One of the heroes of India's epic Thomas Cup triumph, HS Prannoy continued his rich vein of form as he stormed into the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 tournament with a straight-game win over Hong Kong's Ng Ka Long Angus here on Thursday. The 29-year-old from Kerala, who is desperately looking to break his five-year title drought, dished out another impressive performance to outwit Ng Long 21-11 21-18 in a second round match that lasted 41 minutes.

It was Prannoy's fourth win over the 27-year-old, who is currently ranked 12th in the world. A former top 10 player, Prannoy will next face either Denmark's Rasmus Gemke or France's Brice Leverdez. 
Among other Indians in the fray, Sameer Verma ended his campaign with a 10-21 13-21 loss to world number five Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the second round.

This was Sameer's fifth loss to Lee in seven meetings. Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy also bowed out of the tournament after losing 16-21 13-21 to top seeds Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan of China in women's doubles competition.

The men's doubles pairing of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila also went down 19-21 15-21 to China's Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi. In the men's singles contest, it was all Prannoy in the first half of the opening game as he simply dominated the proceedings, grabbing the initiative early to lead 11-3 with a sensational cross court jump smash.

Prannoy was, however, erratic after the interval and his unforced errors allowed Ng Long to collect a few points before the Indian unleashed another cross court smash and made some sound judgements at the baseline to keep moving ahead. Prannoy's movement was smooth as he mixed up the shots and varied the speed well and with his opponent committing errors, he had no issues in closing out the match comfortably. 
He moved to nine game point opportunities with a precise smash and sealed it when his rival went to net. 
Former Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt's presence at the coach's chair also helped Prannoy as he was seen chatting with the player during the mid-game interval. Gurusaidutt is on his first assignment with the Indian team after retiring from the game.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/indonesia-open-lakshya-sen-loses-to-hs-prannoy-kidambi-srikanth-also-bows-out-in-r1-488507">Indonesia Open: Lakshya Sen loses to HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth also bows out in R1</a>

Ng Long gave a better display in the second game as his movements improved and he managed to stay on the rallies but Prannoy did well to keep his nose ahead at 9-7 with a return on his opponent's back hand corner.

He had a two-point cushion at the mid-game interval after the Hong Kong player went wide again. 
The Indian extended his lead to 16-11. Ng Long produced occasional winners but he was too erratic, while Prannoy unleashed another jump smash to again wriggle out.

In the end, a precise return on the baseline gave Prannoy four match points. He squandered two before converting the third chance with a booming smash following a superb rally.

One of the heroes of India's epic Thomas Cup triumph, HS Prannoy continued his rich vein of form as he stormed into the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 tournament with a straight-game win over Hong Kong's Ng Ka Long Angus here on Thursday.

One of the heroes of India's epic Thomas Cup triumph, HS Prannoy continued his rich vein of form as he stormed into the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 tournament with a straight-game win over Hong Kong's Ng Ka Long Angus here on Thursday. The 29-year-old from Kerala, who is desperately looking to break his five-year title drought, dished out another impressive performance to outwit Ng Long 21-11 21-18 in a second round match that lasted 41 minutes. It was Prannoy's fourth win over the 27-year-old, who is currently ranked 12th in the world. A former top 10 player, Prannoy will next face either Denmark's Rasmus Gemke or France's Brice Leverdez. Among other Indians in the fray, Sameer Verma ended his campaign with a 10-21 13-21 loss to world number five Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the second round. This was Sameer's fifth loss to Lee in seven meetings. Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy also bowed out of the tournament after losing 16-21 13-21 to top seeds Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan of China in women's doubles competition. The men's doubles pairing of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila also went down 19-21 15-21 to China's Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi. In the men's singles contest, it was all Prannoy in the first half of the opening game as he simply dominated the proceedings, grabbing the initiative early to lead 11-3 with a sensational cross court jump smash. Prannoy was, however, erratic after the interval and his unforced errors allowed Ng Long to collect a few points before the Indian unleashed another cross court smash and made some sound judgements at the baseline to keep moving ahead. Prannoy's movement was smooth as he mixed up the shots and varied the speed well and with his opponent committing errors, he had no issues in closing out the match comfortably. He moved to nine game point opportunities with a precise smash and sealed it when his rival went to net. Former Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt's presence at the coach's chair also helped Prannoy as he was seen chatting with the player during the mid-game interval. Gurusaidutt is on his first assignment with the Indian team after retiring from the game. ALSO READ | Indonesia Open: Lakshya Sen loses to HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth also bows out in R1 Ng Long gave a better display in the second game as his movements improved and he managed to stay on the rallies but Prannoy did well to keep his nose ahead at 9-7 with a return on his opponent's back hand corner. He had a two-point cushion at the mid-game interval after the Hong Kong player went wide again. The Indian extended his lead to 16-11. Ng Long produced occasional winners but he was too erratic, while Prannoy unleashed another jump smash to again wriggle out. In the end, a precise return on the baseline gave Prannoy four match points. He squandered two before converting the third chance with a booming smash following a superb rally.

