Priyanshu Rajawat proceeded to the semi-finals of the Syed Modi India International Badminton Championships after a 21-15, 21-16 win over Indonesian Alwi Farhan on Friday. Having lost in the second round in the BWF World Super Series 300 event in 2022, the 21-year-old is making amends with his stellar show this year.
Young badminton star Priyanshu Rajawat in action.(Instagram @Priyanshu Rajawat ) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
A trainee at Pullela Gopichand’s academy, Rajawat’s win at the Uttar Pradesh Badminton Academy Hall keeps Indian interest alive in the men’s singles section of the tournament.
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“It’s like a dream come true, and I would like to finish off with a title win here,” Rajawat said after notching up a victory against world junior champion Farhan, who managed to stretch his Indian opponent to a certain extent, levelling the score at 16 in the second game.
“In my first appearance at this event last year, I couldn’t get the desired result, but this time I wanted to prove a point, and I am happy that I have done well so far even after having some pain in the ankle today in the second game,” said Rajawat, who has been training in Hyderabad for the last 13 years.
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A member of the gold-winning Indian team at the Thomas Cup last year, Rajawat, who won gold at the Orleans Masters Super 300 event this year, raced to a 12-6 lead before grabbing three consecutive points at 18-14 to finish off the first game in just 20 minutes. But the 31st-ranked Farhan, 18, didn’t allow Rajawat an easy passage in the second game. At 16-all, ankle pain forced Rajawat to take a small break, but the Indian shuttler managed to win five consecutive points on resumption and storm to victory.
“I didn’t want to lose to a junior player. There was no pressure in the first game, but I felt this in the second game, especially after having ankle pain. But a break did help me regain my confidence and win,” said Rajawat, who meets Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen in the semi-final. Jen defeated compatriot Chia Hao Lee 21-12, 13-21, 21-13 in another quarter-final.
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The seventh-seeded pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, meanwhile, registered a 21-19, 21-8 win over compatriots Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand in the women’s doubles quarter-finals.
While Jolly and Gopichand kept their rivals on their toes in the first game, Crasto and Ponnappa had it all too easy in the second game as the match finished in 35 minutes. All semi-finals will be played on Saturday.
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2023-12-01 13:37:10
#Syed #Modi #International #Badminton #Priyanshu #AshwiniTanisha #enter #semifinals
