Highlights, Hong Kong Open 2018, badminton results: Sameer Verma, Kidambi Srikanth ousted in quarter-finals

Sameer 11-18 Lee! 

The crowd is enjoying every single point won by their favourite. Despite being under pressure, Lee has managed to win points at regular intervals.

Sameer 9-16 Lee! 

Lee has been holding on to the lead in the decider. His variation from the backcourt has left Sameer guessing.

Sameer 6-14 Lee!

9 of the 10 points have turned in the favour of Lee. He has been outstanding. The way he closes down at the net is admirable.

11-6! The Qualifier from Hong Kong has a five-point lead at the mid-game break of the decider

Lee has made full use of the drift against a defensive Sameer

LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/B6iZfSSye6#HongKongOpenSuper500

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) November 16, 2018

Sameer 5-9 Lee! 

Lee has shown incredible patience to push Sameer towards the backcourt and wait for the push-clears. The Indian shuttler’s returns have been rudderless.

Sameer 4-4 Lee! 

The tiring rallies have drained out both the shuttlers. The net exchanges lack power. Lee is playing against the drift now. Let’s see if he can make full use of that.

Sameer 21-19 Lee! DECIDER! 

The Indian shuttler survives scare to win the second game 21-19! The Indian shuttler allowed Lee to save three game points at 20-16. 

Time for the deciding game!

Brilliant Save #badminton #HSBCBWFbadminton pic.twitter.com/eTCvbVQiTI

— BWF (@bwfmedia) November 16, 2018

Sameer 20-19 Lee! 

The Hong Kong shuttler saves three game points to close the gap on Sameer’s lead. Can he turn it around?

Sameer 18-15 Lee! 

The Indian finds the line and bags a couple of points to extend his lead. He has been superb at the net and his shot selection has been much better from the mid-court in the second game.

Sameer 15-13 Lee! 

Sameer has managed to keep the pressure on Lee, who seems to be in a hurry to finish the match in straight games.

Sameer 10-11 Lee! 

It has been a tight affair in the second game. Both the shuttlers have found it difficult to force errors. Although, Lee has a slight advantage due to his range of attacking strokes. However, Sameer has the quality to turn this around.

8-8! Back level

Sameer finds his range and unsettles Lee to bag three points on the trot

LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/B6iZfSSye6#HongKongOpenSuper500

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) November 16, 2018

Sameer 4-7 Lee! 

Sameer hasn’t really found his range so far. His shots and foot movements indicate the lack of match fitness.

3-3! Both Sameer and Lee are looking to open up a healthy lead in the second game

The Indian shuttler has hit a few attacking strokes already in the second stanza

LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/B6iZfSSye6#HongKongOpenSuper500

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) November 16, 2018

Sameer 1-3 Lee! 

The Indian shuttler commits a service error. Lee has shown the guile when needed in the opening game. His net shots have kept Sameer at bay.

Lee Cheuk Yiu takes the first game 21-15 

Sameer Verma tried to make a late comeback but Lee did well to wrap up points quickly. The Indian shuttler seemed low on confidence after giving away a slew of points in the early exchanges. Lee did well to capitalise on his lead by attacking his opponent’s backhand side.

Sameer 15-17 Lee

The rallies are getting longer now. Lee wins a 64-shot rally to maintain a two-point lead. Sameer nearly levelled the score there. Lee looks drained out.

Sameer 13-15 Lee! 

The Indian has been accurate at the net. Meanwhile, Lee has been weak defensively. Sameer has the shots in his arsenal to tame even the toughest opponent on the circuit.

It’s 11-13! 

9-13!

A 38-shot rally goes in favour of Sameer. He has been able to unsettle Lee at the net after the break

Can he close the gap?

LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/B6iZfSSye6#HongKongOpenSuper500

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) November 16, 2018

Sameer 7-13 Lee! 

The Indian shuttler manages to take three points in quick succession. The game is picking up the pace now. The rallies have started to come in too.

