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The Hindu
17 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Prannoy saves five match points to progress, Lakshya Sen exits China Open
Indian shuttler H.S. Prannoy saved five match points and clawed his way back from a game down to beat Japan's Koki Watanabe in the opening round of the China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament here on Tuesday (July 22, 2025). The world No. 35 Prannoy pulled off a stunning 8-21, 21-16, 23-21 win against the 18th-ranked Watanabe. It was a tough day for Lakshya Sen, whose poor run continued as he squandered a one-game advantage to suffer a 21-14, 22-24, 11-21 loss to China's fifth seed Li Shi Feng. "This point in my career, every win matters. I'm happy to be back on tour, small breaks happened here and there. The level of playing has gone really high and winning each round is getting tough day by day," Prannoy said after the win. "The average age has become 22- 23 in the men's singles all of a sudden. Lot of fresh faces and you don't really know what their game is. So, it's tough to be a veteran out there," he added. In the opening game of his match, Prannoy, a former top-10 player and bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships, was never in the contest as Watanabe closed it out with ease. But he bounced back in the second game, forcing a decider with sharper court coverage and better control. Prannoy trailed 2-11 in the final game before picking up five points in a row to narrow the gap. Still, he found himself staring at defeat at 15-20, with Watanabe holding five match points. But the Indian showed nerves of steel, saving five match points before taking a slender 21-20 lead and eventually sealing a memorable win. It was a disappointing outing for Anupama Upadhyay in the women's singles, as she exited in the opening round following a 23-21, 11-21, 10-21 loss to Chinese Taipei's Lin Hsiang Ti. The mixed doubles pairs of A Surya and A Pramuthesh and Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde too lost their opening round matches.
News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
HS Prannoy Saves Five Match Points To Progress, Lakshya Sen Exits China Open
Last Updated: HS Prannoy saved five match points to beat Japan's Koki Watanabe in Round 1 of the China Open Super 1000. Star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy saved five match points and clawed his way back from a game down to beat Japan's Koki Watanabe in Round 1 of the China Open Super 1000 on Tuesday. World No. 35 Prannoy achieved a brilliant 8-21, 21-16, 23-21 win against the 18th-ranked Watanabe. It was a hard day for Lakshya Sen, whose poor form continued as he squandered a one-game advantage, suffering a 21-14, 22-24, 11-21 defeat to China's fifth seed Li Shi Feng. 'This point in my career, every win matters. I'm happy to be back on tour. Small breaks happened here and there. The level of playing has gone high, and winning each round is getting tougher day by day," Prannoy said after his victory over Watanabe. 'The average age has become 22-23 in men's singles all of a sudden. There are a lot of fresh faces, and you don't know their game. So, it's tough to be a veteran out there," Prannoy added. In the first game of his match, the star Indian shuttler, a former top-10 player and bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships, was never in the contest as Watanabe closed it out with ease. However, Prannoy bounced back in the second game, forcing a decider with sharper court coverage and better control. Prannoy trailed 2-11 in the final game before picking up five points in a row to narrow the gap. Still, he faced a loss at 15-20, with Watanabe holding five match points. But Prannoy showcased nerves of steel, saving five match points before taking a slender 21-20 lead and sealing a memorable victory over Watanabe. Prannoy next faces sixth seed Chou Tien Chen on Thursday. It was a disappointing outing for Anupama Upadhyay in the women's singles, as she exited in the opening round after a 23-21, 11-21, 10-21 defeat to Chinese Taipei's Lin Hsiang Ti. The mixed doubles pairs of A Surya and A Pramuthesh and Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde lost their opening round matches as well. (With PTI Inputs) view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
2 days ago
- Sport
- News18
World University Games: Selection Controversy Hits Indian Badminton Team
Last Updated: The Indian badminton team won bronze at the World University Games in Germany but faced controversy as six players were barred due to an administrative error. The Indian badminton squad that secured the mixed team bronze medal at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, is embroiled in a controversy over selection after six of the 12 chosen players were barred from participating due to an alleged administrative lapse. Twelve players were selected to represent India, but only six were allowed to compete as officials failed to correctly submit all names during the managers' meeting on July 16. 'This is not just mismanagement – it's career sabotage. We demand answers, accountability, and that our voices be heard. We didn't lose a match – we lost our right to even participate," wrote Alisha Khan, one of the players left out, on Instagram. 