New Delhi, Jan 17 (UNI) Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the semifinals of the Yonex-Sunrise India Open with a dominant straight-games victory over Korea’s Yong Jin and Kang Min Hyuk in the men’s doubles quarterfinals at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall on Friday.
However, PV Sindhu and Kiran George’s campaigns ended in heartbreak as both were knocked out in their respective singles quarterfinals.
The Indian duo, fresh off their Asian Games triumph, dismantled the Korean pair 21-10, 21-17 to stay on track for a second consecutive final appearance at the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750 event.
Satwik and Chirag showcased a clinical performance, particularly in the opening game, where they raced to a 9-1 lead and maintained their dominance throughout.
Despite a stronger challenge from Yong and Kang in the second game, the Indians remained composed to seal the victory in just 38 minutes. They will next face third seeds Sze Fei Goh and Nur Izzuddin of Indonesia in the semifinals. “It was important to stay focused after their upset win in the opening round. We knew they would try to push us, but our strategy worked well,” Satwik said after the match.
In contrast, Sindhu’s valiant effort against fourth seed Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia fell short as she lost 21-9, 19-21, 21-17 in a gruelling one-hour-two-minute encounter. The 29-year-old Indian, still on the comeback trail following injury struggles, fought back impressively in the second game, pushing Tunjung to the backcourt and forcing errors with prolonged rallies.
Locked at 17-17 in the decider, a few critical moments swung the match in Tunjung’s favour, leaving Sindhu to rue missed opportunities. “At 17-17 in the third game, I think I played a few strokes too predictably. If I had pushed her back a bit more, it could have made a difference,” Sindhu reflected post-match.
The two-time Olympic medallist, however, found positives to take from the tournament. “A quarterfinal finish is encouraging, considering where I was a few months ago. These are the matches I need to learn from to keep improving,” she added, shifting her focus to the Indonesia Masters.
Meanwhile, Kiran George battled hard in his men’s singles quarterfinal against China’s Weng Hong Yang but went down 21-13, 21-19. The 23-year-old Indian saved a match point in the second game but an unforced error on a forehand drive ended his spirited campaign.
Elsewhere, women’s singles top seed An Se Young of South Korea cruised past Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min 21-11, 21-12, while Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong upset Chinese third seed Han Yue 21-17, 21-16. In a thrilling men’s singles match, reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen edged out Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew 21-19, 13-21, 21-8 to advance to the semifinals.