Sourabh Verma and Ajay Jayram also entered the second round
Rising Indian doubles duo of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Jerry Chopra stunned World No 7 Koreans Kim Gi Jung and Kim Sa Rang in an edge-of-the-seat semifinals to seal their maiden Grand Prix Gold final, while K Srikanth also stormed into the men's singles final at the Syed Modi International, in Lucknow, on Saturday.
Two-time Olympics medallist P V Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and the star pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty form the core of India's squad for the Badminton Asia Team Championships, in Qingdao, China, from February 3-8.
Sourabh will next face Korea's Heo Kwang Hee for a place in the men's singles final.
Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu will miss the Swiss Open as she recovers from travel disruptions in Dubai. H S Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth will lead the Indian challenge.
The seventh seeded Indians made good starts but couldn't sustain the pressure in the opening game.
Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu will lead India's challenge at the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament, following the country's bronze-medal finish at the Thomas Cup Finals.
Lakshya Sen couldn't overcome the relentless Hu, losing 19-21, 19-21 in a thrilling contest.
Lakshya Sen's title win, a World Championships medal from Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty offered hope amidst a difficult 2025 for Indian badminton.
Sourabh kept moving ahead despite a spirited fight from Heo and eventually pocketed the match.
Indian shuttlers Tanvi Sharma and Isharani Baruah were defeated in the women's singles semifinals of the Orleans Masters Super 300 badminton tournament.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
Young badminton players Ayush Shetty and Tanvi Sharma will lead the Indian contingent at the Orleans Masters Super 300 tournament after HS Prannoy's withdrawal due to a shoulder injury.
Two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu will tie the knot on December 22 in Udaipur.
A resurgent Saina Nehwal and fast rising PV Sindhu, country's best women shuttlers, set up a summit clash against each other at the Syed Modi International badminton tournament in Lucknow.
Saina, who has been battling illness and injuries, is going through a bad patch, having lost six times in the first round this season.
This was Lakshya Sen's first title since the Canada Open in 2024.
India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal snapped her 15-month title drought, clinching the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix Gold badminton crown with a straight-game victory over compatriot P V Sindhu in the women's singles competition in Lucknow on Sunday.
India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded third, also progressed without taking the court after receiving a walkover from USA's Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith.
'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.'
Defending men's champion Kidambi Srikanth suffered a shock defeat but Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu did not face any trouble as she sailed into the women's singles final with a straight-game victory on an exciting day in Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in Lucknow on Saturday.
P V Sindhu, returning from a long injury lay-off, defeated Chinese-Taipei's Sung Shuo Yun in the opening round at the Malaysia Open.
H S Prannoy's first round match against Canada's Brian Yang was suspended midway due to a leaking roof at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
'If there's no financial support, talent doesn't get a chance to blossom.'
'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.'
Earlier, former world No.1 Srikanth had to dig deep to outlast fellow Indian Tharun Mannepalli 15-21, 21-6, 21-19.
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.
India's Lakshya Sen came up with a spirited performance to overcome Hong Kong China's Angus Ng Ka Long in three games
An inconsistent Lakshya Sen faltered in his opening match, while H S Prannoy endured a frustrating start to the season-opening Malaysia Super 100.
'When I played against Sindhu didi in China, I am happy I managed to play better than I did last time.'
PV Sindhu is set to make a much-anticipated return to competitive badminton at the India Open Super 750 tournament after missing the season opener in Kuala Lumpur due to her wedding.
India's badminton team lost their Group D tie against South Korea 2-3 in the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship.
PV Sindhu on Sunday said she is "definitely" going to play for the next couple of years even as the 2028 Los Angeles Games remains at the back of her mind.
B Sumeeth Reddy, a member of the 2022 Commonwealth Games mixed team silver medal-winning squad, has announced his retirement as an active badminton player to focus entirely on coaching.
The victory at the Syed Modi International tournament in Lucknow helped London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal to surge two places to reach the seventh position in the latest world badminton ranking, released in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced a new 2020 tournaments calendar on Friday with the World Tour set to return with the Taipei Open from Sept. 1-6.
Danish badminton player Mia Blichfeldt has criticized the playing conditions at the India Open Super 750 tournament in New Delhi, citing pollution, dirt and bird droppings. She also said she contracted a stomach infection during the event, which she attributed to the poor conditions. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has acknowledged logistical challenges in hosting the event and is looking for alternative venues. This isn't the first time foreign players have raised concerns about playing conditions at badminton events in India.
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.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the quarter-finals, while H S Prannoy's valiant fight ended in a narrow second round loss at the Malaysia Super 1000 badminton tournament.
Malvika Bansod pulled off a sensational straight-game victory over Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tanjong of Indonesia in the women's singles opening round.
