuring powerful smashes, helped her reach 14-10 but Tunjung fought back, tying the score at 14-14.
A pumped-up Sindhu regained her composure, clinching two game points before Tunjung hit into the net, allowing the Indian to take the first game 21-19.
In the decider, Tunjung raced to a 10-8 lead with both players exchanging intense rallies. Sindhu erased the deficit quickly after the break and kept the pressure on her opponent.
Tunjung moved to 17-14, but Sindhu responded, drawing parity with a drop and a net-shot winner.
However, Tunjung secured three match points and, despite Sindhu’s best efforts, claimed the match with a cross-court winner.
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