'This isn't just a mistake. It's career sabotage by AIU and our team officials. We demand justice." According to sources, BV Rao and Ajit Mohan were the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) officials who attended the meeting. The AIU, which is the nodal body for university-level sports in the country, acknowledged the incident. 'During the managers' meeting, officials were given a letter listing all 12 players from India. It was their responsibility to read it carefully, check for missing or injured players, and confirm or adjust the names accordingly. However, they took it lightly," the source said. 'The names of players who hadn't attended trials were there. They came here only to enjoy. In the meeting, they also made a basic mistake. They were supposed to declare which player would play singles, doubles, and mixed, but didn't process it properly." What Is The Controversy? Saneeth Dayanand, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, Devika Sihag, Tasnim Mir, Varshini Viswanath Sri, and Vaishnavi Khadkekar were the six who competed in the mixed team event. India defeated Macau but lost to Hong Kong in the group stage, then beat the USA in the round of 16 and Malaysia in the quarterfinals before losing to Chinese Taipei in the semifinals. Rohan Kumar, Darshan Pujari, Aditi Bhatt, Abhinash Mohanty, Viraj Kuvale, and Alisha Khan were part of the 12-member squad but did not get to play. Pujari has written to the Badminton Association of India (BAI), demanding a thorough investigation. 'This level of mismanagement has caused significant emotional distress to the affected athletes, especially when Team India went on to win a historic medal at the Games. The players who were left out of the nomination list have been unfairly denied the chance to contribute on the field and be acknowledged as part of this achievement," he wrote in his email. 'To date, there has been no accountability or concrete explanation provided by the managers. A mere apology cannot suffice at this level of international representation, where the careers, dreams, and morale of athletes are at stake. 'Through this email, I respectfully urge the concerned authorities to take this matter seriously, conduct a thorough review, and ensure that such avoidable and damaging incidents are never repeated in the future." Expressing frustration over the incident and the apathy of the Indian officials, a player said, 'It's a historic achievement that our team won a bronze with just six players, but that certificate and medal will change their lives, not ours, when we were supposed to be there as a team. 'The frustrating thing is the officials don't even admit their mistakes or show any remorse," he said anonymously. 'The AIU can at least issue certificates acknowledging all 12 as team members to protect our career prospects and rights." The selection trials were held in April at KIIT, Bhubaneswar, with over 210 players, including top-tier national and international university athletes, participating. However, the source alleged that the players who actually topped the trials were left out of the mixed team event despite being part of the squad. 'The team manager made the blunder. The officials didn't focus during the meeting, and after the trials they didn't follow the proper process. They just submitted six names, so the other six were not allowed by FISU," the source said. 'I don't know whether to call it a technical error or sheer misfortune. Entries were mailed, confirmations received, the team travelled all the way, and yet in the manager's meeting they missed out names. I don't know how it is possible to overlook such a basic responsibility. 'Players have been misled throughout. Now that they couldn't stand on the podium, officials are giving them false hopes about participation and medals in the individual events. The players worked really hard, and if they are robbed of their chance like this, it is unacceptable." A player also alleged that officials goofed up the team jerseys, leading to a fine, an issue highlighted by Pujari in his letter as well. 'They printed full names instead of surnames, and the jerseys didn't carry the country name properly. The team was fined 1000 euros per match for incorrect jerseys. Only from the semifinals onwards did we get proper jerseys sent from India," the player said. 'There wasn't even a proper coach. Players were sitting court-side, coaching each other during matches." (With inputs from PTI) About the Author Ritayan Basu Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, More News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : badminton news view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 21, 2025, 18:20 IST News sports World University Games: Selection Controversy Hits Indian Badminton Team Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
India Opens Medal Tally At World University Games With Badminton Bronze
