Indian badminton star P V Sindhu describes her stressful experience being stranded in Dubai due to airspace closures, following explosions near the airport.
'I'm still here, still able to play against somebody who is 14 years younger to me and give tough competition, I should be able to find happiness in it.'
Star Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the semifinals, while Lakshya Sen lost his men's singles quarterfinal match in straight games at the Denmark Open Super 750 badminton tournament, in Odense, on Friday.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu recounts a 'tense and scary' experience at Dubai International Airport after an explosion occurred nearby, amidst escalating tensions in the Gulf region.
Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu are on a collision course at next week's World Championships in Basel, Switzerland, as they have been placed in the same half after the world governing body re-conducted the women's singles draw.
'Once you are out of the top 32, it becomes very tough to get back. Last year I couldn't really get entries into the 750 tournaments. To start this year with one is a positive step.'
Tanvi, Unnati and Bhargav Ram-Viswa Tej to lead strong Indian line-up in BWF World Junior Championships
Fellow Indian Kidambi Srikanth also jumped two places to sit at the 12th spot, while Lakshya Sen continued to be the best-placed Indian male shuttler at world number 9.
India announces its badminton squads for the upcoming Thomas and Uber Cup championships, with Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu leading the men's and women's teams respectively.
The 21-year-old Sen, who won a bronze in the 2021 World Championships, has been in brilliant form, starting the year with a gold medal at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open before finishing runner-up, at the prestigious All England Open Championships and also at the German Open.
HS Prannoy started his campaign at the World Championship in style beating New Zealand's Abhinav Manota in straight games to enter the second round.
'We didn't get really any rhythm. We didn't start off that well. We gave away easy points (in the third game). We should have been a bit smarter. But, credit to them.'
Kidambi Srikanth entered the semi-finals of Malaysia Masters with a hard-fought three-game win over Toma Junior Popov of France.
It is "irritating" to be unlucky all the time; perhaps they need some "divine intervention" to win crucial matches, said a frustrated Satwiksairaj Rankireddy after he and Chirag Shetty were beaten in the men's doubles semi-finals at the World Championships, in Tokyo, on Friday.
The 24-year-old Sen, a bronze medallist at the 2021 edition, went down 17-21, 19-21 in 54 minutes.
Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen and the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty sailed into the semifinals of their respective events at the Hong Kong Open Super 500 badminton tournament on Friday.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) have opted against giving twice Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei a wildcard for the world championship, leaving Malaysia in an awkward selection position.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty capped off a memorable campaign at the World Badminton Championships, signing-off with a historic bronze medal in the men's doubles competition after going down narrowly to Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the semi-finals, in Tokyo, on Saturday.
Just like in her campaign opener against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi on Wednesday, Sindhu squandered a game advantage to lose yet again in the year-ending BWF World Tour Final
The World No 6 will next face Spain's Pablo Abian on Wednesday.
These trials will continue and expand through 2026, when the system will be tested more broadly.
Double Olympic champion Lin Dan of China will defend his World Championships title in August after receiving a wild card for the Guangzhou event, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Thursday.
World Junior C'ships: Gnana Dattu, Bhavya-Vishakha reach quarters; Tanvi, Unnati also advance
'There are a lot of questions in your mind where you are answerable to it, like you yourself are answerable to it. It helped me to get back much more stronger and better.'
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, on the other hand, moved one place to 31st.
The former World Champion reaches the pre-quarterfinals for the first time since 2021.
Priyanshu Rajawat capped off an impressive week with a thrilling win in the final
Tanvi Sharma's bid to script history by winning a gold medal at the BWF World Junior Championships ended in heartbreak as she lost in straight games to Thailand's Anyapat Phichitpreechasak
Chirag and his longtime partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won the men's doubles bronze last week
Satwik-Chirag dished out a gritty performance to outwit the local favourites a
Earlier, former world No.1 Srikanth had to dig deep to outlast fellow Indian Tharun Mannepalli 15-21, 21-6, 21-19.
'After consulting closely with my team and with the guidance of the incredible Dr Pardiwala, we felt it was best for me to withdraw from all remaining BWF Tour events in 2025.'
P V Sindhu bowed out, while H S Prannoy and Lakshya Sen scored hard-fought wins to advance in the Hong Kong Open Super 500 tournament.
'In the last couple of tournaments, we've served a lot better than in the past year. The game is too fast to rely on one style. You need multiple ways to score points, and that's what we are trying to develop.'
The prestigious awards recognise the achievements of the elite badminton players
A fast and fluent Lakshya Sen ended a difficult stretch on the international circuit by defeating Japan's Yushi Tanaka in the men's singles final of the US $475,000 Australian Open Super 500 and clinching his first title of the season, in Sydney, on Sunday.
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal has been nominated for the Woman Player of the Year Award of the Badminton World Federation after a consistent season which saw her occupy the world number one spot for a brief period.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand capped a remarkable week by clinching a maiden Super 300 title with a commanding straight-game victory over China's Bao Li Jing and Li Qian in the Syed Modi International final on Sunday.
Asian Games champion shuttler Satwiksairaj Rankireddy's father R Kasi Viswanatham died of cardiac arrest on Thursday morning.
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