Vantaa (Finland), Oct 11: Rising Indian shuttler Anmol Kharb’s impressive run at the Arctic Open Super 500 badminton tournament ended with a straight-game loss to three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi here on Saturday.
The 18-year-old from Faridabad, part of India’s gold-winning team at the 2024 Asia Team Championships, stayed competitive in the early stages of both the games but Yamaguchi pulled away in the second half to register a 21-10, 21-13 win.
Yamaguchi will now take on the winner of the match between two Thai shuttler – fourth seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan and second seed Ratchanok Intanon.
It was a creditable semifinal finish for Kharb, who outwitted notable top-30 players such as Wen Chi Hsu (No. 32) and sixth seed Lin Hsiang Ti (World No. 21), before defeating Denmark’s Amelie Schulz 21-15, 21-14 to reach her first-ever Super 500 semifinal.
A national champion at 16, Kharb produced a spirited performance but struggled to match the experience and craft of Yamaguchi, a former world number one. Kharb, who finished runner-up at the Cameroon International earlier this year and also claimed wins at International Challengers in Belgium and Poland, will take valuable lessons from her contest against the Japanese. (PTI)
