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Tag: badminton news

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Paris Olympics: India needs Pullela Gopichand, Prakash Padukone together in coach’s corner to win singles medals

First, the dire alarmist scenario: There might be no Olympic medal in badminton from the Paris Games for India.So the perennial gripe, intrigue, petty politics and tensions of which stake-holders get credit for a medal’s success might not play out amidst that no-medal silence; and absolutely no one will be happy with this scenario. Supporting NGOs, central funders in Delhi, parents, support staff and coaches – both childhood and elite – might have little to celebrate because the Paris badminton medals are very tough to nail down. It’s because everyone doesn’t always pull in the same direction. Now, an unlikely but ideal scenario: the three big coaches Pullela Gopichand, Vimal Kumar and Prakash Padukone, pool in their brains to help HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu give the medal a ...
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Lakshya Sen has a better yo-yo test score than Virat Kohli’s, but that is just half his comeback story

Lakshya Sen was returning from the US Open last April, but was so beat up and knackered from two weeks of tournament play, that he struggled to lug his own kitbag through the airport on his slouching, hurting shoulders. His close team of coaches, trainers and family knew he was a terribly broken piece. Almost a year on, Sen has made semifinals in back-to-back weeks at Paris and the All England and almost secured the Olympics quota. He hardly had any taping around his knee or shoulders, just some protective tape on the back. He’s flying like before in defense, but more importantly landing stably and has a jump and hit that’s fairly effective late in the third set. In May of 2023, a month after the slumping trudge from the airport, he started on ‘shock training.’ The ‘shock’ is just 6 jum...
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Satwik and Chirag’s rivals Alfian-Ardianto are in All England men’s doubles finals. Is this start of grand Indonesian comeback before Paris Olympics?

The Indonesian doubles dominance had gone missing until this week at All England. Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto have resurfaced making semis at Birmingham, just in time to announce their intent to be in contention for the Olympics. But it’s been a curious absence for the Indonesian pairings in tournaments since October.Hendra Setiawan and Mohammed Ahsan would probably just smile and wave it off if Satwiksairaj Rankireddy actually got down to gushing about them, to their face in his inimitable way. So just as well that Satwik and Chirag Shetty chose to bow deep and complete an awkwardly rushed but genuinely emotional namaskar at the net, after beating their idols in the first round of the All England. The ‘Daddies’ might still turn up in Birmingham next year, you never know. Bu...
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All England Open Badminton Live Score: PV Sindhu trails vs An Se Young; spotlight later on Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya Sen

All England Badminton 2024 Live, PV Sindhu vs An Se Young: India’s top shuttlers will be in action on Thursday at the prestigious All England Open badminton championships as the round of 16 stage gets underway with PV Sindhu’s marquee clash against world No 1 An Se Young. The spotlight will later be on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who come into the event after winning the French Open title last week. They defeated the tricky pairing of Indonesian legends Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in straight games on Wednesday. Satwik-Chirag will take on another Indonesian pair, Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana, who were All England badminton open champions in 2022. Meanwhile, first up, two-time Olympics medallist Sindhu will face the toughest test there is in women’s sin...
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Badminton: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinch 2nd French Open title

India’s star badminton duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat the Chinese Taipei pairing of Lee Jhe Huei and Yang Po Hsuan 21-11, 21-17 to be crowned French Open men’s doubles champions for a second time. The 2022 winners and the third time finalists started out the summit clash in a dominating fashion as they clinched the first game by a 21-11 margin. With the score locked at 5-5 in the first game, the Indians raced away to an 11-5 lead at the mid-game interval before eventually gaining an advantage in Paris. The second game was comparitively tricky for the Indians as the trailed 9-11 at the mid-interval break, before finding their way back in, seizing the next 11 off the following 17 points. It was the shortest final on the day – ending in just 36 minutes The win came o...
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French Open Finals 2024 highlights: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty claim title in just 36 minutes

French Open Finals 2024 highlights, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty claimed their first title of the year at the French Open after brushing aside their opponents from Chinese Taipei, Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Po Hsuan, in just 36 minutes in the French Open 2024. The Indian pair won by a 21-11, 21-17 scoreline despite trailing 9-11 in the mid-game interval of the second game in the men’s doubles final. This is the first title the Indians have won in 2024 and their seventh world tour title. Previously they had reached two finals in events this year. The Indian pair had also won the French Open title in 2022. The Indians were in imperious form at the Adidas Arena, which will be the venue of the badminton event at the Paris Olympics 2024. It took the...
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Lakshya Sen pays price for wild hitting and all-out attack against World Champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn

Lakshya Sen loves playing at a scorching pace, adrenaline flowing, his feet skating around the court, the reflex defense looking spectacular and the attack all flash. It all looks very glamorous. Until suddenly it doesn’t. Against the steadiest, most unflappable and technically sound opponent on the circuit, world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Lakshya Sen’s flashy style ends up being shaded as faintly ridiculous. For the second time since the last World Championship, Sen’s rush-of-blood insistent aggression simply splintered into nothing shots, as he went down 22-20, 13-21, 11-21 at the French Open semifinals. Sen has almost sealed his Olympic ticket making the Last 4 at Paris. But he wouldn’t be very pleased with how he went about his semifinal, especially after winning the opener. The...
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French Open 2024, Semi Finals Highlights: Satwik-Chirag defeat world champs to reach yet another final; Lakshya bows out

French Open Semi Finals 2024 Highlights: Badminton world No. 1 doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated South Korea’s Seo Seung Jae and Kang Min Hyuk in the men’s doubles semifinals at the French Open Super 750 tournament in Paris.Earlier, Lakshya Sen was defeated after being pushed into a decider in his men’s singles semi-final against Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The Indian had edged ahead just in time to claim the first game 22-20, but was outplayed by his Thai opponent in the second game. After taking an 11-2 lead in the second game, Vitidsarn won the second game 21-13 to force a decider. In the third game, he was outplayed by the world champion to lose the match 22-20, 13-21, 11-21. In a battle between the two pairs in the world, the Indians dominated most ...
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French Open Quarterfinals Badminton 2024 Live Score: PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Satwik-Chirag and Treesa-Gayatri in action

French Open Quarterfinals 2024 Live Score, PV Sindhu vs Chen Yufei: There was a glimpse of PV Sindhu returning to her best against Beiwen Zhang in the Round of 16 at the French Open Super 750 badminton tournament. The double Olympic medallist beats Beiwen Zhang to win second successive close match to showcase improved fitness and sharper game. Sindhu, playing her first BWF tour event since returning from a knee injury, will take on second seed Chen Yu Fei of China in the women’s quarterfinal, being played at the badminton venue for Paris 2024. Indian doubles players Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who cruised into the quarterfinals will take on the Thai pair of Jomkoh Supak and Kedren Kittinupong for a place in the semifinal. In the round of 16 at the French Open, Lakshya ca...
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French Open: How Lakshya Sen battled back superbly to defeat world No 4 for a timely confidence boost in Race to Paris

Going through a rough phase recently, Lakshya Sen suffered yet another first-round exit at the start of the year when he lost to Priyanshu Rajawat at home in the Delhi Open. The message then from his long-time coach Vimal Kumar was simple: ‘Just because you lost some first-round matches recently, doesn’t mean you are a bad player.’ The team around Lakshya believed that the results didn’t necessarily match the work he was putting in. Some of his defeats last year could have been put down to not being in physically good shape but the Delhi Open defeat wasn’t down to that. He evidently has been clocking some of the best fitness numbers he has. But for all that to bear fruit, Lakshya needed a result of significance on the World Tour. Forget qualification for the Olympics, just for his confi...
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World championship medallist Sai Praneeth, and Gopichand’s right-hand man Siyaduttullah, eye greener pastures in USA as coaches

