Lucknow, Nov 29: Star Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen moved a step closer to clinching the women’s and men’s singles title respectively, registering straight-game wins to advance to the semifinals of the Syed Modi International Super 300 badminton tournament here on Friday.
Second seed Priyanshu Rajawat also registered a fine 21-13 21-8 win over Hong Kong’s Nguyen Hai Dang to enter the men’s singles semifinals.
Top seed Sindhu, a two-time champion at the event (2017, 2022), defeated China’s Dai Wang 21-15, 21-17 in a 48-minute women’s singles quarterfinal. Lakshya, the 2021 World Championship bronze medallist, also dominated his match, beating compatriot Meiraba Luwang Maisnam 21-8, 21-19 in the men’s singles quarterfinal.
Sindhu is ranked 18th in the world while Wang is at 118th.
Sindhu will face fellow Indian Unnati Hooda in the semifinals, while Lakshya will meet Japan’s Shogo Ogawa. Priyanshu will cross swords with fourth seed Singaporean Jia Heng Jason Teh.
Hooda, who won the Odisha Open title in 2022, earned a commanding 21-16, 21-9 victory over USA’s Ishika Jaiswal in her quarterfinal match.
Top seeds Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa also made it to the last four with a 21-12 17-21 21-16 win over fifth seeded compatriots Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra in the women’s doubles.
Second-seeded women’s doubles duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who have qualified for the season-ending World Tour Finals in China, also continued their fine run with a 21-8, 21-15 win over sixth seeds Go Pei Kee and Teoh Mei Xing to enter the semifinals.
In the mixed doubles, fifth-seeded pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto defeated Malaysia’s Loo Bing Kun and Ho Lo Ee 21-16, 21-13 to advance to the semifinals.
In the men’s doubles, Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sa Pratheek K will fight against Ishaan Bhatnagar and Sankar Prasad Udayakumar in an all-Indian semifinal.
However, eighth-seeded Ayush Shetty, a bronze medallist at the 2023 World Junior Championships, bowed out after a 7-21, 14-21 loss to Ogawa in the men’s singles.
In the women’s singles, Tasnim Mir and Shriyanshi Valishetty also ended their campaigns after losing in the quarterfinals. (PTI)
