After his remarkable <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/indian-open">India Open</a> title win, the Paris Olympics gold medalist shuttler <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/viktor-axelsen" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Viktor Axelsen</a> said that his game did not feel like &lsquo;smooth sailing&rsquo; at all and he struggled during the start of his match.<o:p></o:p>
The Danish star said, "I moved a little stiffly in defence at the beginning of the game, but then I started to find my rhythm and I started to feel better.&rdquo;<o:p></o:p>
Despite his win, Axelsen emphasised that he is far from his best form. &ldquo;I am far from my best at the moment actually. So that is a very good sign that I am winning here. I haven&rsquo;t really had a good training block for a long time. If I can structure together like four weeks of proper training, then I feel like I can be in an even better place and compete for the biggest titles,&rdquo; the 31-year-old said.<o:p></o:p>
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/steve-smith-injures-elbow-in-bbl-as-departure-for-training-camp-delayed-sri-lanka-tests-8635208">Steve Smith, stand-in captain for Sri Lanka Tests, suffers injury scare</a> 
The Dane said the win reignited his motivation after a quiet period, following his Olympic victory in Paris.<o:p></o:p>
&ldquo;The first one as a 31-year-old. I was in my first final here 10 years ago, which is crazy. It feels very surreal to win this for the third time in my sixth final. It is amazing,&rdquo; Axelsen said.<o:p></o:p>
<h2 class="MsoNormal">Viktor Axelsen, An Se Young clinch singles titles<o:p></o:p></h2>
Paris Olympic champions Axelsen and South Korea&rsquo;s An Se Young registered thumping victories to clinch the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s singles titles respectively in the India Open 2025 on Sunday (Jan 19).<o:p></o:p>
Axelsen defeated Hong Kong&rsquo;s Lee Cheuk Yiu 21-16, 21-8 to clinch his third India Open men&rsquo;s singles crown, while An Se Young had little trouble packing off Thailand&rsquo;s Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-12, 21-9 in the women&rsquo;s singles final.<o:p></o:p>
Results:<o:p></o:p>
Men&rsquo;s singles: Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) beat Lee Cheuk Yiu (Hong Kong) 21-16, 21-8<o:p></o:p>
Women&rsquo;s singles: An Se Young (South Korea) beat 8-Pornpawee Chochuwong (Thailand) 21-12, 21-9<o:p></o:p>
Men&rsquo;s doubles: Goh Sze Fei/Nu Izzuddin (Malaysia) beat Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae (South Korea) 21-15, 13-21, 21-16<o:p></o:p>
Women&rsquo;s doubles: Arisa Igarashi/Ayako Sakuramoto (Japan) beat Kim Hye Jang/Kong Hee Young (South Korea) 21-15, 21-13<o:p></o:p>
Mixed doubles: Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin (China) beat Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue (France) 21-18, 21-17<o:p></o:p>
(With inputs from agencies)<o:p></o:p>

Paris Olympic champions Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and South Korea’s An Se Young registered victories to clinch the men’s and women’s singles titles, respectively in the India Open 2025. Sports. Badminton

After his remarkable India Open title win, the Paris Olympics gold medalist shuttler Viktor Axelsen said that his game did not feel like ‘smooth sailing’ at all and he struggled during the start of his match. The Danish star said, "I moved a little stiffly in defence at the beginning of the game, but then I started to find my rhythm and I started to feel better.” Despite his win, Axelsen emphasised that he is far from his best form. “I am far from my best at the moment actually. So that is a very good sign that I am winning here. I haven’t really had a good training block for a long time. If I can structure together like four weeks of proper training, then I feel like I can be in an even better place and compete for the biggest titles,” the 31-year-old said. Also Read: Steve Smith, stand-in captain for Sri Lanka Tests, suffers injury scare The Dane said the win reignited his motivation after a quiet period, following his Olympic victory in Paris. “The first one as a 31-year-old. I was in my first final here 10 years ago, which is crazy. It feels very surreal to win this for the third time in my sixth final. It is amazing,” Axelsen said. Viktor Axelsen, An Se Young clinch singles titles Paris Olympic champions Axelsen and South Korea’s An Se Young registered thumping victories to clinch the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively in the India Open 2025 on Sunday (Jan 19). Axelsen defeated Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu 21-16, 21-8 to clinch his third India Open men’s singles crown, while An Se Young had little trouble packing off Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-12, 21-9 in the women’s singles final. Results: Men’s singles: Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) beat Lee Cheuk Yiu (Hong Kong) 21-16, 21-8 Women’s singles: An Se Young (South Korea) beat 8-Pornpawee Chochuwong (Thailand) 21-12, 21-9 Men’s doubles: Goh Sze Fei/Nu Izzuddin (Malaysia) beat Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae (South Korea) 21-15, 13-21, 21-16 Women’s doubles: Arisa Igarashi/Ayako Sakuramoto (Japan) beat Kim Hye Jang/Kong Hee Young (South Korea) 21-15, 21-13 Mixed doubles: Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin (China) beat Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue (France) 21-18, 21-17 (With inputs from agencies)

India Open 2025: I am far from my best, says two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen

Mia Blichfeldt, Danish badminton player has criticised the conditions at the ongoing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/indian-open">Indian Open</a> 2025 Super 750 tournament being played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. Blichfeldt has expressed her discontent with the playing conditions and the increasing pollution levels in the national capital.
The 27-year-old player has called the situation 'unfair' for all the players participating in the tournament. The world no. 23 had picked up a stomach infection but managed to fight through the second round before losing 21-13 16-21 8-21 to China's Wang Zhi Yi.
Mia took to her Instagram account where she said, "It's two years in a row that I get sick during the Indian Open. It's really hard to accept that many weeks of work and preparing gets wasted becuase of bad conditions. It's not fair to anyone that we have to train and play in smog, birds shitting on the court and dirt everywhere. These conditions are too unhealthy and unacceptable."
See the Instagram post here:
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<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DE9HBD3o1Fm/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Mia Blichfeldt (@mia_blichfeldt)</a>
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&nbsp;"That night (Tuesday) was terrible. The only sleep I got was in the morning because I kept throwing up all night. I'm really tired now and my body is really dead," Blichfeldt said.
The Dane said she was proud of staying the course despite her condition, as she took the fight to the Chinese.
&ldquo;Today I felt I dug deep and I did everything I could. I had to adjust my game and I&rsquo;m actually playing good when I&rsquo;m not playing high speed all the time. Now I&rsquo;m looking forward to going back to France and working for the European tour in February and March.&rdquo;
Meanwhile, Sanjay Mishra, Secretary, Badminton Association of India in a statement said, "As the host and staging authority for the Yonex Sunrise India Open, the Badminton Association of India gains access to the stadium and its infrastructure only four days before the event, which poses significant logistical challenges. We are already in discussions with the BWF to explore alternative venues and are actively evaluating the infrastructure options."
(With inputs from agencies)

Blichfeldt has expressed her discontent with the playing conditions and the increasing pollution levels in the national capital. She has called the situation 'unfair' for all the players participating in the tournament. Sports. Badminton.

