How Did Odisha Masters Badminton Top Seeds Perform?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Unnati Hooda and Tharun Mannepalli lead the charge for India in the Odisha Masters.
- Impressive comebacks were seen from players like Anmol Kharb.
- Strong performances in both singles and doubles competitions highlight India's badminton talent.
- The tournament serves as a critical platform for emerging athletes.
- Quarterfinal matchups promise to deliver exciting and competitive action.
Cuttack, Dec 11 (NationPress) Unnati Hooda and Tharun Mannepalli, along with Tanvi Sharma, Kiran George, and Anupama Upadhyaya, progressed to the singles quarterfinals as leading Indian badminton players showcased their prowess in the ongoing Odisha Masters BWF World Tour badminton tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Cuttack on Thursday.
In the women's singles, top seed Hooda exhibited her skills by defeating Thailand’s Tidapron Kleebyeesun 21-7, 21-14 in merely 25 minutes, securing her place in the quarterfinals. Following her lead, Tanvi triumphed over fellow Indian Aditi Bhatt with scores of 21-18, 22-20 in a tightly contested 33-minute match.
Anmol Kharb demonstrated remarkable resilience against Japan’s Shiori Ebihara, bouncing back from a 6-21 loss in the first game to clinch the next two games 21-8, 21-13 in 46 minutes. Upadhyaya also made it through after her opponent retired in the third game.
Tasnim Mir, who caused a significant upset on Wednesday, fought valiantly against qualifier Nanami Someya from Japan and is set to face seventh seed Tung Ciou-Tong of Chinese Taipei, who emerged victorious against India’s Aakarshi Kashyap with scores of 11-21, 21-8, 21-18 in a 66-minute match.
In the men’s singles, top seed Tharun advanced to the quarterfinals with a win of 21-16, 12-21, 21-11 against Govind Krishna in 48 minutes and will next challenge Muhamad Yusuf from Indonesia. Furthermore, Indonesia’s Richie Duta Richardo delivered an upset by defeating fourth seed Priyanshu Rajawat 21-12, 21-10. George proceeded with a score of 21-12, 21-18 against Dendi Triansyah and will face eighth seed Rithvik Sanjeevi in an all-Indian quarterfinal. Both Rounak Chouhan and S. Sankar Muthusamy also advanced to the last eight.
In doubles, World Junior Team Championships medalists Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu outperformed Nithin H.V. and Venkata Harsha Veeramreddy with scores of 18-21, 24-22, 21-17 to secure a quarterfinal spot. The fourth-seeded men’s doubles team of Pruthvi Krishnamurthy and Sai Pratheek, along with women’s doubles pairs Kavipriya Selvam/Simran Singhi and Ashwini Bhat/Shikha Gautam, also progressed.
In mixed doubles, the fourth seeds Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh survived a tough match against Nitin Kumar and Ritika Thaker, winning 17-21, 21-13, 21-19 to move into the quarterfinals. Sathwik Reddy and Reshika Uthayasooryan also advanced with a convincing 21-19, 21-12 victory over Par Tien Ann and Juliana Zefanya Gabriela in just 28 minutes.