World No 36 Kiran George stunned a higher-ranked Lu Guang Zu of China to make his way into the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Masters 2024.
World No 36 Kiran George stunned a higher-ranked Lu Guang Zu of China 21-11, 13-21, 21-18 to make his way into the quarter-finals of the 2024 Indonesia Masters Super 500 on Thursday. This result gives a huge respite to the Indian badminton fans especially when both Kiran’s compatriots Lakshya Sen and Priyanshu Rajawat faced setbacks.
The 23-year-old Kiran, who entered the main draw after two marathon three-game wins in the qualifying rounds, now remains the lone Indian standing in the tournament.
Read more: Indonesia Masters 2024: Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat crashes out in pre-quarters
Up against the world No 18, Kiran made brilliant use of the conditions as he raced to an 8-2 lead before pocketing the first game 21-11.
The Chinese shuttler, however, made significant improvements in the next game and Kiran soon found himself trailing 3-11 at the mid-game interval. Down 13 game points at 7-20, the Indian did try to force a comeback by winning six points in a row but Lu wrapped it up 21-13 to force a decider.
The third game was all about handling the nerves and Kiran excelled at maintaining his composure under pressure. The Kerala-born shuttler kept his defence watertight and pounced on loose shots which came his way.
Though he trailed 8-11 at the change of sides, Kiran fought back to equalise at 12-12 and later at 15-15 against the more experienced opponent. The Indians took the lead for the first time in the game at 16-15.
Even as Lu reclaimed the lead at 18-17, Kiran kept the pressure on. A bit of luck at the net saw him win equalise at 18-18, while a smash to the opponent’s backhand side gave him the lead at 19-18.
Read more: Badminton Asian Team Championship 2024: PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy to lead Indian contingent
A crucial error from Lu, when he hit the net with his racquet, helped Kiran to two match points before the Indian advanced to the net in a flat, fast-paced rally, forcing a shot into the net from his opponent to storm into the men’s singles quarter-finals in 64 minutes.
Kiran will now face world No. 9 Kunvalut Vitidsarn of Malaysia in the final eight stage on Friday.
Read more: Indonesia Masters 2024: Twitter Reacts as Kiran George storms into the round of 16
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