Page 3 - Badminton

Olympics 2024: Lakshya Sen stuns the crowd with his no-look backhand

While the victory was special in itself, what stayed with fans was his unbelievable no-look backhand shot against his opponent which had Christie surprised and beaten in the 1st game

Olympics 2024: Ponnappa-Crasto stare at early exit after group stage defeat

India's Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto were staring at an early exit after suffering their second consecutive group stage defeat in the women's doubles badminton competition at the Paris Olympic here on Monday. The Indians went down 11-21 12-21 to the world number four Japanese duo of Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida in the 48-minute Group C match. They had lost their opener against South Korea's Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong. Ponnappa and Crasto, world number 19, are currently placed third in their group behind the Japanese and the South Koreans. The two top ranked pairs from each group qualify for the quarterfinals. "A bit disappointed because this was the only shot we had for a chance to get to the quarters. Not the way we wanted to play but they were very strong. I wish we had given them a better fight. We have one more match and hope we can win that," Ponnappa said after the game. "They were very strong, offensively and defensively. Defensively we were a bit lacking to

Paris Olympics 2024 highlights, Day 2: HS Prannoy wins opener; Manu Bhaker wins Bronze

Olympics 2024 highlights: HS Prannoy has won his group K opener vs GER. Rafael Nadal's his 1st round match. Manu wins bronze in shooting. Check Paris 2024 highlights here

Don't experiment new things in preparation ahead of Olympics: Gopichand

India's chief national coach Pullela Gopichand on Wednesday advised the country's shuttlers not to experiment much in their preparation ahead of the Paris Olympics, while also insisting that two-time medallist PV Sindhu has the potential to shine again at the sporting extravaganza. India will be represented by seven players across four out of five categories in the badminton competition at the Games here. Led by two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu (women's singles), the squad has HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen (men's singles), Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (men's doubles), and Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto (women's doubles). "I think the generic message to all the athletes would be to treat it like another match and it's important that you don't do any strange things for preparation; keep it simple and treat it like another game, get the preparation right and the matches will take care of themselves," Gopichand told PTI ahead of Friday's opening ceremony. Talking about

Paris Olympics: Neeraj Chopra's gold boosts athletic budget by over 1600%

Paris Olympics: Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will lead a 28-member contingent of athletes at the Paris Olympics, in which a total of 118 Indians will participate

Paris Olympics: What to know, who to watch during badminton competition

A roadmap to follow for the badminton competition during the Paris Olympics: Athletes to Watch: Beiwen Zhang, United States: After winning the women's singles gold at the 2023 Pan American Games, the 33-year-old is the best shot at the first American badminton medal at the Olympics since its debut as a medal event in 1992. Born in China, Zhang moved to Singapore as a teenager in 2007 and has represented the U.S. internationally since 2013. Viktor Axelsen, Denmark: Axelsen was Europe's only medalist (gold) in Tokyo three years ago, and he was the top qualifier for Paris. At 30, this will be his third Olympics; he won bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Chen Yu Fei, China: The defending women's singles champion led China to a tournament win in May and finished behind only An Se-young of South Korea in the Paris qualification rankings. Storylines to Follow: The U.S. mixed doubles team of Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai qualified at the Pan Am Games. It still will be an uphill climb for the

Olympian PV Sindhu joins wellness brand Hoop as investor, brand ambassador

Founded in 2022, Hoop brands itself as India's first wellness brand for an active lifestyle, which focuses on a range of wellness products to deal with effective pain, sleep, stress, and workout

Making a racquet: Can Indian tennis match the success of badminton?

'What I can tell you is that we have been able to create an ecosystem for badminton. I also believe that Indians have a physicality for the sport'

Treesa-Gayatri upset World No. 2 Baek-Lee; Sindhu goes down to Marin

PV Sindhu suffered yet another setback against Carolina Marin, but the rising Indian women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand stunned world number two Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee of South Korea to enter the quarterfinals at Singapore Open here on Thursday. Double Olympic medallist Sindhu blew away 18-15 lead in the decider to go down to familiar rival Marin in a thrilling 21-13 11-21 20-22 women's singles last-16 match. It was Sindhu's sixth loss on the trot against her arch-rival dating back from 2018. But the Commonwealth Games bronze medallist duo of Treesa and Gayatri kept the Indian flag flying by eliminating Baek and Lee 21-9 14-21 21-15 in close to one-hour battle. This was world number 30 Indian duo's maiden win from three meetings against the world number two Korean pair. The Baek-Lee duo was error prone as Treesa and Gayatri held a commanding 18-9 lead before taking the opening game without much fuss. But the Indians allowed the South Koreans to bounce ba

