Badminton

India's Kiran George continued his impressive run at the Korea Masters badminton tournament, upsetting third seed Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei in a thrilling three-game match to reach the men's singles quarterfinals.The 24-year-old Indian, ranked 44th in the world, displayed grit and determination to overcome his higher-ranked opponent, who is ranked 31st. George started strongly, taking the first game 21-17. However, Jen fought back in the second game, leveling the match with a 21-19 victory.Undeterred, George regained his composure in the decider, racing to an 8-2 lead. Jen gradually closed the gap, but George held his nerve to seal the game 21-17 and secure his place in the last eight.George's victory was particularly impressive considering he had to dig deep in his opening round match against Vietnam's Kuan Lin Kuo, winning 15-21, 21-12, 21-15.In the quarterfinals, George will face fifth seed Takuma Obayashi of Japan, who is ranked 22nd in the world. George will be aiming to continue his giant-killing run and reach the semifinals of the BWF Super 300 tournament.George's performance in Korea is a testament to his growing maturity and consistency on the international stage. The Indian shuttler has been steadily climbing the world rankings and is now knocking on the door of the top 30.

Rising Indian badminton star Malvika Bansod's remarkable run at the Hylo Open Super 300 tournament culminated in a valiant runner-up finish, as she narrowly missed out on the title against Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt. The 23-year-old southpaw, who had impressed throughout the tournament with notable victories, ultimately fell short in the final, losing 10-21, 15-21 to the experienced Dane.Bansod's journey to the final was marked by a series of impressive performances. She overcame the challenge of fourth seed Nguyen Thuy Linh of Vietnam in the quarterfinals, showcasing her determination and skill. However, in the final, she faced a formidable opponent in Blichfeldt, who proved too strong on the day.The opening game saw Blichfeldt capitalize on Bansod's errors, establishing a commanding lead of 17-10. The Danish shuttler's precise shots and aggressive play proved too much for Bansod, who struggled to find her rhythm. Blichfeldt ultimately closed out the game with ease, leaving Bansod with a mountain to climb.Undeterred, Bansod fought back in the second game, even taking an early lead of 11-8. However, Blichfeldt's powerful cross-court smashes proved too difficult to handle. The Dane equalized at 12-all and then captured five consecutive points to secure the title.Despite the defeat, Bansod's performance at the Hylo Open Super 300 is a testament to her growing talent and potential. This was her second appearance in a major final, having previously reached the title round of the Syed Modi India International in 2022.In September, Bansod made headlines by upsetting Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in the opening round of the China Open Super 100. Her quarterfinal exit in that tournament was a minor setback, but it only served to fuel her determination to improve.Bansod's impressive run at the Hylo Open Super 300 has undoubtedly raised her profile in the badminton world. She is now ranked 50th in the world and is poised to make further strides in the coming months. With her talent, determination, and unwavering spirit, Bansod is a rising star to watch in the world of badminton.

The exclusion of badminton from the 2026 Commonwealth Games curriculum has sparked outrage among the badminton community, with former world No.1 doubles shuttler Chirag Shetty calling it a "very bad decision."Shetty, who is the reigning Commonwealth Games men's doubles champion and mixed team gold medalist, questioned how the organizers could remove the most popular sport from the event."I think it's a very bad decision, to be honest. I can say for badminton, I think it's the most watched sport. It's definitely one of the most watched sports in the Commonwealth Games," Shetty said.He pointed out that badminton competitions at the Commonwealth Games are always played in front of packed houses, indicating the sport's immense popularity."I've been part of two editions at the Gold Coast and at the Birmingham editions. It's very difficult to get a seat for any of the rounds. I think it's definitely a very bad decision for the badminton community in general," Shetty added.The World Championship bronze medalist urged the Commonwealth Games organizers to reconsider their decision and reinstate badminton in the curriculum."I hope they (CWG organizers) will look into it and probably change it. As a part of the badminton community, we are disappointed. We were definitely looking forward to defend our title," Shetty said.He also called on the national sports federations and the government to take up the issue with the highest authorities in the Commonwealth Games."As far as boycotting the event goes, I think it's in the hand of the government and associations to decide. I think it has to go at the highest place. I think the higher bodies have to be decisive and take it up to the higher authorities," Shetty said.The exclusion of badminton from the Commonwealth Games is a major blow to India's medal prospects, as the country has consistently performed well in the sport. In the 2022 Birmingham Games, India won two gold medals in badminton, including the men's doubles title won by Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.

