India's badminton team advances to the Thomas Cup semifinals after a decisive 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei, fuelled by standout performances from Ayush Shetty and Lakshya Sen.
yush Shetty and former World championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen advanced in the Australian Open in contrasting fashion to set up an all-Indian quarterfinal clash.
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.
India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their consistent run to advance to the semifinals of the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament but P V Sindhu bowed out after falling yet again to Olympic champion An Se Young, in Shenzhen n Friday.
Young Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty put up a spirited fight before going down in three games against France's Toma Junior Popov on a disappointing day for the Indians at the Denmark Open Super 750 badminton tournament, in Odense, on Tuesday.
Former champion Lakshya Sen produced a composed and tactical performance to advance to the quarterfinals of the $950,000 India Open Super 750 badminton tournament but Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy bowed out after a spirited show, in New Delhi, on Thursday.
India's men's team secured a dominant 5-0 victory over Australia to reach the Thomas Cup quarterfinals, while the women's team faces a tough road in the Uber Cup after PV Sindhu's defeat against Wang Zhiyi.
India squandered a golden opportunity to return with two titles as both Lakshya Sen and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty signed off with runner-up finishes at the Hong Kong Open Super 500 in Hing Kong on Sunday.
Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy stormed into the men's doubles second round of the Macau Open Super 300 with a straight-game win over Malaysia's Low Hang Yee and Ng Eng Cheong.
Lakshya Sen entered his first major final in two years after edging out Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen in straight games, while the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also stormed into the summit clash.
Unified high-performance training camps in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Guwahati played a crucial role in India's bronze medal win at the Thomas Cup, with top shuttlers benefiting from the focused preparation.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the semifinals of the Malaysia Open
Given the Indian duo's struggles with fitness and injury over the last few weeks, this was a commendable win.
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.
Ace doubles badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy clarified his recent comments regarding the muted public reception after the Indian team won the Thomas Cup bronze medal, emphasising the need to celebrate all sporting achievements.
Ashwini and Tanisha, who won the Guwahati Masters super 100 title, last month will take on Malaysia's Pei Kee Go and Mei Xing Teoh next.
In women's singles, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also dropped one place and is now ranked 16th.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty assured India of a medal at the World Championships after defeating Malaysia's two-time Olympic medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, in the quarter-finals in Paris.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's campaign at the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament ended in the semi-finals after they were outplayed by Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin in New Delhi on Saturday.
Satwik and Chairag had opened their campaign with a 21-17, 21-14 win over the French combination of Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar on Saturday.
It's a good sign, best is yet to come: Satwik-Chirag on semifinal finish at Singapore Open
Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, who trains P V Sindhu, had a narrow escape after an explosion occurred close to where they were stationed at Dubai Airport while travelling to Birmingham for the All England Championships.
India's Lakshya Sen will miss the Thomas Cup semifinal against France due to a swollen elbow sustained during the quarterfinal match. Ayush Shetty will replace him in the opening singles.
Lakshya Sen's swollen elbow forces him to miss India's Thomas Cup semifinal against France, with Kidambi Shrikant stepping in. India aims for a spot in the final after a strong quarterfinal win.
Sen, who had broken the three-year jinx of first-round exits in the tournament when he defeated Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh on Wednesday, succumbed in the pre-quarterfinals against Hong Kong-China's Lee Cheuk Yiu 22-22, 15-21 in 53 minutes.
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.
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.
Sen, 26, who had made it to the Hong Kong Open final but has gone without a title this year, had a tough time beating Shetty in the opening game.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu faltered in the deciding game to lose to World No. 8 Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the women's singles second round of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament in Jakarta on Thursday.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have regained their top spot following their Thailand Open title triumph on Sunday.
World No 17 Sen, started strongly and took the first game 21-15. But Lin, bounced back to claim the second 21-17.
India face a tough challenge in the Thomas Cup semifinal as France take a 2-0 lead, with Kidambi Srikanth losing to Alex Lanier and Ayush Shetty falling to Christo Popov.
In men's doubles, Satwik and Chirag, currently ranked 15th in the world, defeated the Korean duo of Kang Min Hyuk and Kim Dong Ju 21-18, 21-10 in just 42 minutes.
Satwik-Chirag had lost each of the two semifinals in straight sets and their aim would be to go the distance in the upcoming tournament.
With the Paris Olympics looming, Chirag and Satwik didn't compete in too many tournaments last year, but they plan to play in more events this season.
A new book, "Heroes: The Changemakers of Indian Sports" by journalist-author Thirumoy Banerjee, chronicles the inspiring journeys of 15 Indian athletes, including Manu Bhaker, C A Bhavani Devi, Nikhat Zareen, Aman Kumar Kadyan, and Sumit Antil. It highlights their determination, resilience, and triumphs over setbacks, offering insights into their paths to success and celebrating their unwavering spirit.
Indian doubles coach Tan Kim Her praised Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty for winning a bronze medal at the World Championships but rued the missed opportunity, saying the doubles specialists need to work more on their fitness to go the distance.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty went down fighting against Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the semi-finals on Saturday.
India's men's and women's teams advanced to the quarter-finals despite suffering narrow 2-3 defeats to Japan and Thailand respectively in their final group ties at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Qingdao, China, on Thursday.
Kiran George was defeated in the pre-quarterfinals of the Swiss Open, while Tharun Mannepalli advanced after his opponent retired. Other Indian players also faced setbacks in the tournament.