Mia Blichfeldt, Danish badminton player has criticised the conditions at the ongoing Indian Open 2025 Super 750 tournament being played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. Blichfeldt has expressed her discontent with the playing conditions and the increasing pollution levels in the national capital. The 27-year-old player has called the situation 'unfair' for all the players participating in the tournament. The world no. 23 had picked up a stomach infection but managed to fight through the second round before losing 21-13 16-21 8-21 to China's Wang Zhi Yi. Mia took to her Instagram account where she said, "It's two years in a row that I get sick during the Indian Open. It's really hard to accept that many weeks of work and preparing gets wasted becuase of bad conditions. It's not fair to anyone that we have to train and play in smog, birds shitting on the court and dirt everywhere. These conditions are too unhealthy and unacceptable." See the Instagram post here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mia Blichfeldt (@mia_blichfeldt) "That night (Tuesday) was terrible. The only sleep I got was in the morning because I kept throwing up all night. I'm really tired now and my body is really dead," Blichfeldt said. The Dane said she was proud of staying the course despite her condition, as she took the fight to the Chinese. “Today I felt I dug deep and I did everything I could. I had to adjust my game and I’m actually playing good when I’m not playing high speed all the time. Now I’m looking forward to going back to France and working for the European tour in February and March.” Meanwhile, Sanjay Mishra, Secretary, Badminton Association of India in a statement said, "As the host and staging authority for the Yonex Sunrise India Open, the Badminton Association of India gains access to the stadium and its infrastructure only four days before the event, which poses significant logistical challenges. We are already in discussions with the BWF to explore alternative venues and are actively evaluating the infrastructure options." (With inputs from agencies)

Danish badminton star slams substandard conditions at Indian Open 2025

Anirban Lahiri returns to the Hero Indian Open for the first time in five years. The Liv golfer wants to mentor the next generation of Indian players. Lahiri told Wion Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo that he is also in talks to bring a Liv Golf event to India.

Anirban Lahiri returns to the Indian Open

Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched the victory in the men`s doubles finals of the ongoing Indian Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav Stadium here on Sunday.

The Indian pair defeated the Indonesian duo of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in straight sets of 21-16, 26-24 in a match that lasted for 43 minutes.

Earlier, the duo of Satwiksairaj and Chirag had defeated the French pair of Fabien Delrue and William Villeger in the semi-finals.On the other hand, shuttler PV Sindhu bowed out of the tournament after losing to Thailand`s Supanida Katethong 14-21, 21-13, 10-21 in the semi-final clash that lasted for 59 minutes.

Read Also |&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/sports/lakshya-sen-beats-reigning-world-champion-loh-kean-yew-to-win-india-open-2022-445221">Lakshya Sen beats reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew to win India Open 2022</a>

Later in the day, Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen will be squaring off with Singapore`s Loh Kean Yew in the men`s singles final of the tournament.

Lakshya Sen made his way into the finals of men`s singles after defeating Malaysia`s NG Tze Yong in the semi-finals on Saturday. He has reached the first Super 500 final of his career.

Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched the victory in the men`s doubles finals of the ongoing Indian Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav Stadium here on Sunday.

Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched the victory in the men`s doubles finals of the ongoing Indian Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav Stadium here on Sunday. The Indian pair defeated the Indonesian duo of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in straight sets of 21-16, 26-24 in a match that lasted for 43 minutes. Earlier, the duo of Satwiksairaj and Chirag had defeated the French pair of Fabien Delrue and William Villeger in the semi-finals.On the other hand, shuttler PV Sindhu bowed out of the tournament after losing to Thailand`s Supanida Katethong 14-21, 21-13, 10-21 in the semi-final clash that lasted for 59 minutes. Read Also | Lakshya Sen beats reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew to win India Open 2022 Later in the day, Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen will be squaring off with Singapore`s Loh Kean Yew in the men`s singles final of the tournament. Lakshya Sen made his way into the finals of men`s singles after defeating Malaysia`s NG Tze Yong in the semi-finals on Saturday. He has reached the first Super 500 final of his career.

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy win men's doubles title in India Open 2022

India's Lakshya Sen secured his maiden Super 500 title by winning the Yonex-Sunrise India Open with a stunning straight-game victory over reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the men's singles final here on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Sen, who had claimed his maiden world championships medal with a bronze in Spain last month, produced a fine performance to outshine the fifth seeded shuttler 24-22 21-17 in the summit clash that lasted 54 minutes.

Read Also |&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/sports/pv-sindhu-bows-out-of-india-open-2022-after-losing-semi-final-clash-against-supanida-katethong-445083">PV Sindhu bows out of India Open 2022 after losing semi-final clash against Supanida Katethong</a>

In a repeat of last year's Dutch Open final, the Indian ensured that he had the last laugh this time around.

Going into this match, the two had a 2-2 head-to-head record with Sen losing two of the last three meetings, but the Indian was the better man on show on Sunday as he showed great athleticism, used his attacking shots to good effect and came up with his punched winners from the back at the right moments.

India's Lakshya Sen secured his maiden Super 500 title by winning the Yonex-Sunrise India Open with a stunning straight-game victory over reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the men's singles final here on Sunday.

India's Lakshya Sen secured his maiden Super 500 title by winning the Yonex-Sunrise India Open with a stunning straight-game victory over reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the men's singles final here on Sunday. The 20-year-old Sen, who had claimed his maiden world championships medal with a bronze in Spain last month, produced a fine performance to outshine the fifth seeded shuttler 24-22 21-17 in the summit clash that lasted 54 minutes. Read Also | PV Sindhu bows out of India Open 2022 after losing semi-final clash against Supanida Katethong In a repeat of last year's Dutch Open final, the Indian ensured that he had the last laugh this time around. Going into this match, the two had a 2-2 head-to-head record with Sen losing two of the last three meetings, but the Indian was the better man on show on Sunday as he showed great athleticism, used his attacking shots to good effect and came up with his punched winners from the back at the right moments.

Lakshya Sen beats reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew to win India Open 2022

Shuttler PV Sindhu on Saturday bowed out of the ongoing India Open 2022 here at the KD Jadhav Stadium. The 26-year-old Sindhu was outclassed by Thailand`s Supanida Katethong 14-21, 21-13, 10-21 in the semi-final clash that lasted for 59 minutes.

Supanida Katethong reigned supreme in the first game and did not give Sindhu any chance. The Thai opponent won the first game 21-14, and she was just one game away from storming into the finals.