Indian badminton star Chirag Shetty, one-half of the renowned men's doubles duo 'Sat-Chi' with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, has opened up about their disappointing quarterfinal exit at the Paris Olympics 2024. Despite a strong start in the knockout stage, Satwik and Chirag's Olympic medal hopes were dashed with a 21-13, 14-21, 16-21 loss.Speaking to ANI, Shetty expressed his disappointment over the quarterfinal exit, attributing it to "unlucky points and missed opportunities" in the third game. However, he remains optimistic about the duo's future prospects, stating, "We really wanted to go out there and win a medal for our country. Things did not go our way in the third game, but we gave it our all. Maybe next time around we will come with a medal."Shetty also revealed that he and Satwiksairaj are eager to return to action next month, with the latter currently undergoing rehabilitation for an injury. He praised their former coach, Mathias Boe, for his significant contributions to their success, saying, "When we started working with him, we were ranked eighth or ninth in the world. The journey from there to the number one spot, winning Asian Games gold, Thomas Cup, was a very fruitful journey."Under Boe's guidance, 'Sat-Chi' became a dominant force in badminton, securing multiple BWF titles, gold medals at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, the maiden Thomas Cup title, bronze at the World Championships, and gold at the Asian Championships. They also became the first Indian men's pair to achieve the top spot in BWF Rankings and secure a BWF Super 1000 title by winning the Indonesia Open last year.Despite the setback at the Olympics, Shetty and Satwiksairaj remain determined to achieve their Olympic dream. They are currently working hard to improve their game and are confident of making a strong comeback.

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu's impressive run at the Denmark Open came to an end in the quarterfinals, as she succumbed to a 13-21, 21-16, 9-21 defeat against Indonesia's Gregoria Tunjung. The loss marked the conclusion of India's campaign in the tournament.Tunjung, the Paris Olympics bronze medalist, displayed her dominance throughout the match, particularly in the first and third games. She controlled the pace and executed her shots with precision, leaving Sindhu struggling to keep up. Despite Sindhu's valiant effort in the second game, Tunjung's consistency proved too much to overcome.Sindhu's defeat extends a disappointing season for the two-time Olympic medalist. After returning empty-handed from the Paris Games, she has failed to secure a title in any of the subsequent tournaments she has participated in.The loss to Tunjung highlights the challenges Sindhu faces as she attempts to regain her previous form. The Indonesian shuttler has now won three of their last four encounters, demonstrating her growing threat to Sindhu's dominance in the women's singles category.Sindhu's exit from the Denmark Open leaves the tournament wide open for the remaining contenders. Top-seed An Se Young of South Korea, who defeated Sindhu in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics, will face Tunjung in the semifinals.

Indian badminton players faced a disappointing start at the Denmark Open Super 750 tournament, with both the women's and mixed doubles pairs suffering opening-round defeats on Wednesday.In the women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand squandered a game lead to lose 21-19, 17-21, 15-21 against fifth-seeded Malaysian duo Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah. Despite a strong start, the Indian pair couldn't maintain their momentum and eventually succumbed to their higher-ranked opponents.The mixed doubles pair of B Summeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy also endured a heartbreaking loss, falling 22-20, 19-21, 22-24 to Canadian duo Kevin Lee and Eliana Zhang. After taking the first game, the Indians let their lead slip away in the second and third games, narrowly missing out on a victory.The only bright spot for India on Wednesday was double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, who advanced to the second round of the women's singles after her opponent, Pai Yu Po of Chinese Taipei, retired midway through the second game.Earlier in the tournament, Lakshya Sen, a 2021 World Championships bronze medalist, crashed out in the opening round of the men's singles, while Malvika Bansod and Aakarshi Kashyap also made first-round exits from the women's singles competition.The Denmark Open Super 750 is a prestigious badminton tournament that attracts top players from around the world. The Indian shuttlers will be hoping to bounce back from their disappointing start and make a strong showing in the remaining rounds of the competition.

