Page 7 - Badminton

Asian Games 2023: Indian women's badminton team crashes out in QFs

India registered a disappointing 3-0 loss to Thailand in their QF match

Asian Games 2023 September 29 schedule: India event timings, streaming

India will hope for a rich medal haul from the athletics contingent who will begin their campaign on Friday, Day 6 of the Asian Games 2023. Saketh Myeneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan will play for gold

Shouldn't expect much from PV Sindhu at Asian Games warns Vimal Kumar

Repeated failures in tournaments this season has dented P V Sindhu's confidence and not much should be expected from the ace Indian shuttler at the Asian Games, says former India coach Vimal Kumar. The double Olympic medallist has found the going tough ever since returning from a five-month long lay-off following an ankle injury en-route to the Commonwealth Games gold last August. Desperate to arrest the slide, the 28-year-old sought help of legendary Prakash Padukone and trained under him at his Academy PPBA in Bengaluru last week. "We have been sitting and observing her sessions. Prakash spoke to her and tried to motivate her. We have also interacted with her coach (Muhammad Hafiz Hashim)," Vimal, who is the director of the PPBA, told PTI. "She is at the moment low on confidence and she has some work to do. We shouldn't expect much from her at the Asian Games," he added. The 2019 world champion has lost seven times in the first round of BWF tour events this year. A semifinal fi

Self belief, consistency was key to Indonesia Masters title: Kiran George

Indian shuttler Kiran George says his giant-killing act at the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament earlier this year gave him the self-belief, which proved to be the key en route his second BWF title at the Indonesia Masters in Medan on Sunday. The 23-year-old from Kochi made a lot of heads turn when he stunned 2018 world championships silver medallist and former All England champion Shi Yuqi and Malaysian Masters finalist and Australian Open winner Weng Hongyang at Thailand Open Super 500 earlier this year. "Initially, in the first 2 to 3 months I struggled a bit with my form but later in Thailand I started playing well and beat some good players. From there on, I had this self belief that I can beat anyone, that belief and consistency is the key to win this tournament," Kiran told PTI. Kiran, who had won his first title at Odisha Open Super 100 last year, beat the world No 82 Koo Takahashi 21-19 22-20 in a 56-minute final clash of the Indonesia Masters. "The tournament went pretty

China Open Badminton: Indian challenge ends after Satwik-Chirag bow out

Commonwealth Games men's doubles champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered an opening-round defeat in the China Open Super 1000 tournament, going down in three games to Indonesia's Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Maulana Bagas here on Wednesday. The Indian pair, ranked two, lost to the world number 13 duo 17-21, 21-11, 17-21 in one hour eight minutes. The Indian mixed doubles pair of Sikki Reddy and Rohan Kapoor also crashed out of the tournament, going down to the Malaysian duo of Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei 15-21, 16-21 in the first round. With the defeats, the Indian challenge came to an end as no shuttler from the country could advance to the second round of the tournament. The loss in the opening round just ahead of the Asian Games would be a huge disappointment for Satwik and Chirag after their success in the Swiss Open Super 300, Korea Open and the Indonesia Open Super 1000 earlier this year. This is the second time the Indonesians have beaten the Satwik-Chi

Indian shuttlers seek China Open success in build-up to Asian Games 2023

Fresh from winning his maiden World Championships bronze medal, HS Prannoy will spearhead India's campaign alongside Lakshya Sen, who will strive to regain top form before the Asian Games, at the China Open Super 1000 Tournament, beginning here on Tuesday. There will be no Indian in the women's singles as star shuttler PV Sindhu has pulled out in a last-minute decision to focus on the Asian Games. Sindhu, who clinched a silver at the last Asiad, was pitted against Korea's Kim Ga Eun. Kerala shuttler Prannoy had a dream run at the Worlds last month where he stunned world No 1 and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen en route to his bronze medal. Prannoy, who achieved his career-high world ranking of No 6 on the back of the World Championships show, will open his campaign against Ng Tze Yong of Malaysia. Should he overcome the opening round, Prannoy could potentially face world No. 4 and third-seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn from Thailand in the round of 16, a competitor he has yet to defeat in

Prannoy achieves career-high world ranking of No. 6, Sindhu jumps to No 14

On a high after his maiden World Championship bronze medal, Indian shuttler H S Prannoy soared to career-high world ranking of No 6 in the latest BWF rankings published on Tuesday. The 31-year-old Kerala shuttler, who eliminated world Number 1 and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen en route to his maiden World Championships bronze, rose three spots with 72437 points in his kitty. He is also the only Indian shuttler, who has maintained a top-10 rank since December last year. In this period, he has won the Super-500 Malaysia Masters and recently finished runner-up at the Australian Open. Among other Indians in the men's singles, Lakshya Sen's ranking dropped by one place, making him the world number 12, while Kidambi Srikanth maintained his position at 20th despite a making a first-round exit at the World Championships. In women's singles, former world champion PV Sindhu, who also made an opening-round exit at the Worlds, moved one spot to secure 14th rank. In the men's doubles, ...

GPBL postponement: Are players wrong in looking to earn some quick money?

While the country is rejoicing HS Prannoy's World Championships bronze medal in Copenhagen, back home more than 60 shuttlers have been deprived of an opportunity to show their skills and earn some much-needed money following the indefinite postponement of the Grand Prix Badminton League (GPBL). The two-week league, with as many as 15 international players, was scheduled to get underway on Sunday. But it was deferred indefinitely after several players pulled out of the event after the Badminton Association of India (BAI) did not give necessary permission to run the league. With the Premier Badminton League (PBL) -- the flagship event of BAI -- not happening since the COVID-19 pandemic, the GPBL was seen as a good opportunity by the second or third string domestic players to earn a decent amount to fuel their dreams. "Seriously, I don't know why BAI is being so anti sport and restricting the spread of the game," a senior player said on condition of anonymity. "It is very difficult f

Nutrition focus, training for specific opponents key to Prannoy's success

A battle with injuries and health issues made HS Prannoy realise that understanding his body and crafting a tailor-made training programme for specific opponents are non-negotiables to keep alive his dreams of winning medals for India. On Saturday, the 31-year-old from Kerala signed off with a world championships bronze in Copenhagen, Denmark, becoming only the fifth Indian men's singles player to win a medal at the prestigious event. The result was the culmination of a good season during which he bagged the Malaysian Masters title and finished runner-up at the Australian Open, besides managing a semifinal and three quarterfinal finishes. "It is a mix of a lot of work that coaches have put in. On court, there has been a change with Gopi (Pullela Gopichand) sir and Guru (RMV Gurusaidutt) bhaiya making training and plans for specific players, whom I might play. So, it has been tailor-made in that manner," Prannoy told PTI before leaving for Copenhagen. "Off the court, I have been ...

Prannoy bags maiden bronze at World Championships after losing in semis

HS Prannoy's dream run at the World Championships ended after he lost in three games to world number 3 Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the men's singles semifinal to sign off with a bronze, extending India's record of having at least one medallist in the showpiece since 2011. The 31-year-old Prannoy squandered an opening game advantage and a 5-1 lead in the second as Vitidsarn, a three-time former world junior champion, dished out better defence and attack to win 18-21 21-13 21-14 and seal a second successive final spot. Notwithstanding the loss, it was a brilliant achievement for Prannoy as he became only the fifth Indian men's singles player to win a World Championships medal. Kidambi Srikanth (silver), Lakshya Sen (bronze), B Sai Praneeth (bronze) and Prakash Padukone (bronze) are the other medallists in men's singles. Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu won five singles medals, including a gold in 2019, and Saina Nehwal (silver and bronze) claimed two, while the women's doub

World Championships: Disappointed, but bronze means a lot says HS Prannoy

Star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy was tad disappointed to miss out on a World championships gold medal but said the bronze meant a lot to him, calling it as the "first starting step" on way to the coveted title. Prannoy's dream run at the World Championships ended after he lost 21-18 13-21 14-21 to world number 3 Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the men's singles semifinal to sign off with a bronze medal. The win extended India's record of having at least one medallist in the showpiece since 2011. "For me, this bronze medal means so much personally because it has been almost 12 years in the circuit, you always want to have those big medals in your hand," he said after the match. "Yes, you are disappointed for not getting the gold but the first starting step is with bronze." The 31-year-old from Kerala thanked the coaching staff and his family for backing him. "A lot of people has done a lot of hard work in the last few years and a lot of things came in place this week. Thanks to a