Read Also |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/duo-of-satwiksairaj-rankireddy-and-chirag-shetty-storm-into-finals-of-indian-open-445062">Duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty storm into finals of Indian Open</a>

Sindhu then staged a comeback in the second game, winning it 21-13, and as a result, the match progressed to the third and deciding game. However, the Thai opponent raised her game and she ended up winning the match and hence progressing to the finals.

Earlier in the day, India shuttler Lakshya Sen entered the finals of men`s singles after winning a three-game thriller against Malaysia`s Ng Tze Yong.Sen came back from a game down in the semi-final to win 19-21, 21-16, 21-12 and reach the first Super 500 final of his career.

Shuttler PV Sindhu on Saturday bowed out of the ongoing India Open 2022 here at the KD Jadhav Stadium. The 26-year-old Sindhu was outclassed by Thailand`s Supanida Katethong 14-21, 21-13, 10-21 in the semi-final clash that lasted for 59 minutes.

Shuttler PV Sindhu on Saturday bowed out of the ongoing India Open 2022 here at the KD Jadhav Stadium. The 26-year-old Sindhu was outclassed by Thailand`s Supanida Katethong 14-21, 21-13, 10-21 in the semi-final clash that lasted for 59 minutes. Supanida Katethong reigned supreme in the first game and did not give Sindhu any chance. The Thai opponent won the first game 21-14, and she was just one game away from storming into the finals. Read Also | Duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty storm into finals of Indian Open Sindhu then staged a comeback in the second game, winning it 21-13, and as a result, the match progressed to the third and deciding game. However, the Thai opponent raised her game and she ended up winning the match and hence progressing to the finals. Earlier in the day, India shuttler Lakshya Sen entered the finals of men`s singles after winning a three-game thriller against Malaysia`s Ng Tze Yong.Sen came back from a game down in the semi-final to win 19-21, 21-16, 21-12 and reach the first Super 500 final of his career.

PV Sindhu bows out of India Open 2022 after losing semi-final clash against Supanida Katethong

Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the finals of the ongoing Indian Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav Stadium here on Saturday.

The Indian pair defeated French duo of Fabien Delrue and William Villeger in the straight sets of 21-10, 21-18 in a match that lasted for 37 minutes.Earlier in the day, shuttler Aakarshi Kashyap bowed out after losing against Thailand`s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the straight sets of 24-26, 9-21 in a match that lasted for 52 minutes.

Read Also |&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/sports/virat-kohli-steps-down-as-indias-test-captain-have-absolute-clarity-cant-be-dishonest-to-my-team-445047">Virat Kohli steps down as India's Test captain: Have absolute clarity, can't be dishonest to my team</a>

Lakshya Sen made his way into the finals of men`s singles after defeating Malaysia`s NG Tze Yong in the semi-finals on Saturday. He has reached the first Super 500 final of his career.

Later in the day, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will be going against Supanida Katethong in the women`s singles semi-final clash.&nbsp;

Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the finals of the ongoing Indian Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav Stadium here on Saturday.

Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the finals of the ongoing Indian Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav Stadium here on Saturday. The Indian pair defeated French duo of Fabien Delrue and William Villeger in the straight sets of 21-10, 21-18 in a match that lasted for 37 minutes.Earlier in the day, shuttler Aakarshi Kashyap bowed out after losing against Thailand`s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the straight sets of 24-26, 9-21 in a match that lasted for 52 minutes. Read Also | Virat Kohli steps down as India's Test captain: Have absolute clarity, can't be dishonest to my team Lakshya Sen made his way into the finals of men`s singles after defeating Malaysia`s NG Tze Yong in the semi-finals on Saturday. He has reached the first Super 500 final of his career. Later in the day, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will be going against Supanida Katethong in the women`s singles semi-final clash.

Duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty storm into finals of Indian Open

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu stormed into the semi-finals of the ongoing India Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav stadium on Friday.

Sindhu defeated Ashmita Chaliha in the straight sets of 21-7, 21-18 in a match that lasted for 36 minute. Apart from Sindhu, shuttlers Lakshya Sen and Aakarshi Kashyap were among others who made their way into the semis.

Read Also |&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/sports/pv-sindhu-thrashes-ira-sharma-enters-next-round-of-indian-open-444352">PV Sindhu thrashes Ira Sharma, enters next round of Indian Open</a>

Sindhu claimed her victory in the first round like a cake walk but in the second game, Chaliha tried her level best and took the score to a very close margin. In the end, it was Sindhu who put the last nail in the coffin and ended the round with 21-18 victory.

On the other hand, Sen defeated shuttler HS Prannoy 14-21, 21-9, 21-14 in 60 minutes while Kashyap defeated Malvika Bansod 21-12, 21-15 in 46 minutes.Later in the day, the men`s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be going against the Malaysian duo of Loh Kean Hean and Loh Kean Hean.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu stormed into the semi-finals of the ongoing India Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav stadium on Friday.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu stormed into the semi-finals of the ongoing India Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav stadium on Friday. Sindhu defeated Ashmita Chaliha in the straight sets of 21-7, 21-18 in a match that lasted for 36 minute. Apart from Sindhu, shuttlers Lakshya Sen and Aakarshi Kashyap were among others who made their way into the semis. Read Also | PV Sindhu thrashes Ira Sharma, enters next round of Indian Open Sindhu claimed her victory in the first round like a cake walk but in the second game, Chaliha tried her level best and took the score to a very close margin. In the end, it was Sindhu who put the last nail in the coffin and ended the round with 21-18 victory. On the other hand, Sen defeated shuttler HS Prannoy 14-21, 21-9, 21-14 in 60 minutes while Kashyap defeated Malvika Bansod 21-12, 21-15 in 46 minutes.Later in the day, the men`s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be going against the Malaysian duo of Loh Kean Hean and Loh Kean Hean.

Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu make it to semi-finals of Indian Open

Malvika Bansod became only the second Indian to beat former World No. 1 Saina Nehwal since 2017 in any international tournament while Ashmita Chaliha continued her strong run by beating France`s Yaelle Hoyaux to reach the quarter-finals of the India Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav stadium on Thursday.

Bansod defeated Nehwal 21-17, 21-9 in 34 minutes while Chaliha got the better of Hoyaux 21-17, 21-14. Also advancing to the Round of 8 were top seed PV Sindhu and Aakarshi Kashyap.Sindhu defeated Ira Sharma 21-10, 21-10 while Kashyap beat Keyura Mopati with an identical scoreline.

Prior to today`s match, Nehwal`s only loss against an Indian opponent at the India Open was in the quarter final against PV Sindhu in 2017. On the domestic circuit any Indian to beat her was in 2006 by Aparna Popat in Bangalore Nationals, fifteen years ago.

And even though Nehwal hadn`t been at her physical best and is still recovering from a serious knee-injury in this tournament, Bansod`s task was far from easy as the experienced former champion was willing to dig in and fight for every point.

Read Also |<a href="http://13.235.153.162/sports/pv-sindhu-thrashes-ira-sharma-enters-next-round-of-indian-open-444352">&nbsp;PV Sindhu thrashes Ira Sharma, enters next round of Indian Open</a>

Bansod started by playing more drops to counter Nehwal`s ability to hit down the line smashes and that allowed her to open up an 11-6 lead in the opening game.Under pressure from Bansod, she then started pushing herself to lift better from the forehand corner and pushing her opponent to the back court.

That allowed her to close the gap at 16-18 before two consecutive unforced errors on smashes allowed Bansod to pocket the opening game. The world No. 111, who lists reading anything from a pamphlet to dictionary when free as her hobby, also read Nehwal`s game plan of pushing her to the backcourt rather well and kept on moving her opponent to all four corners and tested her overall fitness.

Many a times, Nehwal was slow to react to Bansod`s flat tosses and was never in the fight in the second game. "I was playing her for the first time and was not thinking of winning or losing. My game plan was to just keep the shuttle in play and keep moving her," said Bansod after the match.

The 20-year-old, who had been following Nehwal`s career since she first saw her posters during a state level tournament nine years ago, said she made it a point to not see her senior compatriot`s face during the entire match as she was afraid of losing focus.

Read Also |&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/sports/indian-open-2022-kidambi-srikanth-among-7-indians-to-test-positive-for-covid-19-infection-444348">Indian Open 2022: Kidambi Srikanth among 7 Indians to test positive for Covid-19 infection</a>

Bansod, playing in her first Yonex-Sunrise India Open, will now face Kashyap in what will be a repeat of last month`s All India senior ranking tournament final in Hyderabad. While Bansod registered the biggest victory of her career on Thursday, a calm and composed Chaliha proved quite strong for Hoyaux.

The French woman was first to get off the blocks and took a 15-11 lead before the Indian turned the tables against the fellow left-hander. Chaliha won nine straight points to reach game point and converted the second one. The Guwahati girl was in total control in the second game as she raced to an easy win.

She will now face Sindhu in the Round of 8 and though she knows she is going to be a rank-outsider against the former world champion, the 22-year-old wants to just go out and enjoy herself on the court. In the day`s other matches, men`s singles world champion Loh Kean Yew defeated Joo Ven Soong 21-12, 21-12 to reach the quarterfinals, where he was also joined by Malaysia`s NG Tze Yong.

In the other women`s singles pre-quarterfinals, third seed Jia Min Yeo of Singapore got the better of Anupama Upadhaya 13-21, 21-17, 21-12 while USA`s Lauren Lam defeated Tanya Hemanth 21-18, 21-11.

Lakshya sen also moved to the quarter-finals after defeating Felix Burestedt of Sweden 21-12, 21-15. He will face HS Prannoy tomorrow. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Shyam Prasad and S Sunjith 21-9, 21-18.

Malvika Bansod became only the second Indian to beat former World No. 1 Saina Nehwal since 2017 in any international tournament while Ashmita Chaliha continued her strong run by beating France`s Yaelle Hoyaux to reach the quarter-finals of the India Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav stadium on Thursday.

Malvika Bansod became only the second Indian to beat former World No. 1 Saina Nehwal since 2017 in any international tournament while Ashmita Chaliha continued her strong run by beating France`s Yaelle Hoyaux to reach the quarter-finals of the India Open 2022, which is part of the BWF World Tour tournament series, at the KD Jadhav stadium on Thursday. Bansod defeated Nehwal 21-17, 21-9 in 34 minutes while Chaliha got the better of Hoyaux 21-17, 21-14. Also advancing to the Round of 8 were top seed PV Sindhu and Aakarshi Kashyap.Sindhu defeated Ira Sharma 21-10, 21-10 while Kashyap beat Keyura Mopati with an identical scoreline. Prior to today`s match, Nehwal`s only loss against an Indian opponent at the India Open was in the quarter final against PV Sindhu in 2017. On the domestic circuit any Indian to beat her was in 2006 by Aparna Popat in Bangalore Nationals, fifteen years ago. And even though Nehwal hadn`t been at her physical best and is still recovering from a serious knee-injury in this tournament, Bansod`s task was far from easy as the experienced former champion was willing to dig in and fight for every point. Read Also | PV Sindhu thrashes Ira Sharma, enters next round of Indian Open Bansod started by playing more drops to counter Nehwal`s ability to hit down the line smashes and that allowed her to open up an 11-6 lead in the opening game.Under pressure from Bansod, she then started pushing herself to lift better from the forehand corner and pushing her opponent to the back court. That allowed her to close the gap at 16-18 before two consecutive unforced errors on smashes allowed Bansod to pocket the opening game. The world No. 111, who lists reading anything from a pamphlet to dictionary when free as her hobby, also read Nehwal`s game plan of pushing her to the backcourt rather well and kept on moving her opponent to all four corners and tested her overall fitness. Many a times, Nehwal was slow to react to Bansod`s flat tosses and was never in the fight in the second game. "I was playing her for the first time and was not thinking of winning or losing. My game plan was to just keep the shuttle in play and keep moving her," said Bansod after the match. The 20-year-old, who had been following Nehwal`s career since she first saw her posters during a state level tournament nine years ago, said she made it a point to not see her senior compatriot`s face during the entire match as she was afraid of losing focus. Read Also | Indian Open 2022: Kidambi Srikanth among 7 Indians to test positive for Covid-19 infection Bansod, playing in her first Yonex-Sunrise India Open, will now face Kashyap in what will be a repeat of last month`s All India senior ranking tournament final in Hyderabad. While Bansod registered the biggest victory of her career on Thursday, a calm and composed Chaliha proved quite strong for Hoyaux. The French woman was first to get off the blocks and took a 15-11 lead before the Indian turned the tables against the fellow left-hander. Chaliha won nine straight points to reach game point and converted the second one. The Guwahati girl was in total control in the second game as she raced to an easy win. She will now face Sindhu in the Round of 8 and though she knows she is going to be a rank-outsider against the former world champion, the 22-year-old wants to just go out and enjoy herself on the court. In the day`s other matches, men`s singles world champion Loh Kean Yew defeated Joo Ven Soong 21-12, 21-12 to reach the quarterfinals, where he was also joined by Malaysia`s NG Tze Yong. In the other women`s singles pre-quarterfinals, third seed Jia Min Yeo of Singapore got the better of Anupama Upadhaya 13-21, 21-17, 21-12 while USA`s Lauren Lam defeated Tanya Hemanth 21-18, 21-11. Lakshya sen also moved to the quarter-finals after defeating Felix Burestedt of Sweden 21-12, 21-15. He will face HS Prannoy tomorrow. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Shyam Prasad and S Sunjith 21-9, 21-18.

India Open 2022: Malvika Bansod upsets Saina Nehwal to reach quarterfinals

Shuttler PV Sindhu progressed to the next round of the ongoing India Open 2022 here at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi on Thursday.

In an all-Indian affair, Sindhu outclassed Ira Sharma 21-10, 21-10 to progress to the next round.Sindhu was at her dominant self in the first game and she wrapped up the game inside 13 minutes.

Continuing from where she left off, the 26-year-old took full advantage of her momentum and ended up winning the match within 30 minutes.

Earlier, Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Thursday confirmed that seven players have been withdrawn from the ongoing India Open 2022 after testing positive for COVID-19.

Read Also |<a href="http://13.235.153.162/sports/one-thing-i-am-focusing-on-is-to-cut-down-big-errors-says-shuttler-hs-prannoy-444222">&nbsp;'One thing I am focusing on is to cut down big errors', says shuttler HS Prannoy</a>

"The players returned a positive result to a mandatory RT-PCR test conducted on Tuesday. Doubles partners deemed close contact of the seven players have also been withdrawn from the tournament," BWF said in a statement.

The seven players to test positive for COVID-19 were all Indians and they were -- Kidambi Srikanth, Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thakar, Treesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Aman Singhi, and Khushi Gupta.

According to BWF, the players will not be replaced in the main draw and their opponents will be given a walkover to the next round.

"Testing protocols have been implemented in accordance with Badminton World Federation and Badminton Association of India guidelines to ensure the health and safety of all participants," the statement further read.

Shuttler PV Sindhu progressed to the next round of the ongoing India Open 2022 here at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi on Thursday. In an all-Indian affair, Sindhu outclassed Ira Sharma 21-10, 21-10 to progress to the next round.

Shuttler PV Sindhu progressed to the next round of the ongoing India Open 2022 here at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi on Thursday. In an all-Indian affair, Sindhu outclassed Ira Sharma 21-10, 21-10 to progress to the next round.Sindhu was at her dominant self in the first game and she wrapped up the game inside 13 minutes. Continuing from where she left off, the 26-year-old took full advantage of her momentum and ended up winning the match within 30 minutes. Earlier, Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Thursday confirmed that seven players have been withdrawn from the ongoing India Open 2022 after testing positive for COVID-19. Read Also | 'One thing I am focusing on is to cut down big errors', says shuttler HS Prannoy "The players returned a positive result to a mandatory RT-PCR test conducted on Tuesday. Doubles partners deemed close contact of the seven players have also been withdrawn from the tournament," BWF said in a statement. The seven players to test positive for COVID-19 were all Indians and they were -- Kidambi Srikanth, Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thakar, Treesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Aman Singhi, and Khushi Gupta. According to BWF, the players will not be replaced in the main draw and their opponents will be given a walkover to the next round. "Testing protocols have been implemented in accordance with Badminton World Federation and Badminton Association of India guidelines to ensure the health and safety of all participants," the statement further read.

PV Sindhu thrashes Ira Sharma, enters next round of Indian Open

Indian shuttler HS Prannoy said that he will be focusing on improving his physical abilities to avoid any major errors in the upcoming tournaments. Prannoy is currently competing in the ongoing India Open, which is part of the BWF World Tour 500 tournament series in New Delhi.

Talking about his plans for Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, Prannoy told ANI, "Not really thought about it because we have quite a few tournaments before Commonwealth games or Asian Games and obviously to qualify convincingly from our country is one of the toughest task. So I haven`t really thought about it. I will be focusing on the ongoing tournaments and focus on how physically you can get better each day and trying to avoid mistakes in keeping up your physical stakes better, that is one big thing I am focusing on- trying to cut down on big errors. The things which we lack in looking after our body, so that is one thing I am really keen on working."

Read Also |&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/sports/shouldnt-be-using-these-words-saina-nehwal-reacts-as-actor-siddharth-apologies-for-his-rude-joke-444063">'Shouldn't be using these words....' - Saina Nehwal reacts as actor Siddharth apologies for his 'rude joke'</a>

The shuttler also said he is currently learning few new shots as it is important for a player to have a variety in his game before starting a new season. "Yes, we were working on some shots which I was not able to pull off during the last few months and at this level its very important to always have some surprise shot ready with you, especially when you are starting a new season and when you have a little bit of time, it is very important for you to try few new shots and I think I was trying to do that for sometime now. It will take time but today I was able to get a couple of shots and I can it was a good sign for me," said Prannoy.

"It is not important that whether it was successful or not. The important thing is that you tried some shots on the court because practice sessions are much easier where you can try but during tournaments, you don`t feel like doing anything else because of your sched. But, yeah today some of my shots were successful, some of them were as I had planned but I was really happy with the feeling that I tried new shots today," he added.

Read Also |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/siddharth-vs-nehwal-ncw-asks-dgp-maharashtra-to-take-action-as-actor-defends-lewd-comments-on-shuttler-443598">Siddharth vs Nehwal: NCW asks DGP Maharashtra to take action as actor defends 'lewd' comments on shuttler</a>

Prannoy has entered into the next round of the India Open on Wednesday after defeating Spanish veteran Pablo Abian by 21-14, 21-7 in 33 minutes.

"I have not thought about any rankings or any plans as such to get into in these 20 months. When you keep expectations, there is a lot of pressure on yourself, which you can see on the court. For me its better not keeping any goals as such. Just working on things that I am not really confident on and if those things are coming better on court then I am happy," said Prannoy.

Indian shuttler HS Prannoy said that he will be focusing on improving his physical abilities to avoid any major errors in the upcoming tournaments. Prannoy is currently competing in the ongoing India Open, which is part of the BWF World Tour 500 tournament series in New Delhi.

Indian shuttler HS Prannoy said that he will be focusing on improving his physical abilities to avoid any major errors in the upcoming tournaments. Prannoy is currently competing in the ongoing India Open, which is part of the BWF World Tour 500 tournament series in New Delhi. Talking about his plans for Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, Prannoy told ANI, "Not really thought about it because we have quite a few tournaments before Commonwealth games or Asian Games and obviously to qualify convincingly from our country is one of the toughest task. So I haven`t really thought about it. I will be focusing on the ongoing tournaments and focus on how physically you can get better each day and trying to avoid mistakes in keeping up your physical stakes better, that is one big thing I am focusing on- trying to cut down on big errors. The things which we lack in looking after our body, so that is one thing I am really keen on working." Read Also | 'Shouldn't be using these words....' - Saina Nehwal reacts as actor Siddharth apologies for his 'rude joke' The shuttler also said he is currently learning few new shots as it is important for a player to have a variety in his game before starting a new season. "Yes, we were working on some shots which I was not able to pull off during the last few months and at this level its very important to always have some surprise shot ready with you, especially when you are starting a new season and when you have a little bit of time, it is very important for you to try few new shots and I think I was trying to do that for sometime now. It will take time but today I was able to get a couple of shots and I can it was a good sign for me," said Prannoy. "It is not important that whether it was successful or not. The important thing is that you tried some shots on the court because practice sessions are much easier where you can try but during tournaments, you don`t feel like doing anything else because of your sched. But, yeah today some of my shots were successful, some of them were as I had planned but I was really happy with the feeling that I tried new shots today," he added. Read Also | Siddharth vs Nehwal: NCW asks DGP Maharashtra to take action as actor defends 'lewd' comments on shuttler Prannoy has entered into the next round of the India Open on Wednesday after defeating Spanish veteran Pablo Abian by 21-14, 21-7 in 33 minutes. "I have not thought about any rankings or any plans as such to get into in these 20 months. When you keep expectations, there is a lot of pressure on yourself, which you can see on the court. For me its better not keeping any goals as such. Just working on things that I am not really confident on and if those things are coming better on court then I am happy," said Prannoy.

'One thing I am focusing on is to cut down big errors', says shuttler HS Prannoy

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, reigning world championships runner-up Kidambi Srikanth and bronze winner Lakshya Sen will be the top draw at the 2022 India Open, scheduled from January 11-16 in the national capital.

The USD 400,000 prize money tournament, which will be held without spectators owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, is part of the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500.

Also headlining the tournament will be newly-crowned world champion, Loh Kean Yew, along.

Singapore's Yew, who created history in Huelva, Spain recently by becoming the first-ever unseeded player in the open era to win the world championships, will lead the international line-up at the 2022 BWF season opener.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tendulkar-rijiju-lead-wishes-as-kidambi-srikanth-lakshya-sen-make-india-proud-at-bwf-world-cships-438301">Tendulkar, Rijiju lead wishes as Kidambi Srikanth &amp; Lakshya Sen make India proud at BWF World C'ships</a>

Former world No. 1 Srikanth has been named the top seed in the men's singles category followed by the 2019 world championships bronze medallist B Sai Praneeth.

Sen, the youngest Indian male shuttler to clinch a world championships medal, HS Pronnoy, Parupalli Kashyap and Sameer Verma are among the other Indian participants alongside experienced Tommy Sugiarto from Indonesia.

World No. 7 Sindhu has been given the top seed in women's singles category which includes London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, who lifted the title in 2015, alongside other young Indian shuttlers including Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Ashmita Chaliha.

While among the top international participating names are world No. 12 Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand and Singapore's Jia Min Yeo.

The star Indian pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will be the key attraction in the men's doubles category.

However, they are set to face a stiff competition as the line-up includes the three-time world champion and world No. 2 Indonesian duo of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan alongside another Indonesian pair of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, who are currently ranked eighth in the world.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/kidambi-srikanth-becomes-first-indian-male-shuttler-to-win-silver-at-bwf-world-championships-438198">Kidambi Srikanth becomes first Indian male shuttler to win silver at BWF World Championships</a>

In the women's doubles, the world No. 9 pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai from Thailand will be among the top names as Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy will lead the Indian challenge alongside Gayatri P and Treesa Jolly.

The mixed doubles competition will also witness participation of three Top-20 pairs.

The 11th edition of the tournament, which is all set to make a return after a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be played at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall inside Indira Gandhi Stadium under strict COVID protocols.&nbsp;

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, reigning world championships runner-up Kidambi Srikanth and bronze winner Lakshya Sen will be the top draw at the 2022 India Open, scheduled from January 11-16 in the national capital.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, reigning world championships runner-up Kidambi Srikanth and bronze winner Lakshya Sen will be the top draw at the 2022 India Open, scheduled from January 11-16 in the national capital. The USD 400,000 prize money tournament, which will be held without spectators owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, is part of the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500. Also headlining the tournament will be newly-crowned world champion, Loh Kean Yew, along. Singapore's Yew, who created history in Huelva, Spain recently by becoming the first-ever unseeded player in the open era to win the world championships, will lead the international line-up at the 2022 BWF season opener. ALSO READ: Tendulkar, Rijiju lead wishes as Kidambi Srikanth & Lakshya Sen make India proud at BWF World C'ships Former world No. 1 Srikanth has been named the top seed in the men's singles category followed by the 2019 world championships bronze medallist B Sai Praneeth. Sen, the youngest Indian male shuttler to clinch a world championships medal, HS Pronnoy, Parupalli Kashyap and Sameer Verma are among the other Indian participants alongside experienced Tommy Sugiarto from Indonesia. World No. 7 Sindhu has been given the top seed in women's singles category which includes London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, who lifted the title in 2015, alongside other young Indian shuttlers including Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Ashmita Chaliha. While among the top international participating names are world No. 12 Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand and Singapore's Jia Min Yeo. The star Indian pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will be the key attraction in the men's doubles category. However, they are set to face a stiff competition as the line-up includes the three-time world champion and world No. 2 Indonesian duo of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan alongside another Indonesian pair of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, who are currently ranked eighth in the world. ALSO READ | Kidambi Srikanth becomes first Indian male shuttler to win silver at BWF World Championships In the women's doubles, the world No. 9 pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai from Thailand will be among the top names as Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy will lead the Indian challenge alongside Gayatri P and Treesa Jolly. The mixed doubles competition will also witness participation of three Top-20 pairs. The 11th edition of the tournament, which is all set to make a return after a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be played at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall inside Indira Gandhi Stadium under strict COVID protocols.

PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen to be top seeds in Indian Open starting from January 11

Indian ace Kidambi Srikanth said it was irritating to lose close quarterfinals in a title-less season and stressed on the need to get physically and mentally tougher to win medals at the World Championship and Olympic Games. Srikanth, who had clinched four titles in 2017, lost nine quarterfinals and two semifinals while reaching the finals only once at the Commonwealth Games in the last 15 months.

"I think the series of quarterfinals are more irritating for me than losing in the first round," Srikanth told reporters on the eve of the India Open, starting here Tuesday.

"I think I have been consistent against a few players and then not able to get that win against a few others at quarterfinals and semifinals, that is what I'm working on -- to last the whole week.&nbsp;

"Probably, if I can do well in next 3-4 months before the World Championship. If I can get better physically and tougher mentally, I think I can do well at World Championship," he added.

Srikanth had suffered a leg injury at the 2017 Senior Nationals and ever since he has been troubled by small injury woes, especially related to his ankle, which affected his performance.

"I'm working on my fitness, I had too many injuries in late 2017 and 2018 and so if I can keep working on my fitness then I will have a great chance to win titles," he said.&nbsp;

"That is what worked for me in 2017, because I could sustain an hour and half hour. But 2018 and early 2019, I had some injuries and withdrew from tournaments.

"I am okay now. I had an ankle injury after playing a series of events at Malaysia, Indonesia and PBL. I'm feeling good now and I have been able to train for three weeks and I feel confident."

Srikanth said he just wants to focus on improving the little things and maintain his momentum to do well at the Olympics.

"I couldn't produce the results that I wanted to but still I'm happy with my improvement. So I am in that process now," he said.

"I'm not desperate, I just want to improve on different things, to be able to pull out crucial points in tough matches and be more consistent. All I am working on now is to do well at the Olympics. If I can hold on to the momentum and keep improving till the Olympics, I can do well there," Srikanth added.

The 26-year-old Indian said he is drawing inspiration from other top players such as Kento Momota, Shi Yuqi and Viktor Axelsen to come back into top 3.

"Momota has done extremely well since coming back from ban. The last 16 months or so, he has done well. Viktor too has managed to play quarters and semifinals, Shi

Yuqi also have been in top 3-4 consistently. These players are doing it consistently," he said.

"I have been in top 8 for last few years, so I'm working on to go that extra step and be back in top 3. I have been in top 4 for a year during 2017-18.

"The new coaches are also helping us, though it has been just a month but the next 3-4 months will be challenging."

Srikanth, a former world no 1, will open his campaign against Wong Wing Ki Vincent of Hong Kong and is expected to face either Sameer Verma or B Sai Praneeth in the quarterfinals.

"It is a good draw. In India, you expect to play so many Indian players as not all are seeded, so we end up playing each other in the initial rounds a lot. Since we play each other so often, it will be challenging. I feel it is easier to play a foreign player than an Indian," Srikanth said.

"So everyone is a tough opponent. I am playing Wong Wing Ki Vincent in first round. I had played him in Malaysia, it was a really close match and going forward I will only play tougher opponents."&nbsp;

Indian ace Kidambi Srikanth said it was irritating to lose close quarterfinals in a title-less season and stressed on the need to get physically and mentally tougher to win medals at the World Championship and Olympic Games.

Indian ace Kidambi Srikanth said it was irritating to lose close quarterfinals in a title-less season and stressed on the need to get physically and mentally tougher to win medals at the World Championship and Olympic Games. Srikanth, who had clinched four titles in 2017, lost nine quarterfinals and two semifinals while reaching the finals only once at the Commonwealth Games in the last 15 months. "I think the series of quarterfinals are more irritating for me than losing in the first round," Srikanth told reporters on the eve of the India Open, starting here Tuesday. "I think I have been consistent against a few players and then not able to get that win against a few others at quarterfinals and semifinals, that is what I'm working on -- to last the whole week. "Probably, if I can do well in next 3-4 months before the World Championship. If I can get better physically and tougher mentally, I think I can do well at World Championship," he added. Srikanth had suffered a leg injury at the 2017 Senior Nationals and ever since he has been troubled by small injury woes, especially related to his ankle, which affected his performance. "I'm working on my fitness, I had too many injuries in late 2017 and 2018 and so if I can keep working on my fitness then I will have a great chance to win titles," he said. "That is what worked for me in 2017, because I could sustain an hour and half hour. But 2018 and early 2019, I had some injuries and withdrew from tournaments. "I am okay now. I had an ankle injury after playing a series of events at Malaysia, Indonesia and PBL. I'm feeling good now and I have been able to train for three weeks and I feel confident." Srikanth said he just wants to focus on improving the little things and maintain his momentum to do well at the Olympics. "I couldn't produce the results that I wanted to but still I'm happy with my improvement. So I am in that process now," he said. "I'm not desperate, I just want to improve on different things, to be able to pull out crucial points in tough matches and be more consistent. All I am working on now is to do well at the Olympics. If I can hold on to the momentum and keep improving till the Olympics, I can do well there," Srikanth added. The 26-year-old Indian said he is drawing inspiration from other top players such as Kento Momota, Shi Yuqi and Viktor Axelsen to come back into top 3. "Momota has done extremely well since coming back from ban. The last 16 months or so, he has done well. Viktor too has managed to play quarters and semifinals, Shi Yuqi also have been in top 3-4 consistently. These players are doing it consistently," he said. "I have been in top 8 for last few years, so I'm working on to go that extra step and be back in top 3. I have been in top 4 for a year during 2017-18. "The new coaches are also helping us, though it has been just a month but the next 3-4 months will be challenging." Srikanth, a former world no 1, will open his campaign against Wong Wing Ki Vincent of Hong Kong and is expected to face either Sameer Verma or B Sai Praneeth in the quarterfinals. "It is a good draw. In India, you expect to play so many Indian players as not all are seeded, so we end up playing each other in the initial rounds a lot. Since we play each other so often, it will be challenging. I feel it is easier to play a foreign player than an Indian," Srikanth said. "So everyone is a tough opponent. I am playing Wong Wing Ki Vincent in first round. I had played him in Malaysia, it was a really close match and going forward I will only play tougher opponents."

Getting tougher mentally, physically key to World Championship medal: Kidambi Srikanth

England&#39;s Matt Wallace carded a four-under 68 to win the Indian Open golf Sunday after local favourite Shubhankar Sharma floundered in the final round to squander his joint overnight lead.

Wallace pipped compatriot Andrew Johnston in a playoff after tying on 11-under 277 at the end of the regulation 72 holes at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon.

&quot;I feel amazing. It was a hard week and a hard golf course but you can&#39;t be off your game,&quot; said Wallace after bagging his second European Tour title.

&quot;I think I played great, I didn&#39;t miss too many shots. It&#39;s satisfying to master the course.&quot;

Sharma, riding high after winning two European Tour titles in the last three months, slipped down the leaderboard to finish joint seventh after a three-over 75 in the last round.

&quot;I am disappointed obviously... these things happen and it&#39;s not an easy course,&quot; said the 21-year-old Sharma.

&quot;I was just trying to keep up with Matt (Wallace). He was playing so well. I made a bad swing on the fifth hole which put me out of contention.

&quot;I was trying to come back but I made another bad swing on the seventh. You can&#39;t really drop too many shots on this course and I dropped nine.&quot;

Despite his lacklustre show, Sharma continues to lead the European Tour Race to Dubai and the Asian Order of Merit.

Sharma&#39;s next big-ticket event will be the US Masters in April where he will be rubbing shoulders with the game&#39;s elite.

Sharma was invited for the Masters earlier this month, becoming just the fourth Indian ever to make it to the top-flight tournament.

