The Indian men’s singles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made it to the semifinals of the ongoing Singapore Open on Friday, reported ESPN.
Rankireddy and Chirag beat the Malaysian pair of Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing in a three-game 21, 21-17, 21-1 thriller, fighting from being a game down.
The Indian started off slowly against the Malaysian pair, who have troubled them in the past and faced a deficit of 6-11 at the interval. Even after recovering a bit, they faced another five-point gap, with 13-18. But they secured another four points, coming close. But later, the Malaysians managed to seal the game courtesy of some errors from ‘Sat-Chi’.
In the second game, Satwiksairaj-Chirag once again trailed by 3-8, and Chirag wore a brace on his lower back. But the Indians staged a fightback again, taking a lead of 11-9 at the interval. Both teams at one point were levelled at 16-6, from where ‘Sat-Chi’ scored four straight points, reached the game point and took the game into a decider.
The decider saw former world number one absolutely decimate their Malaysian counterparts, giving them no breathing space whatsoever.
Their next clash is going to be against the world number one pair of Seo Seungjae and Kim Wonho.
Also, shifting the focus to mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also managed to enter the semifinals, beating Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, with the latter retiring hurt due to injury when the Malaysians were leading 18-15 in the first game. A smash from Dhruv had sent both Malaysians on the floor, with Toh needing medical attention, and a strapping was applied to her knee.
However, Toh was unable to move later on, giving Team India a win.
Also, India’s Commonwealth Games champion, Lakshya Sen, came to an end in the quarterfinal with a 19-21, 21-15, 15-21 to Japan’s Koki Watanabe.
Veteran shuttler PV Sindhu’s campaign at the Singapore Open Super 750 came to an end in the quarterfinals after a hard-fought defeat against world No. 1 An Se Young.
Although the scoreline read 17-21, 14-21 in 48 minutes, the match was far more competitive than it appears, showcasing both Sindhu’s attacking brilliance and the growing gap at the top level of women’s badminton.
Sindhu began aggressively, using her powerful overhead shots and sharp smashes to trouble An Se Young early on. She also won two extended rallies of 22 and 31 shots with precise winners, briefly unsettling the top seed, who is known for her exceptional defence and speed. At one stage, Sindhu drew level at 7-7 and later reduced the deficit to 14-13, pushing the Korean hard in the opening game.
However, unforced errors at the net and in the front court repeatedly halted her momentum. Despite fighting back valiantly and even winning a marathon 40-shot rally at 19-17, Sindhu eventually lost the opening game after sending a shot long, allowing An to close it out.
The second game began on a difficult note for the Indian shuttler, as An surged to a 6-0 lead. Sindhu recovered to some extent and reduced the gap to 7-9, but the Korean maintained control through the interval. A brief moment of tension also arose after a disputed net call, though it did not alter the overall momentum.
Gradually, Sindhu’s resistance faded as errors crept in, while An maintained composure to seal the match comfortably in straight games. Despite the defeat, the 48-minute contest reflected the intensity of the battle between the two players.
The loss marked An Se Young’s ninth victory over Sindhu in their head-to-head record. While Sindhu showed she can still challenge the very best, the result underlined the consistency gap at the elite level.
Earlier in the tournament, however, Sindhu had impressed with a win over fifth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani, offering encouragement ahead of a crucial season featuring major events like the World Championships and Asian Games