India's Lakshya Sen's Denmark Open campaign came to an abrupt end on Tuesday as he succumbed to a three-game defeat against China's Lu Guang Zu in the opening round. The 2021 World Championship bronze medalist squandered an early advantage, losing 21-12 19-21 14-21 in a grueling 70-minute encounter.Sen, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, had previously suffered a second-round exit at the Arctic Open in Finland last week. His loss in Odense marks another setback in his post-Olympic campaign.Meanwhile, double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu advanced to the second round after her opponent, Pai Yu Po of Chinese Taipei, retired midway through the second game with the score reading 21-8 13-7 in favor of the Indian.However, Malvika Bansod, who reached the quarterfinals at the China Open, failed to overcome the opening hurdle, losing 13-21 12-21 to Vietnam's Nguyen Thuy Linh in women's singles. Aakarshi Kashyap also faced an early exit, falling 13-21 12-21 to seventh-seeded Thai shuttler Supanida Katethong.In women's doubles, the Panda sisters, Rutaparna and Swetaparna, also made a first-round exit, losing 18-21 22-24 against Chinese Taipei's Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun.Sen, who was competing in his second event since the Olympics, started strongly against Lu, keeping pace with his Chinese rival before pulling ahead at 8-8 and taking an 11-9 advantage at the break. The Indian extended his lead to 20-11 with a seven-point burst, comfortably pocketing the opening game.However, Lu rallied in the second game, narrowing the gap to 11-12 and eventually taking a 19-18 lead. Sen drew parity, but Lu secured the required two points to script a comeback.In the decider, Lu maintained his composure and pulled ahead to 14-9, while Sen struggled to keep pace. Lu seized six match points and sealed the victory when Sen went long.

Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen are determined to rebound from a disappointing start to their season at the USD 850,000 Denmark Open Super 750, which begins on Tuesday.Both players struggled at the Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland, last week. Former world champion Sindhu was eliminated in the first round, while 2021 world bronze medalist Sen lost in the second round.At Arena Fyn in Odense, they hope for better results as they lead India's challenge in this prestigious tournament, the 13th event of the 2024 BWF World Tour.Sen, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, lost a close match to Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen last week. In Odense, the 23-year-old from Almora will face China's Lu Guang Zu in his opening match, an opponent he has yet to meet in professional badminton. If he advances, Sen could face Indonesia's Jonatan Christie in the second round, with reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand likely waiting for him in the quarter-finals.Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, needs to address the issues affecting her performance after a disappointing first-round loss to Canada's Michelle Li, an opponent she had previously defeated 10 times. Under the guidance of new coaches Anup Sridhar and Korea's Lee Hyun-il, she will open against Chinese Taipei's Pai Yu Po and could potentially face China's Han Yue in the second round if she progresses.In addition to Sindhu, India will have several other competitors in women's singles, including the in-form Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, and promising talent Unnati Hooda. Bansod, who reached the quarterfinals of the China Open, will face Vietnam's Nguyen Thuy Linh at first, while Kashyap faces Thailand's Supanida Katethong. Hooda, the 2022 Odisha Open winner, will compete against Lauren Lam from the USA.While there will be no Indian representation in men's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who missed the Paris Olympics, will compete in the women's doubles, taking on the fifth-seeded Malaysian duo of Pearly Tan and Thinnah Muralitharan. The Panda sisters, Swetaparna and Rutaparna, will face off against Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tung of Chinese Taipei.In mixed doubles, the husband-wife combination of B Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki Reddy are set to face Canada's Kevin Lee and Eliana Zhang, while Sathish Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath will take on Indonesia's Rehan Kusharjanto and Lisa Kusumawati.

Indian shuttlers faced a disappointing end to their Arctic Open campaign in Finland on Thursday, with all representatives bowing out in the pre-quarterfinals.Lakshya Sen, India's top-ranked player, squandered a one-game lead to lose 21-19, 18-21, 15-21 to seventh-seeded Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei. The match lasted an arduous one hour and 10 minutes.Qualifier Kiran George, who had upset World No. 25 Wang Tzu Wei in the first round, was outplayed 17-21, 8-21 by fifth-seeded Jonatan Christie of Indonesia.In the women's singles, Malvika Bansod fell 15-21, 8-21 to former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand. Unnati Hooda and Aakarshi Kashyap also suffered defeats in their respective matches.Unnati lost 10-21, 19-21 to Canada's Michelle Li, while Aakarshi went down 9-21, 8-21 to second-seeded Han Yue of China.The mixed doubles pair of Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath lost 12-21, 15-21 to the Chinese duo of Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi.In the final Indian match of the day, the women's doubles pair of Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda were defeated 8-21, 10-21 by top seeds Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China.The Arctic Open is a Super 500 tournament on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour.