Hong Kong Open: Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya advance to quarterfinals

India enjoyed a strong outing at the Hong Kong Open Super 500 on Thursday, 11 September, with Lakshya Sen breaking a six-month drought to reach his first BWF World Tour men’s singles quarterfinal since March, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also powered into the last eight.

World No. 20 Lakshya produced a spirited comeback to defeat compatriot HS Prannoy 15-21, 21-18, 21-10. The 23-year-old, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, has endured a season marred by injuries and inconsistency, with his last big runs coming at the All England Super 1000 and the Macau Open Super 300, where he made the semifinals.

He will next face either Japan’s Kodai Naraoka or rising Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty.

Prannoy dominated early, taking the first game and opening a lead in the second. But Lakshya turned the momentum with sharper attacks, snatching the game to level the match. In the decider, unforced errors cost Prannoy dearly as Lakshya surged from 9-13 down to close out the contest emphatically.

In men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag carried forward their fine form from the World Championships, where they clinched a bronze medal. The world No. 9 pair overcame a tricky test against Thailand’s Chaloempon Sukphun and Nanthakarn Teeraratsakul, rallying from a game down to win 18-21, 21-15, 21-11 in just over an hour. After a dominant 7-2 start in the decider, the Indians sealed the match with authority.

Satwik and Chirag will now face Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap in the quarterfinals as they aim to extend their impressive run.

With IANS inputs