Satwik-Chirag suffer shock defeat in opening round of Singapore Open

World No. 1 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty crashed out of the Singapore Open after suffering a shock defeat against Denmark's world number 34 Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard in the opening round, here Tuesday. One of the favourites to win a gold medal at Paris Olympics, Satwik and Chirag, who had claimed the Thailand Open super 500 early this month, lost 20-22 18-21 to Daniel and Mads in a 47-minute clash of the Super 750 badminton tournament. It turned out to be a dismal day for India as Aakarshu Kashyap and Priyanshu Rajawat also failed to cross the opening hurdle in singles competition. While world no. 41 Kashyap lost 7-21 15-21 to Thailand's Pornpicha Choeikeewong, ranked 42nd, Rajawat fought hard before going down 21-23 19-21 to Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu. Women's doubles pair of Rutuparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda also played their heart out before losing 12-21 21-12 13-21 to Chinese Taipei's Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun. Ashith Surya and Amrutha ...

Sindhu, Prannoy exit, Indian challenge ends in Badminton Asia Championships

India's challenge at the Badminton Asia Championships ended after double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy bowed out in pre-quarterfinals of their respective events here on Thursday. Sindhu, who is desperately seeking to rediscover her form ahead of the Paris Olympics, fought valiantly for for an hour and nine minutes but was outperformed by sixth seed Han Yue of China 18-21 21-13 17-21. It was Sindhu's first loss against Yue against whom she had a flawless 5-0 record before Thursday's contest. Seventh seed Prannoy went down meekly to unseeded Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei 18-21 11-21 in just 43 minutes. In another Indian result, the women's doubles combination of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa lost in the pre-quarterfinals, going down 17-21 12-21 to third seeded Japanese pair of Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida. Sindhu vs Yue ========= The Indian started on a bright note in the first game and used her experience to race to an 8-4 lead, which she increased to 14-8

Badminton Asia Championships: Sindhu wins; Lakshya, Srikanth lose opener

Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu survived some tense moments before progressing to the women's singles second round but it was curtains for Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth in men's singles at the Badminton Asia Championships here on Wednesday. Sindhu, who is desperately seeking to rediscover her form ahead of the Paris Olympics, almost blew away a five-point advantage in the decider before managing a gritty 18-21 21-14 21-19 win against world number 33 Goh Jin Wei from Malaysia. Sindhu had lost to her Malaysian opponent the last time they meet in Sudirman Cup though the Indian has a 4-1 record against her. Next up for Sindhu is China's Han Yue, against whom the Indian has a flawless 5-0 record. It was, however, a difficult day for Olympic-bound Sen, who lost 19-21 15-21 to local favourite and top seed Shi Yu Qi, and Srikanth, who suffered a 14-21 13-21 loss against Indonesia's Anthony Ginting in the opening round. Talented Priyanshu Rajawat also crashed out in the men's singles

Sindhu opts out of Uber Cup; strong side for Thomas Cup title defence

Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and the two top doubles pairs have opted out of the Uber Cup but a strong men's team will take the court for its title defence in the Thomas Cup, commencing in Chengdu from April 27. Sindhu, who has played six tournaments since returning to action at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in February, pulled out of the event to give herself more time to recover and be battle-ready for the Paris Olympics. Top women's doubles pairs -- Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand and Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto -- also withdrew since it is not a full strength team with Sindhu missing. They chose to focus on the other assignments as they strive to earn the Olympics qualification. Following the withdrawal of Sindhu and the two pairs, Badminton Association of India (BAI) decided to reward the players who performed at the Senior National Championships by give them the India cap. "Sindhu opted out as she is coming back from an injury and she wants to give herse

Taapsee Pannu-Mathias Boe get married in an intimate event at Udaipur

Taapsee Pannu and Indian badminton coach Mathias Boe's decade-long relationship finally turned into a marriage. The couple married in an intimate event at Udaipur

Thomas Cup: Cahampions Indian men clubbed with Indonesians at group stage

Reigning champions Indian men's team has been clubbed with heavyweights Indonesia while the women's side was placed alongside mighty China in the Thomas and Uber Cup after the draw for the tournament was conducted here on Friday. The Indian men's team, which will be defending its maiden title, has been placed in a tricky group. Besides last year's runner-up and record 14-time winners Indonesia, India have Thailand and England to nullify in Group C. India became only the sixth country in the world to lift the Thomas Cup in 2022 after stunning Indonesia 3-0 in the final at Bangkok. In the Uber Cup, the Indian women's badminton team has been drawn in Group A alongside hosts and the most successful nation in the tournament's history -- 15-time winner China The other teams in Group A are Canada and Singapore. Indian women have reached the semifinals of the Uber Cup thrice in 1957, 2014 and 2016. The Indian men's team qualified automatically by virtue of being the defending champions

Lakshya Sen signs off with creditable semifinal finish at All England

Star shuttler Lakshya Sen missed his date with history after stumbling to a three-game loss against Indonesia's Jonatan Christie in the semifinals of the All England Championships here on Saturday, prolonging India's long wait for the coveted trophy. In a game of fine margins, the 22-year-old, who had finished runner-up in the 2022 edition, was marginally short as he slipped to a 21-12, 10-21, 15-21 defeat to world No. 9 Christie, the 2018 Asian Games gold medallist, after a 68-minute smash-fest. "I am pretty disappointed with the result but, overall, the way I played, surely, I have the level to be there and win the big tournaments," Sen said after the match. "I have been through some tough patches before this, but there has been lot of support for me in social media but I couldn't do my best today. I made some easy mistakes." Christie will now face fellow Indonesian Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in Sunday's final. Sen, who reached the semifinals of French Open Super 750 the previous

All England Championships: World number one pair Satwik-Chirag exit

World No. 1 Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bowed out in the men's doubles pre-quarterfinals of the All England Badminton Championships after a straight game defeat against Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana of Indonesia here. Satwik and Chirag on Thursday night lost 16-21 15-21 against the Indonesians, who were champions here in 2022. The top seeded Indian shuttlers, who had won the French Open last week, could not sustain the pressure on their rivals, the third seeds, and went down in a little over an hour. Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa also exited in the women's doubles round of 16, after a 21-11 11-21 11-21 defeat against Zhang Shu Xian and Zheng Yu of China. Later today, India's Lakshya Sen will face Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia, a 2021 champion here, in the men's singles quarterfinals. Earlier, Sen had recorded a stunning three-game win over world No. 3 Anders Antonsen to progress to the quarterfinals. Sen won 24-22 11-21 21-14. However, it was

Lakshya's Paris hopes brighten, enters No.15 in Olympic Games qualification

Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen's hopes of making the cut at Paris received a boost as he grabbed the 15th position in the latest Olympic Games Qualification rankings following his semifinal finish at last week's French Open badminton tournament. The 22-year-old from Almora had reached a career-best ranking of world number six in November 2022 but saw his rankings plummet to world No. 25 in April last year. He recovered to 11th spot by August but fell to 20 early this year following a series of early exits. Things were not looking good after his first-round losses in Malaysia Super 1000 and India Super 750 as he stayed world No. 19 in the Olympic Games qualification for a few weeks but a semifinal finish at the Super 750 event in the French capital last week saw him take his tally to 74,897 points. The 2021 World Championships bronze medallist also climbed a spot to world number 18 in the BWF World rankings issued on Tuesday. However, the 2023 World Championships bronze ...

French Open Badminton: Satwik-Chirag duo sails into final, Lakshya loses

India's world number one pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the men's doubles final of the French Open Super 750 tournament after beating South Korea's Seo Seung Jae and Kang Min Hyuk in straight games here. This is the duo's third consecutive final of the year and the third time in this tournament. They won 21-13, 21-16 in the men's doubles semifinal on Saturday. However, Lakshya Sen's campaign in the tournament ended after he lost to reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand. Kunlavut won 20-22, 21-13, 21-11 in an hour and 18 minutes in his men's singles semi-finals. In a face-off between the two best pairs in the world, the Indian team of Rankireddy and Shetty dominated most of the match against the reigning world champions to get one back, after losing against the same pair in the India Open final earlier this year. After winning the first game comfortably, Rankireddy and Shetty gained the upper hand in the second game as well. Kang Min

French Open: Lakshya, Satwik-Chirag in semis, Sindhu loses epic battle

Lakshya Sen recorded a fine win, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also stayed on course for the men's doubles title but a fighting PV Sindhu fell short in the women's singles quarterfinals at the French Open Super 750 badminton tournament here on Friday. Satwik and Chirag, the world No. 1 Indian pair, who had won the title in 2022, cruised into the semifinals with a 21-19 21-13 victory over Thailand's world No. 32 Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren at the Arena Porte de la Chapelle. The Asian Games champions, who had defeated the Malaysian pair of Man Wei Chong and Kai Woo Tee on Thursday night, will next meet world champions and third seeds Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae, who had beaten the Indian duo at the India Open final in January this year. Later world no. 19 Lakshya, who is trying to make the cut for Paris Olympics, also came from behind to outwit former world champion Loh Kean Yew 19-21 21-15 21-13 in a 78-minute clash. The 22-year-old from Almora thus bec