Priyanshu Rajawat got off to a flying start in the first game, racing to a 10-0 lead and never looking back.
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Indian young shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat produced a brilliant performance to defeat top seed Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in straight sets at the Orleans Masters Super 300 tournament on Thursday. The world number 58 was in dominant form throughout the match, winning 21-8 21-16 against world number 12 Nishimoto. This is one of the biggest wins for young shuttler Rajawat in his career.
Priyanshu Rajawat got off to a flying start in the first game, racing to a 10-0 lead and never looking back. While Nishimoto managed to grab just eight points, he improved in the second game and took a 6-2 lead. However, Rajawat quickly fought back and managed to take a 16-11 lead after a run of six straight points. Kenta Nishimoto once again rallied but the Indian held on to win the match in straight sets. The victory is a significant one for Rajawat, who was part of India’s Thomas Cup winning team.
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Priyanshu had earlier defeated compatriot Kiran George in the Round of 32 of the Orleans Masters 2023. He did so by defeating Kiran in straight sets by 21-18, 21-13. In the next match, he will face Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen in the quarter finals. Yu Jen defeated another Indian Mithun Manjunath, the national badminton champion in men’s singles in 2023, by 21-15, 21-19. Mithun had previously prevailed over Viktor Svendsen of Denmark in the round of 32 in a hard-fought match which resulted in a scoreline of 24-22, 25-23.
Tanya Hemanth, Ashwini Ponappa /Tanisha Crasto, Dhruv Kapila/ MR Arjun and Tanisha/ Sai will also be in action today. Earlier, former world no.1 Saina Nehwal was defeated by Neslihan Yiğit of Turkey in straight sets 21-16, 21-14 in the Round of 32 in the women’s singles. While in the men’s singles, Sameer Verma also lost in the first round against Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen by 21-19, 19-21, and 17-21. Experienced shuttler Sai Praneeth was also defeated in the Round of 32 against Leong Jun Hao of Malaysia. In the absence of senior members, many young players are leading India’s challenge at the Orleans Masters 2023.
