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27Mar

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Spain Masters: PV Sindhu has a good chance to end her two-year title wait as she starts off on a winning note in Madrid

[ad_1] Before their Swiss Open campaigns began last week, PV Sindhu and Carolina Marin each shared the same photo of catching up at St Jakobshalle in Basel. “We wage war every time we play, but off the court, the smiles and friendships persist, as they always should,” Sindhu’s caption read. “Always wonderful to cross paths with you, dear friend!” “Friendship never ends, hope to see you on court this week,” Marin’s post said. Indeed a semifinal meeting between the two old-time frenemies appeared on the cards but Sindhu’s week was ended early by Japanese teenage sensation Tomoka Miyazaki. Marin, on the other hand, went on to make it two titles in as many weeks, to follow up her superb run at the All England. A potential reunion in front of her fans against Sindhu in the final was a possibi...

24Mar

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

[ad_1] 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 me...

17Mar

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All England Badminton Championships: Lakshya Sen runs out of steam in semis | Badminton News – Times of India

[ad_1] India’s long drought at the All England badminton championships continued as Lakshya Sen lost in the semifinals of the blue riband event in Birmingham, England, on Saturday. Sen fought hard before he lost his rhythm in the third game and suffered a 12-21, 21-10, 15-21 defeat to Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. After losing the first game, Lakshya recovered to win the second game with a big margin.Even in the third game, he was up 3-0. But Christie clawed his way back in the contest, relying mostly on his jump smashes. He first played long rallies and after wearing out his rival, executed full-blooded smashes. When Lakshya was up 6-4, Christie engaged him in the longest rally of the match, a 63-shot exchange, and won it. That changed the complexion of the match. Till then, Lakshya ap...

16Mar

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lakshya sen enters semifinals of all england championships | Badminton News – Times of India

[ad_1] In a remarkable display of mental fortitude, India's Lakshya Sen secured a stunning victory over former champion Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia, advancing to the men's singles semifinals of the All England Championships. Sen, aged 22, showed resilience throughout the match, employing varied attacking strategies and persevering against Lee to emerge victorious 20-22, 21-16, 21-19 in a captivating quarterfinal that extended for 71 minutes on Friday.This triumph comes after Sen's runner-up finish in the 2022 edition of the tournament."It was a really good match and happy to be on winning side. It was all about keeping the nerve. I knew he has the quality to comeback and give a tough fight," Sen said."Even when I was 18-14 up, I knew if I play a little bit lose, he will grab the opportunity....

14Mar

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PV Sindhu goes down to An Se Young in All England Championships second round | Badminton News – Times of India

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: PV Sindhu faced a straight-game loss to her long-standing rival An Se Young of Korea in the women's singles second round at the All England Badminton Championships on Thursday.Despite Sindhu's commendable effort and her status as a double Olympic medallist, she struggled to contain the world No. 1 Korean player's dominance, ultimately succumbing to a 19-21, 11-21 defeat in their 42-minute encounter.It was the Indian's seventh successive loss to the indomitable An Se Young, who had become the first Korean woman singles player to win the World Championships last year.The Korean won in Malaysia and France this season, while Sindhu is on a comeback trail after recovering from a left knee injury.The Indian tried to attack but her 22-year-old opponent looked in a different le...

14Mar

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‘Badminton spin serve master’ Wing Commander Satish Bhatia passes away

[ad_1] Wing Commander Satish Bhatia (retd) passed away on Wednesday after a prolonged illness. He was 81. Commissioned in IAF in December 1964, Wing Commander Bhatia was an AN-12 transport pilot and had flown the last sortie of the aircraft on June 30, 1993 when it was phased out from service. During the course of his career he served in HQs Training Command Communications Flight, in 11 Squadron in Lucknow and 25 Squadron in Chandigarh among many varied appointments in his more than 30 year long career. Wing Commander Bhatia took active part in the 1965 and 1971 wars flying operational sorties and was also part of the air effort in Sri Lanka with Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). satish Bhatia meeting the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. (Special arrangement) After his retireme...

10Mar

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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty win French Open doubles title | Badminton News – Times of India

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Star India duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Sunday clinched the French Open crown with straight game win over Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan of Chinese Taipei in the men's doubles final.Continuing their love affair with Paris, Satwik-Chirag grabbed their second French Open Super 750 title after producing a dominant performance. The world No.1 Indian pair had finished runners-up in the French Open in 2019 before winning the title in 2022.The Asian Games champions outwitted Lee and Yang 21-11 21-17 in 37 minutes to regain the Super 750 tournament title and also win their first crown of the season after reaching the summit clash for the third time in 2023.The Indian duo had finished second best at Malaysia Super 1000, India Super 750 this year, while sig...

