The Syed Modi International in Lucknow turned into a stage for rising Indian shuttlers on Thursday, as teenagers Tanvi Sharma and Manraj Singh produced two of the biggest upsets of the tournament to storm into the quarterfinals. Their commanding performances against world-class opponents electrified the home crowd and reshaped the complexion of the competition.
Sixteen-year-old Tanvi Sharma, the World Junior Championships silver medallist, delivered the upset of the day by defeating former world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan. In a gripping 59-minute battle, Tanvi recovered from a first-game deficit to claim a morale-boosting 13-21, 21-16, 21-19 victory. The young Indian, who had earlier reached the US Open Super 300 final this year, showed remarkable composure in the closing stages, sealing her place in the last eight with a fearless display.
Just hours later, 19-year-old Manraj Singh added another shock result, sending ripples through the men’s singles draw by ousting HS Prannoy, the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist. Manraj dominated the contest from the start, securing a 21-15, 21-18 win in just 43 minutes. His recent successes—including titles at the Uganda International Challenge and Iran Fajr International Challenge—were on full display as he outplayed one of India’s most experienced shuttlers.
Meanwhile, top seed Unnati Hooda showcased her control and confidence with a commanding 21-15, 21-10 win over Tasnim Mir to reach the quarterfinals. She will now face seventh seed Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj, who prevailed over Devika Sihag in a tight three-game affair. In another all-Indian clash, Mithun Manjunath outlasted sixth seed Tharun Mannepalli 21-16, 17-21, 21-17, setting up an exciting quarterfinal meeting with Manraj.
Former world No.1 Kidambi Srikanth kept India’s strong run going after breezing past Saneeth Dayanand 21-6, 21-16. He now prepares for a quarterfinal showdown with Priyanshu Rajawat, who overcame BM Rahul Bharadwaj in a hard-fought 21-16, 10-21, 21-12 win. On the other hand, Kiran George, Alap Mishra, and Siddharth Gupta bowed out following second-round defeats.
The women’s singles draw saw another upset as Isharani Baruah stunned sixth seed Polina Buhrova with a decisive 21-15, 21-8 win. She now advances to face fourth seed Neslihan Arın of Turkey. Tanya Hemanth and Anupama Upadhyaya, however, exited the competition.
In doubles action, fifth seeds Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun marched into the men’s doubles quarterfinals after a solid 21-12, 21-18 victory over Malaysia’s Lau Yi Sheng and Lim Tze Jian. Defending champions Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand eased into the women’s doubles last eight, while mixed doubles pairs Hariharan–Treesa and Nithin HV–Srinidhi Narayanan also secured their quarterfinal berths.