11-3! It's one-way traffic at the moment

Lee opens up a seven-point lead over Sameer at the mid-game interval of the opening game

LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/B6iZfSSye6#HongKongOpenSuper500

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) November 16, 2018

Sameer 3-9 Lee! 

The Hong Kong shuttler extends his lead against a defensive Sameer as we approach the mid-game break of the opening game.

6-3!

The unseeded Lee is looking sharp from the midcourt, finding angles to hit winners

LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/B6iZfSSye6#HongKongOpenSuper500

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) November 16, 2018

Sameer 0-4 Lee! 

A run of four straight points to begin with. Lee has taken a early lead against Sameer in front of his home crowd.

Sameer vs Lee

India’s Sameer Verma is in action against local shuttler Lee Cheuk Yiu in the quarter-finals. This is their second meeting against each other. Sameer had defeated Lee at the New Zealand Open earlier this year.

INTANON-STOP! 

YONEX-SUNRISE HONG KONG OPEN 2018 | Badminton WS - QF - Highlights #badminton #HSBCBWFbadminton pic.twitter.com/ekfSBNXata

— BWF (@bwfmedia) November 16, 2018

Intanon enters semi-finals

Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon registers a comprehensive win over second seed Akane Yamaguchi. A 21-9, 21-16 victory for the sixth seed guides her to the last four of the competition. 

Earlier in the day, Momota defeated Christie in three games. Check out the highlights! 

YONEX-SUNRISE HONG KONG OPEN 2018 | Badminton MS - QF - Highlights #badminton #HSBCBWFbadminton pic.twitter.com/FLD0FQXQm9

— BWF (@bwfmedia) November 16, 2018

NISHIMOTO THROUGH

Srikanth had no answers whatsoever. That’s pretty much the story of the second game and he succumbed to Nishimoto’s variety of strokes at the net. The Japanese registers a 21-17, 21-13 win. This is Nishimoto’s first win over the Indian ace. 

Game over for Srikanth? 

19-11!

Nishimoto has dominated the second game and is just two points away from beating the former World No 1

Can Srikanth script a comeback from here?

LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/B6iZfSSye6#HongKongOpenSuper500

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) November 16, 2018

Srikanth 9-17 Nishimoto! 

The Indian shuttler has managed to win a slew of points but it’s a mountain to climb from here on.

Srikanth 4-15 Nishimot****o! 

There have been a lot of errors at the net by Srikanth in the second game. Most of his strokes haven’t been effective.

The Japanese shuttler leads 11-3 at the mid-game interval of the second game

Srikanth appears to be slow at the net

LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/B6iZfSSye6#HongKongOpenSuper500

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) November 16, 2018

Srikanth 17-21 Nishimoto
 

Things clearly not going as per plan for the Indian. He was trailing for most of the game, and never looked to find his groove by the end of the first game. He needs major course correction in the second game if he needs to avoid an early ouster.

Srikanth 7-11 Nishimoto
 

The two shuttlers were neck-and-neck until 5-5, but Japan’s Nishimoto raced to a four-point lead in the blink of an eye. Srikanth did well to claw two more points back with some solid retrieving, but eventually, it was the Japanese who went into the mid-game break with the upper-hand and the advantage in the match.

Srikanth vs Nishimoto

The Indian enjoys a healthy 3-0 lead over the eighth seed Nishimoto in the overall head-to-head meetings. Srikanth had defeated the Japanese shuttler at the Badminton Asia Championships 2018. 

Results so far: 

World No 1 Kento Momota fought back from a game down to overcome Indonesia’s talented Jonatan Christie 22-24, 21-9, 21-9. 

Former World No 1 Son Wan Ho defeated Lee Dong Keun 21-16, 21-14 to enter the semi-finals.

Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s live coverage of the Hong Kong Open quarter-finals. India’s Kidambi Srikanth and Sameer Verma will be in action along with a host of other badminton superstars. 

Stay tuned for updates.