5Mar

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Paris calling: Why French Open 2024 is a crucial badminton event for Satwik-Chirag, Sindhu, Prannoy and Co

[ad_1] The French Open Super 750 is an event close to Indian badminton fans in recent years, given how well Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have done in Paris in the past. It’s the event where they made their first major breakthrough in 2019, reaching the final with three upset wins. In 2022, they went all the way to win their first Super 750 title. All those results came in October, when the French Open is usually held. But in 2024, the tournament starts on Tuesday, in the middle of March. Why is that significant? The coming week will give the best shuttlers in the world, the first look at the badminton venue for the Paris Olympics (and Paralympics). Contrary to the proverb, in sports, familiarity can breed confidence. And that will be the big aspect of the next few days, not ...

4Mar

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Sai Praneeth announces retirement from international badminton | Badminton News – Times of India

[ad_1] HYDERABAD: Former World Championships bronze medallist B Sai Praneeth announced his retirement on Monday.The 31-year-old shuttler, who ended India's 36-year-old drought of a World Championships medal in 2019, said that he is happy for what he has achieved in his career."There are several ups and downs but I am happy with what I have achieved in my career.I know I could have done more but the fact that I will be remembered as one of the best singles players is quite satisfying," said Praneeth, who said that his biggest regret is not winning an Olympic medal."I have won some good tournaments. But my biggest regret is not winning an Olympic medal," added Praneeth, who is considered one of the artists of the game.Not performing over the last few months made Praneeth took this decision...

3Mar

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Badminton: For Tanisha Crasto, women’s doubles was Plan B, but she’s enjoying the learning curve alongside Ashwini Ponnappa

[ad_1] Not unlike Jwala Gutta, Tanisha Crasto’s game is far better suited for the more bustling mixed doubles. Like Jwala, she can frenziedly combat the opposing men, unafraid of eyeball battles. And not unlike Jwala, she too has struck up a fantastic and surprisingly fast-evolved doubles partnership with Ashwini Ponappa in women’s doubles.“If you asked us at the mid-point of last year, I wasn’t even thinking of Olympics. Today I’m happy we are in the race to head to Paris,” Tanisha says, adding that she’s not being too hard on herself chasing Games qualification, even as Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand and Tanisha-Ashwini go head to head to secure the lead spot. “What’s meant for me, I will get.” Tanisha is the aggressive half of the pairing’s ‘calm aggression’ lilt tunes of play. They a...

26Feb

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Focused PV Sindhu hoping to book Paris Olympics ticket | Badminton News – Times of India

[ad_1] Ace shuttler focused on road to ParisBENGALURU: After a long practice session, ace shuttler PV Sindhu and her coach Agus Dwi Santoso sat down for a courtside discussion about her game at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) here on Saturday. Such talks have been a norm since the Indonesian coach was roped in earlier in the year. At times, Agus even stopped her practice sessions midway briefly to correct her mistakes 'then and there'.Since shifting base to Bengaluru in November, Sindhu is 'happy with the new team', which also includes mentor Prakash Padukone, who keeps a close eye during training. Her sparring partners range from one to three players each time. She is also picking the brains of both Prakash and Agus with her eyes fixed on the big year ahead, which includes...

25Feb

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‘I found my positivity on court’: Para World champ Krishna Nagar on how he coped with loss of his mother

[ad_1] Krishna Nagar, India’s brand new para World champion in SH6 category, lost an anchor of his life, his mother, six months after his Tokyo Paralympic triumph in 2021. Grief cast a shadow on his gold, and he plunged into negativity, that ate away at his confidence on the badminton court. But the sport and support of his friends means the Jaipur pro has rediscovered his winning stomp. It gave Krishna his first para World title at Thailand from three Championships, one among India’s three gold, as he continued to bombard Chinese Lin Naili in the 22-20, 22-20 final at Thailand on Sunday. The SH6 category is for those that are short-statured and suffer from dwarfism. Krishna Nagar’s jump smashes One of the standout features of Krishna’s game has been his jump smashes. But his verve had...

24Feb

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Suhas Yathiraj, Pramod Bhagat, Krishna Nagar in Para Badminton World Championships finals | Badminton News – Times of India

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: India's Suhas Yathiraj, Pramod Bhagat, and Krishna Nagar have shown remarkable performances, progressing to the men's singles finals in various categories at the Para Badminton World Championship in Pattaya, Thailand.Suhas Yathiraj, ranked World No. 3 and a Paralympic silver medalist, achieved a significant upset by defeating World No. 1 Lucas Mazur of France in the men's singles SL4 semi-final.This victory marks Yathiraj's first appearance in the finals of this prestigious championship. Notably, Yathiraj is an accomplished IAS officer hailing from Karnataka, currently serving as the Secretary and Director General of Youth Welfare and Prantiya Rakshak Dal in the Uttar Pradesh government.In another SL4 semi-final, Sukant Kadam faced a defeat against Indonesia's Fredy Set...

18Feb

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After Saina and Sindhu did India get another ‘Anmol’? | Badminton News – Times of India

[ad_1] HYDERABAD: After Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu did India get another 'Anmol'? A look at the recent performances of Anmol Kharb makes one believe that the 17-year-old from Faridabad is destined for bigger things in life.With no formal training from the biggest academies in the country, the teen surprised many when she was crowned the national champion in women's singles.By virtue of her good showing at the Nationals, she was picked as the third singles player for the Badminton Asia Team Championships. Anmol soon became the toast of the team when she pulled off a three-game victory against Wu Luo Yu and helped India to beat China.That victory helped India to top the group and get an easy opponent in the form of Hong Kong in the quarterfinals.Anmol was not required for that match as Ind...

18Feb

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Indian women clinch historic gold at Badminton Asia Team Championships | Badminton News – Times of India

[ad_1] SHAH ALAM: Young Anmol Kharb once again did the star turn as Indian women beat Thailand 3-2 in a thrilling final to clinch their maiden gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships here on Sunday.The young and sprightly group of Indian women's team, led by PV Sindhu, defied all expectations as it rose to the occasion to come up trumps against two-time bronze medallists Thailand.It, however, needs to be mentioned that like most of the teams in the competition, Thailand were not at full strength. They were without their top two singles players -- world No. 13 Ratchanok Intanon and world No. 16 Pornpawee Chochuwong.Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who is returning to action after a four-month injury-forced break, was back to her aggressive best as rode on her power and pl...

14Feb

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Badminton Asian Team Championships: On comeback, assertive PV Sindhu slam-dunks Chinese rival

[ad_1] India’s finest contemporary shuttler PV Sindhu is on a mission to reclaim lost glory, and ceded territory. The women’s singles Top 10 is prime real estate, and Sindhu was pushed to the edges of that town by a pair of Chinese second-stringers, Han Yue and Wang Zhi Yi, tumbling out to World No 11 last few months as she nursed a bad knee. At the Badminton Asian Team Championships, Sindhu returned after three months, and took a chunky bite out of Han Yue’s ranking points, feasting on a sumptuous 21-17, 21-15 victory to give India a 1-0 lead at Shah Alam, Malaysia. India trailed in the tie 1-2 after Ashwini Ponappa-Tanisha Crasto and Ashmita Chalihalowt in straight sets. But Sindhu imposed her physicality on the first singles battle to send out a signal that she was ready to retake her...

11Feb

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Why badminton, without stats obsession as yet, is more interesting than cricket

[ad_1] 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 rollicki...

8Feb

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Paris Olympics will be challenging, need to be smarter: PV Sindhu | Badminton News – Times of India

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: As two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu gears up for a return after a series of injury setbacks, the ace India shuttler has her eyes set on the coveted gold medal in the upcoming Paris Games. Sindhu acknowledges the challenges ahead and said she needs to be smarter in her pursuit of the top prize. The former world champion has faced a lean patch marked by injuries and dip in form over the past year and a half.During her triumphant campaign at the 2022 CWG, Sindhu endured a stress fracture on her left ankle, followed by another injury to her left knee during the French Open in October last year. The setbacks sidelined her for three months. "I would say, this Olympics is going to be a different experience because the 2016 and 2020 Olympics were very different. Paris will b...

31Jan

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Thailand Masters badminton: As Ashwini-Tanisha take on Gayatri-Treesa, an intriguing battle awaits in the Race to Paris

[ad_1] After not having a single representative at the Tokyo Olympics, women’s doubles badminton in India is entering an exciting final phase of Paris qualification. Two pairs are in the fray, battling it out against each other in a topsy-turvy race. Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, who only started playing together a year back, recently overtook Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly in the Race to Paris list. On Thursday in Bangkok, there will be a round-of-16 clash between the two Indian pairs at the Thailand Masters Super 300 that promises to be an intriguing chapter in this race. Ashwini and Tanisha currently hold the edge, occupying the 11th qualification spot among 16 pairs that will qualify for Paris. Treesa and Gayatri are trying to mount a comeback after a less-than-ideal finis...

26Jan

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Indonesia Masters: Kiran fizzles out against reigning Worlds champ Vitidsarn

[ad_1] The lack of a dependable kill-stroke, and an assertive rally-ender cost Kiran George heavily in the Indonesia Masters Super 500 quarterfinals. It will remain the World No 36’s biggest challenge as he tries to crack Top 20 and Top 10 in the coming years.Kiran lost 21-14, 21-6 in 43 long minutes against reigning World champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn on Friday. It was a lot of effort expended over long rallies, constructed and defended valiantly, for very low returns, in the absence of that decisive smash-kill. It must be recalled that Vitidsarn and Kodai Naraoka, played the last World Championship finals, and despite the excruciating ennui they bring to proceedings with laborious retrieving, they are in possession of a winning style. Kiran had already played 4 three-setters this week, a...