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The latest edition of BWF World Championship is underway in Basel, Switzerland, with the quarter-finals starting today. The Indian challenge will be led by B sai Praneeth and PV Sindhu. Praneeth stunned World No 8 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the pre-quarters, while the experienced HS Prannoy lost on Thursday. [caption id=“attachment_7026011” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
File image PV Sindhu. AP[/caption] Praneeth sent Indonesia’s Ginting packing after a 21-19, 21-13 victory. Prannoy managed to put up a good fight against World No 1 Kento Momota but lost 19-21, 12-21. Praneeth was on top of his game from the start as he erased a 0-3 deficit to move to an 8-5 deficit. He entered the break with an 11-8 advantage. After the interval, Ginting pulled things back at 14-12 and threatened to stop Praneeth before the Indian got his act together to win the opening game with three straight points from 18-19. In the second game, Praneeth moved to 6-2 but Anthony made his way to manage an 11-8 lead at the breather. After the break, Praneeth kept marching ahead as Ginting crumbled. India’s No 1 men’s singles shuttler Kidambi Srikanth suffered an unexpected defeat to Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen in straight games. Meanwhile, PV Sindhu dominated against Beiwen Zhang with a 21-14, 21-6 win in the third round. Saina Nehwal was ousted by Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt in a three-game contest 21-15, 25-27, 12-21.
World Badminton Championships Highlights, quarter-finals: PV Sindhu beats Tai Tzu Ying; B Sai Praneeth ensures medal
B Sai Praneeth takes on Jonatan Christie, while PV Sindhu faces Tai Tzu Ying in the quarter-finals of the BWF World Championships 2019
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In the semifinal
B Sai Praneeth vs Kento Momota (The Japanese player had earlier beaten HS Prannoy)
PV Sindhu vs Blichfeldt/Chen Yu Fei
Bringing you up to speed with key achievements by both Sindhu and Sai Praneeth:
– PV Sindhu with just her second win in eight matches against Tai Tzu Ying
– Sindhu assuring herself of a third medal in a row at the World Championships and fifth overall.
– B Sai Praneeth becomes second Indian since Prakash Padukone to reach last-four of Worlds
Two medals for India in the same edition will happen just for the second time.
B Sai Praneeth with historic feat
What a feat for B Sai Praneeth! He becomes only the second Indian men’s singles shuttler after Prakash Padukone in 1983 to win a World Championship medal! What medal will it be in the end remains to be seen.
B Sai Praneeth registers a historic win!
Praneeth has ended India’s 36-year wait for a men’s singles medal at the World Championships with a 24-22, 21-14 win over Jonatan Christie. He was outstanding from the word go and didn’t look back despite losing focus midway in the second game. A great feat after owing the last two years to injuries and indifferent form.
Praneeth 19-14 Christie
The Indian takes consecutive points as he looks to close the contest quickly.
Praneeth 15-11 Christie
The Indonesian is trying his best to crawl back into the match. Praneeth is looking a bit tired as he gifts another point to his opponent.
Praneeth is surging ahead!
Praneeth 8-2 Christie
We’re looking at two contrasting displays at the moment. Praneeth has been calm and composed, while Christie is rushing at the net. Way too many errors.
Praneeth 4-1 Christie
The Indian has played some classy forehand drives to take the lead. He’s 6-1 up now. Christie lacks patience while playing rallies.
Sai Praneeth wins first game 24-22!
Both Praneeth and Christie had their chances but the Indian shuttler’s superb mix of shots made the difference in the end. He’s played quite a few wristy strokes to take his opponent by surprise.
Praneeth 22-22 Christie
A 32-shot rally goes in the Indonesian shuttler’s favour. Praneeth should have closed it right there.
Praneeth 20-20 Christie
Oh, well. The Indian squanders a gamepoint and allows Christie to make it 21-20. A couple of errors at the net have let Praneeth down here.
Praneeth 19-17 Christie
Unfazed by the Indonesian crowd support for Christie, Praneeth is making his opponent work hard to find angles.