B Sai Praneeth won India a badminton men’s singles World Championship bronze in 2019, after a gap of 36 years. And Mohammed Siyaduttullah was guiding Kidambi Srikanth from the coach’s chair when he beat Lin Dan to win the China Open in 2014. The two soft-spoken, high-achieving Hyderabadis, who were at the Pullela Gopichand academy from Day 1, will soon call the USA their home, as they relocate in the coming days, taking up coaching opportunities in the country that hosts the LA Olympics in 2028.Sai, India’s Tokyo Olympian says at 32, he could’ve plodded on the circuit for another two years, chasing smaller titles, but reckoned the time was right to make the shift. Moving to a club in Cary city of North Carolina, Sai said he was desperate for a change after having “lived the pressure lif...
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Para legend Pramod Bhagat matches able-bodied icon Lin Dan’s count of 5 World championships; defeats arch rival Bethell 14-21, 21-15, 21-14 at Thailand

Pramod Bhagat rallied from a set down to win a mammoth 100 minute battle against Englishman Daniel Bethell 14-21, 21-15, 21-14 at the Para World Championships in Thailand. The para legend, in the process, equalled Lin Dan’s mark of 5 World titles amongst able-bodied champs, and became the first para shuttler to secure 3 consecutive wins, in SL3 category with the longest para Worlds final. The versatile Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj picked his first World title in SL4, with a straight sets 21-18, 21-18 win over Indonesian Fredy Setiawan. In SH6 category, the pugnacious Krishna Nagar got the day’s finest win over Chinese Lin Naili, taking the title 22-20, 22-20, his fourth Worlds medal, and a precious gold. India’s 35-year-old para-hero in the SL3 category over the last 8 losses spanning Spa...
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Behind India’s historic Badminton Asia Team C’ships gold, national anthems and a nothing-to-lose freshness

When the public rendition of the national anthem happened with the whole stadium at Shah Alam, Malaysia standing up for the women’s badminton team in blue, India’s 3-2 finals success over Thailand got imprinted in public memory. It was a historic moment as India won their first-ever Asian team title, with the women having never crossed quarters before, and with three youngsters not even 21 years old, leading this charge. As unseeded and unheralded India beat the top-three seeded teams China, Japan, and Thailand 3-2, it was Anmol Kharb, only 17 years old, Treesa Jolly, 20 and Gayatri Gopichand, 21, who won six of those nine crucial matches. The youngest member, Faridabad’s Anmol, was tested for three days playing the tie-breaking 5th rubber, and ranked 478, while playing only her second ...
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Badminton Asia Team Championships Final, India vs Thailand Live Updates: PV Sindhu takes on Supanida Katethong in first match

India vs Thailand BATC 2024 Final Live: Indian women defied all expectations- or lack thereof - to shock Japan 3-2 and make the finals of the Badminton Asia Team Championships. National coach Pullela Gopichand couldn't help gritting and grinning away when the result finally tilted India's way.India vs Thailand Women, BATC Final Live: On Saturday, a young Indian team rallied after PV Sindhu’s defeat to produce a fabulous semifinal win and reach the Badminton Asia Team Championships final for the first time, beating Japan 3-2 in the semis. PV Sindhu and Co will take on Thailand in the title clash, with both teams vying for their first title in the brief history of this tournament. It was a first-ever defeat for Sindhu against Aya Ohori in 14 meetings but the I...
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Pullela Gopichand interview: ‘Talented Ashmita needs to be disciplined in shot-making, Anmol a livewire talent’

Indian women defied all expectations- or lack thereof – to shock Japan 3-2 and make the finals of the Badminton Asia Team Championships. National coach Pullela Gopichand couldn’t help gritting and grinning away when the result finally tilted India’s way. He reckons Thailand won’t have it easy against the Indians in the final. What do you make of the Treesa-Gayatri win? The Japanese were higher ranked, and these two Indians had lost to them earlier, so it was a big match to win. They could’ve closed it out at 21-15, 21-16 in the third set. But the nature of the event is there’s always little nerves. I’m glad they re-composed themselves and got the win. Were you wary of the backlash after putting Treesa-Gayatri ahead of Tanisha-Ashwini for first doubles? No, Tanisha was injured. In hinds...
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Badminton: How Treesa-Gayatri, Ashmita, and 17-year-old Anmol helped India recover after Sindhu’s defeat in epic BATC semifinal win against Japan

