Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their impressive run at the Singapore Open badminton tournament, storming into the men's doubles semifinals with a straight-game victory on Friday. The world number three pair defeated Indonesia's Pramudya Kusumawardana and Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan 21-16, 21-14 in a quarterfinal match that lasted just 35 minutes.
Dominant Performance
The Indian duo, who are the top seeds in the tournament, showcased their attacking prowess and solid defense throughout the match. They never trailed in the first game, racing to an 11-6 lead at the interval and maintaining the advantage to close it out. In the second game, they were equally dominant, leading 11-7 at the break and sealing the win with a powerful smash from Chirag Shetty.
Satwik and Chirag will now face the Malaysian pair of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin in the semifinals. The Malaysians, ranked 11th in the world, advanced after defeating China's He Jiting and Zhou Haodong in another quarterfinal.
Mixed Doubles Progress
In mixed doubles, the Indian pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also booked their place in the semifinals with a hard-fought win over Indonesia's Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati. The unseeded Indians won 21-19, 18-21, 21-18 in a match that lasted 58 minutes.
Dhruv and Tanisha, who have been playing together for the past year, showed great composure in the decider, coming from behind to win. They will now take on the Malaysian combination of Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei in the semifinals.
Other Indian Contingents
In women's singles, India's PV Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medalist, had a tough day at the office as she lost to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara 21-18, 21-15 in the quarterfinals. Sindhu, who had won the Singapore Open in 2019, could not find her rhythm against the former world champion.
In men's singles, Lakshya Sen also bowed out after losing to Indonesia's Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21-16, 21-12. Sen, who had reached the final of the India Open earlier this year, struggled against the world number five's pace and precision.
The Singapore Open, a BWF World Tour Super 500 event, has attracted top shuttlers from around the world. The semifinals are scheduled to be held on Saturday, with the finals on Sunday.