Last Updated: India won its first medal at the World University Games with a bronze in badminton mixed team. Swimmer Srihari Nataraj broke records in the 100m freestyle. India secured its first medal at the World University Games (WUG) as the badminton mixed team claimed a bronze despite a semifinal defeat to Chinese Taipei. Meanwhile, swimmer Srihari Nataraj continued his impressive run, breaking national bests in the pool on Sunday. The Indian mixed team—comprising Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, Devika Sihag, Saneeth Dayanand, Tasnim Mir, Varshini Viswanath Sri, and Vaishnavi Khadkekar—fell 1–3 to Chinese Taipei in the semifinal round. Under tournament rules, both losing semifinalists—India and Korea—are awarded bronze medals. Chinese Taipei will now face China, who defeated Korea in the other semifinal, in the gold medal match. Devika Sihag was the lone winner for India, defeating Huang Ching Ping 15–10, 15–10 in the women's singles match. In the men's singles opener, Karunakaran lost a close contest to Su Li Yang, going down 13–15, 15–13, 10–15. Following Devika's win, the men's doubles pair of Dayanand and Karunakaran were defeated 8–15, 13–15 by Chen Zhi Ray and Lin Yu Chieh. In the final match of the tie, the women's doubles duo of Tasnim Mir and Varshini Viswanath lost 3–15, 8–15 to Hsu Yin-Hui and Yang Chu Yun, sealing the win for Chinese Taipei. In swimming, Srihari Nataraj bettered the Best Indian Time in the men's 100m freestyle, clocking 49.46 seconds in the heats to qualify for the semifinals. He narrowly surpassed the previous mark of 49.47 seconds, set by Virdhawal Khade during the 2008 Guangzhou Asian Games. Nataraj finished 12th overall and won Heat 6 to secure his semifinal berth. Just two days earlier, the 24-year-old had twice improved his own Best Indian Time in the 200m freestyle event. Compatriot Jashua Thomas Durai finished 47th overall in the 100m freestyle heats with a time of 51.45 seconds, failing to advance. Nataraj also progressed to the 50m backstroke semifinals, winning Heat 4 with a time of 25.59 seconds and placing 10th overall. However, Dhyaan Mahesh Kumar placed 35th in the heats and missed out on a semifinal spot. In the women's 100m butterfly, both Nina Venkatesh (1:04.49) and Nilabjaa Ghosh (1:05.52) failed to qualify, finishing 28th and 31st overall respectively. Similarly, Divyanka Dibya Pradhan and Anushka Sayaji Patil finished 29th and 34th in the women's 200m breaststroke, exiting the competition. India did not start (DNS) in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay heats. Early Exits in Fencing In fencing, the Indian women's Epee team—Mitva Jesangbhai Chaudhari, Tanuja, and Yashkeerat Kaur—lost 21–45 to Germany in the pre-quarterfinals. The men's Sabre team, featuring Aditya Atul, Abhay Krishna Shinde, and Dhruv Walia, also exited in the pre-quarters, suffering an 11–45 defeat to Korea. Mixed Results in Tennis India's mixed doubles duo, Vaishnavi Adkar and Atharva Sharma, advanced to the round of 16 with a 6–1, 6–4 win over Spain's Reina Castilo and Gonzalez Torres. However, in women's singles, Anjali Rathi was eliminated in the round of 32 after a 1–6, 4–6 loss to China's Li Zongyu. Table Tennis and Taekwondo Highlights In table tennis, Suhana Saini, Pritha Vartikar, and Sayali Wani all won their respective women's singles group stage matches. In the men's category, Harkunwar Singh also emerged victorious in his group match. In taekwondo, Deepanshu advanced to the men's 58kg pre-quarterfinals after defeating Denmark's Ricki Gene Farnes. News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
United News of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- United News of India
India win historic Badminton medal at FISU Games
Rhine-Ruhr (Germany), July 20 (UNI) India's mixed badminton team etched its name in the history books by clinching a first-ever medal in the sport at the FISU World University Games, securing a bronze today at the 2025 edition in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. This marks the first time India have made the podium in badminton since the sport was introduced to the World University Games programme in 2007. India confirmed their bronze after a spirited 3-2 victory over Malaysia in the quarterfinals. As per tournament rules, both losing semifinalists were awarded bronze medals. The medal also became India's first at the ongoing Games. In the semifinal clash against Chinese Taipei, India put up a valiant fight. Sathish Kumar Karunakaran opened the tie in men's singles but lost a hard-fought battle 1-2 (15-13, 13-15, 10-15) to Su Li Yang. Devika Sihag brought India level with a commanding 2-0 (15-10, 15-10) win in the women's singles over Huang Ching Ping. The momentum, however, swung back as the men's doubles pair of Saneeth Dayanand and Karunakaran went down 0-2 (8-15, 13-15) to Chen Zhi-ray and Lin Yu Chieh. Tasnim Mir and Varshini Viswanath Sri then lost the women's doubles in straight games (3-15, 8-15) to Hsu Yin-Hui and Yang Chu Yun, sealing the tie for Chinese Taipei. The final mixed doubles match was not played. Earlier in the competition, India defeated the USA 3-1 in the round of 16, blanked Macau China 5-0, and narrowly lost 2-3 to Hong Kong China in the group stage. With this bronze, India are placed joint 29th in the medals tally with one medal. Over 300 Indian athletes are participating at the Rhine-Ruhr Games, including Paris 2024 Olympian Jeswin Aldrin and Asian Games medal-winners Ancy Sojan and Praveen Chithravel. The 32nd edition of the FISU World University Games, running from July 16 to 27, features competition in 18 sports. India's best-ever showing came at Chengdu 2023, where the country finished seventh overall with 26 medals, including 11 golds — eight of which came from shooting. UNI BDN GNK
