Badminton Asia C’ships: Sindhu, Prannoy, Satwik-Chirag in quarters; Srikanth ousted
Image source: The News Minute
The Badminton Asia Championships, one of the most prestigious events in the badminton calendar, is underway in Wuhan, China, with some of the world’s top players vying for glory. India’s top shuttlers have been in action, and there have been some mixed results for the Indian contingent.
PV Sindhu, India’s ace shuttler and Olympic silver medalist, has made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament. She defeated Indonesia’s Fitriani Fitriani in straight games to book her spot in the last eight. Sindhu looked in great touch, and her aggressive style of play was too much for her opponent to handle. She will now face China’s He Bingjiao in the quarterfinals.
In the men’s singles, HS Prannoy produced a stunning performance to knock out world number eight Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in three games. Prannoy, who has been struggling with injuries in recent times, showed great determination and grit to come out on top in a hard-fought battle. He will now face China’s Shi Yu Qi in the quarterfinals.
However, there was disappointment for India’s Kidambi Srikanth, who crashed out of the tournament in the second round. He was defeated by Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long Angus in straight games. Srikanth has been struggling with form and fitness in recent times, and this defeat will be a setback for him.
In the men’s doubles, the Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their impressive run, defeating Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in a thrilling three-game encounter. Satwik and Chirag have been in great form this season, and they will be hoping to go all the way in this tournament.
Overall, it has been a mixed bag for the Indian contingent at the Badminton Asia Championships. While there have been some impressive performances, there have also been some disappointments. However, with some of India’s top shuttlers still in the fray, there is still plenty to look forward to in the rest of the tournament.
Re-reported from the story originally published in The News Minute
