Thailand Open: Satwik-Chirag Reach Men's Doubles Semi, Sindhu And Sen Exit

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty kept India in medal contention at the Thailand Open, storming into the men’s doubles semifinals, while PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen exited in closely contested singles matches on a mixed day for Indian badminton.

The top-seeded men’s doubles pair beat Japan’s Takumi Nomura and Yuichi Shimogami 21-12, 21-13 at Nimibutr Stadium in Patumwan. The quarterfinal on Friday lasted 41 minutes. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will now meet third seeds Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin of Malaysia.

Thailand Open badminton results and Indian campaign

The Asian Games men’s doubles champions seized control early, racing to a 10-0 advantage in the first game. Takumi Nomura and Yuichi Shimogami tried to recover in the second, pulling level at 6-6, but the Japanese combination struggled to counter the Indians’ attacking play.

PV Sindhu started strongly in women’s singles, taking the first game 21-19 against Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi. The Japanese shuttler then turned the match around, winning 21-18 and 21-15. The contest lasted one hour and 10 minutes and featured several long rallies.

All England Open runner-up Lakshya Sen could not progress in men’s singles, losing to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Kunlavut led 11-2 early in the opening game before Lakshya Sen hit five straight points. The Olympic silver medallist still prevailed 21-19, 21-16 after steady defence.

With PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen out, India’s remaining hopes at the Thailand Open now rest on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who carry strong form into their semifinal against Malaysian pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin.