National Games Champion M Tharun and the unseeded mixed doubles pair of K Sathwik Reddy and Vaishnavi Khadkekar pulled off major upsets to advance to the quarterfinals of the Guwahati Masters Super 100 badminton tournament on Thursday.
In a thrilling men’s singles pre-quarterfinal, Tharun showed grit and resilience to oust top seed Priyanshu Rajawat in a three-game marathon. Saving two game points in the opening game, Tharun edged Rajawat 24-22, 15-21, 21-13 after an intense 70-minute battle. The National Games champion gained momentum in the deciding game, utilizing long rallies to dominate Rajawat.
On an adjacent court, Reddy and Khadkekar staged a comeback to defeat the top-seeded mixed doubles pair of Satish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath.
After losing the first game 18-21, the unseeded duo bounced back to win 21-13, 21-17. Their stellar performance earned them a quarterfinal matchup against the fifth-seeded pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto.
Fifth-seeded Mads Christophersen of Denmark also exited the tournament after a tough three-game loss to India’s Ravi. Despite losing the first game narrowly, Ravi rallied to win 21-23, 21-17, 21-14, setting up a quarterfinal clash with Chinese qualifier Zhu Xuan Chen.
In the women’s singles category, India’s Tasnim Mir came agonizingly close to a major upset against defending champion Lalinrat Chaiwan. Mir held three match points but ultimately fell 21-11, 18-21, 26-24 to the Thai shuttler in a dramatic match.
Ponnappa-Crasto Continue Title Defense
Defending women’s doubles champions Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto secured a comfortable win to advance to the quarterfinals. The duo defeated Amrutha Pramuthesh and Sonali Singh 21-17, 21-17, showing their experience and composure.
Now in its second edition, the Guwahati Masters Super 100 tournament, jointly organized by the Badminton Association of India and Assam Badminton Association, aims to provide valuable exposure to rising Indian shuttlers. With intense competition and stunning upsets, the tournament continues to spotlight emerging talent in Indian badminton.
The quarterfinals promise more electrifying matches as players aim to etch their names in the tournament’s history.
