–Olympics
India’s Priyanshu Rajawat made the men’s singles semi-finals at the Syed Modi International 2023 badminton tournament in Lucknow on Friday.
World No. 31 Priyanshu Rajawat, the only Indian singles player still alive in the BWF Super 300 tournament, comfortably dispatched Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan, the reigning junior world No. 1, 21-15, 21-16 in his quarter-final match to make the final four.
The Indian badminton player will face Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen in the semis on Saturday.
Priyanshu Rajawat, who won the Orleans Masters earlier this year, led from the start to take the first game. In the second game, however, the Indian shuttler was made to work harder.
The 21-year-old Priyanshu Rajawat squandered a five-point lead as a spirited Farhan, 99th in the senior rankings, turned the tables and even took a 14-11 advantage at one point. The Indian shuttler, though, seized control of the game at the right moment and drove home the win in 49 minutes.
Meanwhile, in women’s doubles, India’s top-ranked pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand crashed out after a 21-19, 21-8 loss to senior compatriots Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa.
In the all-Indian quarter-final clash, Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, seeded seventh in the tournament, narrowly edged out the fourth-seeded Treesa and Gayatri in the opening game.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, the bronze medal winners from Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, held the edge with a 19-18 lead but the experienced Crasto and Ponnappa pocketed the final three points to gain the advantage.
The second game proved to be a completely one-sided affair with Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa racing to a 12-0 lead before settling the match in 35 minutes.
Featured Image: Times of India