Praneeth 17-16 Christie
Some nervy shots by Christie there. Praneeth is not going to miss those. It’s a tight game, to say the least. Both players have the potential to turn it around in their favour.
Praneeth 15-14 Christie
Christie punishes Praneeth with back-to-back smashes and takes the lead. The Indonesian crowd support is massive in the Basel arena.
Praneeth 14-12 Christie
The Indian has played a mix of good attacking strokes to halt Christie’s movement. It’s a technique that has worked out well for the Hyderabad-born shuttler.
Praneeth looks pretty proactive from the mid-court
On to the next one:
B Sai Praneeth is in action against Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. The Indian takes a 9-6 lead in the opening game. We’ve already witnessed a humdinger of a match. Let’s see how this one unfolds.
PV Sindhu pulls off the unthinkable!
The Indian ace shuts down Tai Tzu Ying 12-21, 23-21, 21-19 to enter the semi-finals and thus confirms a medal for India at the World Championships once again. After a disastrous opening game, Sindhu scripted a great comeback to tame the former World No 1.
Tai Tzu 19-19 Sindhu
Nerves playing a part, understandably. Sindhu rushes at the net twice as Tai levels the score in the third game.
Tai Tzu 17-19 Sindhu
And just in the nick of time, Sindhu bags quick points to take a two-point advantage. This is a great comeback after the first game.
Tai Tzu 17-17 Sindhu
Just when Tai looked set to wrap this match, Sindhu roars back with her attacking prowess. Huge points for Sindhu.
Tai Tzu 14-14 Sindhu
Told you, it’s all square now. Sindhu has played a barrage of half and full smashes. This time, Tai couldn’t read the body smash coming from the other side.
Tai Tzu 13-10 Sindhu
Tai has successfully maintained the lead over Sindhu, who has tried every stroke from the textbook to gain the advantage. It is still a tight contest.
It’s not over yet, Tai
Tai Tzu 9-6 Sindhu
There is only so much Sindhu can do. Tai has figured a way to combat Sindhu’s attacking moves from the mid-court. The Indian has been under pressure for the majority of the match.
Tai Tzu 7-3 Sindhu
Tai has been brilliant throughout. Great accuracy too. Another rally and another point earned smartly by the former World No 1
Tai Tzu 5-2 Sindhu
The Taiwanese hardly plays any lose shots. It looks like Sindhu is being pushed towards the backcourt so that Tai can find an angle for a winner.
Tai Tzu 3-1 Sindhu
A good start for Tai Tzu, but Sindhu has got to put a stop somewhere. Once Tai starts coasting, she doesn’t look back. Sindhu, interestingly, knows about it.
PV Sindhu forces a decider!
The Indian ace edges past Tai 23-21 in the second game. Unlike her first game, Sindhu’s smashes were more powerful. Tai was also beaten at the net on multiple occasions.
Tai Tzu 20-20 Sindhu
Deadlock in this tight, nail-biting second game. Sindhu’s push-clear lands wide. She looks back at Pullela Gopichand and feels dejected as she has no challenges left.
Tai Tzu 19-18 Sindhu
This is getting interesting now. The fans must have surely liked how this match has unfolded. Sindhu with a slender lead.
Tai Tzu 16-17 Sindhu
What a smash from Sindhu! Tai had no chance whatsoever. The Indian finally has the control of the rallies.
Tai Tzu 13-15 Sindhu
Quality strokes from Sindhu there. She takes a two-point lead over Tai with a mix of forehand and backhand strokes. Sindhu will need more of these to send this match into the deciding game.
Tai Tzu 13-13 Sindhu
Great control by Tai Tzu at the net. Sindhu was trying to unsettle the Taiwanese with delicate drop shots. Tai reads the move and levels the score.
Sindhu roars back!
Tai Tzu 8-9 Sindhu
A handful of consecutive points for Sindhu. She’s looking desperate to bag quick points before the mid-game break.