Badminton: Treesa-Gayatri crash out of World Championships in Denmark

Indian women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand fought hard before going down in straight games to top seeded Chinese duo of Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan in the pre-quarterfinals of the World Championships here on Thursday. World number 19 Gayatri and Treesa, who reached the semifinals of the All England Championships in the last two editions, couldn't sustain the attack against their much-fancied rival and lost 14-21 9-21 in 42 minutes. It was only the second meeting between the two pairs with the Indians having lost to the world number one Chinese at the German Open last year. Chen and Jia are three-time gold medallist at the World Championships and have won three BWF titles and finished runner-up twice this season. The Commonwealth Games bronze winners, who had received a bye in the first round, had a positive start leading 5-2 with the two managing the length to keep up the attack on the Chinese. Treesa and Gayatri moved well and played some good rallies but

BWF World Championships: Satwik-Chirag, Treesa-Gayatri pairs enter round 3

Star Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the pre-quarterfinals with a comfortable straight-game win over Australian duo of Kenneth Zhe Hooi Choo and Ming Chuen Lim in the World Championships here on Wednesday. Indian women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also produced a solid performance to enter round 3 with a straight-game win over Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun of Chinese Taipei. World No. 2 pair of Satwik and Chirag, who had won a maiden bronze in the last edition, produced a clinical display to see off their Australian rivals 21-16 21-9 in 30 minutes. The reigning Commonwealth Games champions, who have won four titles this season, will face Indonesia's 10th seeds Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin next. Earlier, world number 19 Gayatri and Treesa, who reached the semifinals of the All England Championships in the last two editions, beat Chang and Yang, ranked 37th, 21-18 21-10 in 38 minutes. The India

BWF World Championships: HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen advance to second round

Star Indian shuttlers HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen progressed to the men's singles second round of the World Championships with straight-game wins over Finland's Kalle Koljonen and Mauritius' Georges Julien Paul respectively here on Monday. Prannoy, the world number 9, who reached the quarterfinals in the last two editions, saw off the left-handed Koljonen 24-22, 21-10 to extend his head-to-head count over the Finnish player to 3-0. Sen, the reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallist, then streamrolled Paul 21-12, 21-7 in 25 minutes to follow Prannoy into the second round. The Almora shuttler, who had won a bronze in the 2021 edition, is likely to meet Korea's Jeon Hyeok Jin, while the 31-year-old from Kerala is expected to face Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo next. The match between Prannoy and Koljonen turned into a tight battle in the opening game with the Finnish player quick to open up a 8-4 lead. But Prannoy reeled off seven straight points to grab a 11-8 lead at the ...

BWF World Championships: Lakshya Sen counting on recent form to win medal

A maiden medal at the Asian Games and breaking into the world's top 5 remain on his radar but Lakshya Sen's first priority is to extend his rich vein of form at the World Championships. And, he is counting on his recent showing to deliver the goods. After enduring a rough patch, Sen turned around his fortune with a title-winning run in Canada in July and followed it up with two semifinal finishes at the US Open and Japan Open. The 21-year-old from Almora, who claimed a maiden bronze at the World Championships in 2021, will hope to secure another medal when he begins his campaign in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 21. "World Championships being just a week ahead, I feel the past tournaments which I played will really help me go into the tournament," Sen told PTI on the sidelines of the inauguration of Badminton Association of India's National Centre of Excellence here. "The preparation has been good. The past few tournaments, the form has been going well, but there are still a few mo

Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag pair get first-round bye in BWF World Championships

