Ace shuttlers Priyanshu Rajawat and Tressa/Gayatri have progressed from the quarters to enter the semis of the Syed Modi International.
The fairytale story of Priyanshu Rajawat has continued in the Syed Modi International as the youngster cruised into the semis. Rajawat overcame the zealous challenge of the Indonesian Alwi Farhan on Friday. The final scoreline stood at 21-15 and 21-16. Priyanshu will next face either Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen in his semi-final match. Elsewhere, the pairing of Ashwini & Tanisha emerged victorious over compatriots Treesa/Gayatri in an all-India quarters.
Having lost in the second round in the BWF World Super Series 300 event in 2022, the 21-year-old shuttler is making amends in a remarkable way. “It’s like a dream come true, and I would like to finish off with a title win here,” Rajawat said after notching up a victory against world junior champion Farhan. Farhan managed to stretch his Indian opponent to a certain extent. Eventually both of them levelled the score at 16 in the second game. However, the Indian shuttler had the last laugh in such an intensive match.
A member of the gold-winning Indian team at the Thomas Cup last year, Rajawat, won gold at the Orleans Masters Super 300 event this year. In the game, Priyanshu raced to a 12-6 lead before grabbing three consecutive points at 18-14 to finish off the first game in just 20 minutes. But the 31st-ranked Farhan, 18, didn’t allow Rajawat an easy passage in the second game. At 16-all, ankle pain forced Rajawat to take a small break. Nevertheless, the Indian shuttler managed to win five consecutive points on resumption and storm to victory.
“I didn’t want to lose to a junior player. There was no pressure in the first game, but I felt this in the second game, especially after having ankle pain. But a break did help me regain my confidence and win,” said Rajawat. However, the semis will not be will be an even bigger one. The Indian will face Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen in the semi-final. Jen defeated compatriot Chia Hao Lee 21-12, 13-21, 21-13 in another quarter-final. Naturally, it will be both a battle of endurance and skills.
In an Indian tournament, an all-India quarterfinals is a treat to the eyes. Naturally, there has been a huge cheering as two fiercely competitive women’s doubles pair faced each other. On one side, it was Ashwini & Tanisha while on the other side it was the energetic duo of Tressa and Gayatri. In the beginning, Jolly and Gopichand kept their rivals on their toes in the first game. However, Crasto and Ponnappa had it all too easy in the second game as the match finished in 35 minutes. The seventh-seeded pair will now face the top seeded Japanese pair of Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota. All semi-finals will be played on Saturday.
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