&nbsp;

Matt Wallace carded a four-under 68 to win the Indian Open golf Sunday after local favourite Shubhankar Sharma floundered in the final round to squander his joint overnight lead

England's Matt Wallace carded a four-under 68 to win the Indian Open golf Sunday after local favourite Shubhankar Sharma floundered in the final round to squander his joint overnight lead. Wallace pipped compatriot Andrew Johnston in a playoff after tying on 11-under 277 at the end of the regulation 72 holes at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon. "I feel amazing. It was a hard week and a hard golf course but you can't be off your game," said Wallace after bagging his second European Tour title. "I think I played great, I didn't miss too many shots. It's satisfying to master the course." Sharma, riding high after winning two European Tour titles in the last three months, slipped down the leaderboard to finish joint seventh after a three-over 75 in the last round. "I am disappointed obviously... these things happen and it's not an easy course," said the 21-year-old Sharma. "I was just trying to keep up with Matt (Wallace). He was playing so well. I made a bad swing on the fifth hole which put me out of contention. "I was trying to come back but I made another bad swing on the seventh. You can't really drop too many shots on this course and I dropped nine." Despite his lacklustre show, Sharma continues to lead the European Tour Race to Dubai and the Asian Order of Merit. Sharma's next big-ticket event will be the US Masters in April where he will be rubbing shoulders with the game's elite. Sharma was invited for the Masters earlier this month, becoming just the fourth Indian ever to make it to the top-flight tournament.

Golf: England's Matt Wallace claims Indian Open title

Defending champion P V Sindhu suffered a narrow defeat in a pulsating final against American Beiwen Zhang to finish runner-up at the India Open Super 300 badminton tournament, here today.

Playing her second tournament of the new season, Sindhu came agonisingly close to clinching the title before losing 18-21 21-11 20-22 to Zhang in the women&#39;s singles final.

Sindhu always played long matches against Zhang, all of them going to the decider, and it was no different as the duo battled to the last point.

Prior to today&#39;s loss, Sindhu had won twice and lost once at the Indonesia Super Series Premier last year against the American.

All England Championships finalist and fourth seed Shi Yuqi of China walked away with the men&#39;s crown after beating world no 7 and third-seeded Taiwanese Chou Tien Chen 21-18 21-14 in a 47-minute duel.

&quot;Last year I didn&#39;t win any tournament, so glad to win this and hope this becomes first of many to come,&quot; world no 8 Shi Yuqi said through an interpreter.

&quot;I had played him before, so I analysed those matches and it helped me win today. There were a lot of long rallies in this tournament and I will take a lot of positives from here. It will boost my confidence.&quot;

Chou, who settled for runner-up here for the second successive time, said: &quot;I tried to push him but it is difficult to play against him. He smashed well. He is young and was stronger today. He was more focused than me.&quot;

Fifth-seeded Danish combo of Mathias Christiansen and Christinna Pedersen prevailed 21-14 21-15 over Indonesian pair of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti in a 37-minute match to claim the mixed doubles crown, their first title together.

Mathias and Christinna had combined at the Denmark Open for the first time and finished runners-up at China Open Super Series Premier and Hong Kong Open Super Series last year.

&quot;We know the Indonesians are very good and if we play too defensive or slow it will be difficult to beat them so we played an attacking game,&quot; said Christinna after the match.

&quot;It is a long season and we would be playing at European Championship and All England next, which would be a big challenge,&quot; she added. 
&nbsp;

Third seeded Indonesian pair of Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu, who are ranked world no 7, defeated second-seeded Thailand combo of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai 21-18 21-15 in a 58-minute match to clinch the women&#39;s doubles title.&nbsp;

Prior to today's loss, Sindhu had won twice and lost once at the Indonesia Super Series Premier last year against the American

Defending champion P V Sindhu suffered a narrow defeat in a pulsating final against American Beiwen Zhang to finish runner-up at the India Open Super 300 badminton tournament, here today. Playing her second tournament of the new season, Sindhu came agonisingly close to clinching the title before losing 18-21 21-11 20-22 to Zhang in the women's singles final. Sindhu always played long matches against Zhang, all of them going to the decider, and it was no different as the duo battled to the last point. Prior to today's loss, Sindhu had won twice and lost once at the Indonesia Super Series Premier last year against the American. All England Championships finalist and fourth seed Shi Yuqi of China walked away with the men's crown after beating world no 7 and third-seeded Taiwanese Chou Tien Chen 21-18 21-14 in a 47-minute duel. "Last year I didn't win any tournament, so glad to win this and hope this becomes first of many to come," world no 8 Shi Yuqi said through an interpreter. "I had played him before, so I analysed those matches and it helped me win today. There were a lot of long rallies in this tournament and I will take a lot of positives from here. It will boost my confidence." Chou, who settled for runner-up here for the second successive time, said: "I tried to push him but it is difficult to play against him. He smashed well. He is young and was stronger today. He was more focused than me." Fifth-seeded Danish combo of Mathias Christiansen and Christinna Pedersen prevailed 21-14 21-15 over Indonesian pair of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti in a 37-minute match to claim the mixed doubles crown, their first title together. Mathias and Christinna had combined at the Denmark Open for the first time and finished runners-up at China Open Super Series Premier and Hong Kong Open Super Series last year. "We know the Indonesians are very good and if we play too defensive or slow it will be difficult to beat them so we played an attacking game," said Christinna after the match. "It is a long season and we would be playing at European Championship and All England next, which would be a big challenge," she added. Third seeded Indonesian pair of Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu, who are ranked world no 7, defeated second-seeded Thailand combo of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai 21-18 21-15 in a 58-minute match to clinch the women's doubles title.

Indian Open: Sindhu finishes runner-up

Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu beat second seed Sung Ji Hyun 21-18 14-21 21-14 to enter the Indian Open Super Series final.

She will face world number one Carolina Marin in the finals on Sunday. Marin beat Akane Yamaguchi 21-16 21-14 to reach the final earlier in the day.

Sindhu has a 3-5 head-to-head record against the Spanish world number one. The most notable clash being the Rio Olympics, where Marin beat her to win the top gong at the quadrennial event.

While Marin had a relatively easy match, Sindhu had to stave off a spirited display from South Korea&#39;s Hyun to reach her maiden final at her home event.

World number five Sindhu had earlier beaten her compatriot Saina Nehwal in a high-voltage quarter-final match in New Delhi&#39;s Siri Fort Sports Complex.

Sindhu will bid to become only the third Indian, after Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth, to lift the Indian Open in front of her home crowd.

(WION)

PV Sindhu has a 3-5 head-to-head record against Spanish world number one Marin

Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu beat second seed Sung Ji Hyun 21-18 14-21 21-14 to enter the Indian Open Super Series final. She will face world number one Carolina Marin in the finals on Sunday. Marin beat Akane Yamaguchi 21-16 21-14 to reach the final earlier in the day. Sindhu has a 3-5 head-to-head record against the Spanish world number one. The most notable clash being the Rio Olympics, where Marin beat her to win the top gong at the quadrennial event. While Marin had a relatively easy match, Sindhu had to stave off a spirited display from South Korea's Hyun to reach her maiden final at her home event. World number five Sindhu had earlier beaten her compatriot Saina Nehwal in a high-voltage quarter-final match in New Delhi's Siri Fort Sports Complex. Sindhu will bid to become only the third Indian, after Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth, to lift the Indian Open in front of her home crowd. (WION)

Indian Open: PV Sindhu sets up summit clash against Carolina Marin

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