Inevitably, Japan knows first that the sun has risen. It shot up on the horizon for World No 6 Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama, in the form of Treesa Jolly leaping high as if for a smash and sending a glowing soft drop instead, when standing behind a resolute Gayatri Gopichand, who was running rings around the top Japanese pair with her stellar placement of the shuttle from the front.Then, former World champion Nozomi Okuhara was left shielding her eyes when the bright spark of Ashmita Chaliha and clean rays of her left-handed smashes dispersed on either flank of the court, at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam, Malaysia. India’s original star PV Sindhu might have had a rough day losing the opening singles. But in Anmol Kharb, ranked No 478, the team’s challenge had a b...
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Badminton Asia Team C’ships: HS Prannoy shows off his rope-a-dope tricks in thrilling three-game win against Weng Hong Yang

Trailing 1-11 in the opening set, HS Prannoy got tongues wagging. It got cranky and borderline nasty as he lost the opener 6-21. By the end of his 6-21, 21-18, 21-19 win however, fans watching on the Youtube stream couldn’t stop gushing about his back-from-the-dead skills. Though India lost the tie 2-3 to China, not affecting their quarterfinals progress, Prannoy served a reminder of why he was India’s No 1 and headed to the Olympics.It’s a script that forces double takes each time you watch it. Though Indians ought to know better, having seen him pull this off at Thomas Cup semifinals against Rasmus Gemke. Playing the first men’s singles rubber against Weng Hong Yang, the cheeky Indian was simply telling the Chinese southpaw, just how many tricks he has up his sleeve, and how he can cr...
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Badminton Asia Team Championships: Sindhu returns in depleted field but India’s top guns need to protect Thomas Cup reputation

India’s Thomas Cup-winning squad from 2022 gets to flaunt their prowess and fix the odd chink in their armour at the Badminton Asia Team Championships starting on Wednesday.At Shah Alam in Malaysia – where the men’s team stocked up on groceries shopping together, posed poolside donning funky glares and matching hotel towels for Instagram shots, and were flanked by a strong, united coaching staff – the successful team seemed happy. The legacy of that Thomas Cup, which India will defend this May, was also a bunch of elite shuttlers, confident of themselves and happy for their teammates. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen and K Srikanth are formidable names over a 3 singles-2 doubles format; but they are also fun-spreading folk in team situations. Should India –...
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Why badminton, without stats obsession as yet, is more interesting than cricket

On the positive side, it is a relief that the tyranny of data and numbers doesn’t blight the watching of badminton. Yet.For, all sports smothered by statistics eventually degenerate into dumb debates of who’s a better player, fan wars, jingoistic jousts and retro-fitted bending figures to suit assorted fanaticisms. Not many can let go of their pet theories and cleanse the palate for the next faceoff, keeping sport fresh and full of surprises, if tethered to stats from the past. Thank god for Tai Tzu Ying who can come back from any match situation. And for Kidambi Srikanth whose (undoubtedly) terrible numbers just cannot strangle the possibility of an unlikely win. Or for Satwik-Chirag who can keep straight faces when 14-20 down and bin all statistical probabilities for a rollicking 22-...
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Thailand Open badminton: Gayatri-Treesa script super fightback vs Ashwini-Tanisha, another disappointment for Srikanth

There were two streaks of impressive comebacks for Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly in their second-round win against Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto at the Thailand Masters Super 300 in Bangkok on Thursday.After taking the first game, the pair of 20-year-olds was trailing 5-11 in Game 2 as Ashwini and Tanisha picked up their quality. Soon after, they were trailing 15-20 and a deciding Game 3 was imminent. But on both occasions, Gayatri-Treesa held their nerves to see out their training partners in an impressive 21-15, 24-22 win to reach the quarterfinals. #ThailandMastersSuper300 What a fightback! Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly trailed 5-11 and then faced five game points at 15-20. But Gayatri steps up big time as the youngsters save 7 game points to take this match in strai...