Srikanth, Devika, Rounak reach US Open badminton 2025 semifinals
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Kidambi Srikanth, Devika Sihag, and Rounak Chouhan all sealed their spots in the semifinals of the US Open badminton tournament in Fullerton on 27 June, raising the prospect of a historic all-India final in the men's singles on Sunday. The trio's quarterfinal victories underline India's growing depth on the BWF World Tour Super 300 circuit.
Quarterfinal Results
Devika Sihag, the reigning Thailand Masters champion, edged out third seed Riko Gunji of Japan 22-20, 21-19 in the women's singles quarterfinals, displaying composure under pressure in both games. In the men's draw, Rounak Chouhan dismantled Israel's Misha Zilberman 23-21, 21-11 in just 38 minutes — his first-ever men's singles BWF World Tour Super 300 semifinal.
Later on Friday, former world number one Kidambi Srikanth — the fifth seed — overcame Liao Jhuo-Fu of Chinese Taipei 21-9, 12-21, 21-8 in a three-game contest, keeping alive the possibility of an all-India final on Sunday.
Semifinal Draw
In the men's singles semifinals, Chouhan will take on eighth seed Su Li Yang of Chinese Taipei, while Srikanth faces fourth seed Yudai Okimoto of Japan. On the women's side, Devika will square off against second seed Line Christophersen of Denmark, who defeated India's Tanvi Sharma in the quarterfinals 21-16, 11-21, 21-11.
Notably, Rakshitha Sree bowed out in the quarterfinals, losing to Canada's Rachel Chan 15-21, 21-16, 21-12, ending India's women's singles challenge to just Devika in the last four.
India's Earlier Campaign
The Indian contingent had made a strong start earlier in the week. Tanvi Sharma, the World Junior Championship silver medallist, opened her campaign with a 23-21, 21-16 win over Yvonne Li of Germany, while Devika beat Ines Lucia Castillo of Peru 21-14, 21-14 in the first round.
In an all-Indian first-round clash, Chouhan defeated former world junior silver medallist S Sankar Muthusamy 23-21, 21-16. Srikanth then dispatched fellow Indian D Saneeth in just 30 minutes, winning 21-14, 21-12.
Mixed Doubles and Other Results
Rakshitha Sree had earlier beaten Tereza Svabikova of the Czech Republic 21-15, 21-8 to advance. The seventh-seeded mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Rawat and K Maneesha required only 26 minutes to dispatch Indonesia's Wirawan Ihsan Adam and Serena Kani 21-15, 21-16, though their semifinal prospects will be closely watched.
With three Indians in the last four across singles, the US Open 2025 in Fullerton could yet deliver a landmark result for Indian badminton heading into the second half of the BWF calendar.