Two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu and men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty received first-round byes in the BWF World Championships 2023 draw held here on Thursday. This year's BWF World Championships will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark from August 21 to 27. Sindhu, who won the women's singles world title in 2019, however, has been handed a tough draw and she might face Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon and top seed An Se Young of Korea as they are grouped in the top half of the draw. Sindhu is the only Indian to feature in the women's singles competition. The men's doubles combination of World Championships bronze medallists Satwik and Chirag achieved a career-best world no.2 ranking last month following their title triumph in Korea Open and are in the form of their life. India's men's singles challenge will be led by in-form HS Prannoy, seeded second in the upcoming event. He will will face Kalle Koljonen of Finland. The other Indians in the fr

Breaking into world's top three is my target now, not Olympics: HS Prannoy

He may be one of the front-runners in the Olympic race but star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy doesn't want to think about Paris right now and is instead focussing on "short-term targets" like breaking into the world's top three. The most consistent Indian singles player in the last 12 months, Prannoy, ranked world number 9, won the Malaysia Masters in May and came within sniffing distance of bagging another title in Sydney, before finishing runner-up at last week's Australian Open. "Right now, probably I am in a good position. I had a few decent tournaments post-May but I would say I am never satisfied and I always want to go out there and win big tournaments, that's been always my ambition," Prannoy told PTI. "Last couple of years, I have been consistently able to play quarterfinals and semifinals and now I am trying to make sure that I go that extra one more round and be in the final and win those tournaments." The 31-year-old Indian, who reached three quarterfinals and a semifinal

Australian Open Badminton: Hong scripts historic comeback to beat Prannoy

Star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy capped off an impressive week with a runner-up finish at the Australian Open after his gallant fight ended in a heart-breaking loss to China's Weng Hong Yang in a thrilling men's singles final here on Sunday. Following a marathon 90 minutes of play, it was Prannoy who was left to bear the heartache as the 9-21 23-21 20-22 loss against world number 24 Weng robbed him of a chance to win his second BWF title of the season. With the win, the 24-year-old Weng, who had won the Korea Open last year and 2019 China Masters, settled the scores against Prannoy after going down in three games to the Indian at the Malaysia Masters final in May. Eight times this year, Prannoy has recovered from an opening game loss and went on to claim the match six times like he did against World number 2 Anthony Ginting in the quarterfinals. The script seemed to be going the same way before Weng staged a sensational comeback from 14-19 down in the decider. The 31-year-old from

PV Sindhu disappoints again, crashes out of Australian Open 2023

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu bowed out of the Australia Open after going down in straight games to USA's world number 12 Beiwen Zhang in the women's singles quarterfinals here on Friday. Sindhu, who has slipped to world number 17th following a series of early exits, was looking to make her fourth semifinal of the season but found it tough to tame Zhang, losing 12-21 17-21 in 39 minutes in the USD 420,000 super 500 tournament. In 10 past meetings, Sindhu had won six times against her opponent but she just couldn't get going on Friday against the 33-year-old Chinese-born American Zhang, who showed better control to come up trumps. Sindhu had beaten compatriots Ashmita Chaliha and Aakarshi Kashyap in the first two rounds but her loss to Zhang would come as a big disappointment as she heads to the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark to be held from August 21 to 27. The 2019 world champion, Sindhu has been going through a lean patch since her recovery from an injury, and

Australia Open badminton: Mithun Manjunath shocks world champ Loh Kean Yew

Unheralded Indian Mithun Manjunath stunned fourth seed and world number seven Kean Yew Loh of Singapore in the opening round while PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth secured straight-game wins at the Australia Open badminton tournament here on Wednesday. Manjunath, ranked 50th in the world, beat Loh 21-19 21-19 in the men's singles first round match that lasted 41 minutes. Manjunath faces the winner of the match between Lee Zii Jia and Leong Jun Hao -- both Malaysians -- in the second round of the BWF Super 500 tournament. Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen conceded his men's singles match against compatriot Kiran George due to an injury. Sen was trailing 0-5 in the opening game when he decided to quit. Fifth seed Sindhu, who has lost in the first round at seven different tour events this season and is playing under a new personal coach in Malaysia's Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, defeated compatriot Ashmita Chaliha 21-18 21-13 in 36 minutes in her opening women's singles match. In other men's singles ..