Satwik-Chirag and Kapila-Crasto Advance to Singapore Open Badminton Semifinals

Indian shuttlers experienced a mixed day at the Singapore Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Friday, with PV Sindhu bowing out in the women’s singles quarterfinals, while the doubles pairs of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto progressed to the semifinals with strong performances.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was outplayed by world No. 1 An Se Young, losing 21-17, 21-14 in a 48-minute contest. Sindhu showed intent with an aggressive approach and briefly challenged the Korean in patches, but An’s superior control, defensive coverage, and consistency in crucial rallies ensured she maintained dominance throughout. The defeat extended Sindhu’s winless streak against An Se Young to nine matches, underlining the one-sided nature of their recent encounters at the top level.

In men’s singles, India’s Lakshya Sen exited the tournament after a hard-fought quarterfinal loss to Japan’s Koki Watanabe. In a physically demanding 78-minute match, Sen went down 19-21, 21-15, 15-21 despite pushing the contest into a decider. The result ended his run in the Super 750 event, where he had shown promising form earlier in the competition.

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India’s biggest highlight of the day came in men’s doubles, where fourth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty staged a strong comeback against Malaysia’s Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai. After dropping the opening game 19-21, the Indian pair recovered with improved net play and attacking precision to win 21-17, 21-13 in a one-hour and five-minute battle. The victory sent them into the semifinals, where they will face top seeds and reigning world champions Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea.

In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also booked a place in the semifinals after their quarterfinal opponents, Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, retired during the opening game. The Indian pair capitalised on the opportunity and now face Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara for a place in the final, marking a significant breakthrough in their campaign.

Overall, the day reflected a balanced outcome for India at the Singapore Open, with setbacks in singles offset by strong performances in doubles categories. While Sindhu and Sen fell short against high-ranked opponents, the progress of Satwik-Chirag and Kapila-Crasto ensured India remained well represented in the tournament’s closing stages.

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