Indonesia Open: HS Prannoy storms into QFs; Sameer Verma, Ashwini Ponnappa-N Sikki Reddy bow out

India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu defeated Danish badminton player Line Christophersen in straight sets to move into the third round of the women`s singles event at ongoing the French Open 2021 on Thursday.

Sindhu started the match on a high as she won the first game 21-19 after a hard-fought battle. The Indian shuttler then thrashed Christophersen 21-9 in the second game to seal the match.

Lakshya Sen also entered into the third round of the ongoing tournament after defeating Singapore`s Loh Kean Yew 21-17, 21-13 on Thursday.

However, shuttler Sameer Verma got retired hurt and bowed out of the tournament despite winning the first game with a scoreline of 21-16, 12-21.

The Indian mix doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy lost in the round of 16 match.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/denmark-open-pv-sindhu-crashes-out-in-quarterfinals-to-south-koreas-an-seyoung-423084">Denmark Open: PV Sindhu crashes out in quarterfinals to South Korea's AN Seyoung</a>

Playing at Court 4, the Indian pair lost against Indonesia`s Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti 21-15, 17-21, 19-21.

The pair of Ponnappa and Satwik dominated the game in the first round but the Indonesian duo came back stronger in the second and the third round.&nbsp;

India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu defeated Danish badminton player Line Christophersen in straight sets to move into the third round of the women`s singles event at ongoing the French Open 2021 on Thursday.

India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu defeated Danish badminton player Line Christophersen in straight sets to move into the third round of the women`s singles event at ongoing the French Open 2021 on Thursday. Sindhu started the match on a high as she won the first game 21-19 after a hard-fought battle. The Indian shuttler then thrashed Christophersen 21-9 in the second game to seal the match. Lakshya Sen also entered into the third round of the ongoing tournament after defeating Singapore`s Loh Kean Yew 21-17, 21-13 on Thursday. However, shuttler Sameer Verma got retired hurt and bowed out of the tournament despite winning the first game with a scoreline of 21-16, 12-21. The Indian mix doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy lost in the round of 16 match. ALSO READ: Denmark Open: PV Sindhu crashes out in quarterfinals to South Korea's AN Seyoung Playing at Court 4, the Indian pair lost against Indonesia`s Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti 21-15, 17-21, 19-21. The pair of Ponnappa and Satwik dominated the game in the first round but the Indonesian duo came back stronger in the second and the third round.

French Open: PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen sail into third round, Sameer Verma bows out

India's Sameer Verma notched up a stunning straight-game win over world no.3 Anders Antonsen to storm into the quarterfinals but it was curtains for Lakshya Sen at the Denmark Open Super 1000 badminton tournament here.

World No 28 Sameer, who had qualified for the World Tour Finals in 2018 after winning three titles, produced a sensational performance to outwit local hero Antonsen 21-14 21-18 in a 50-minute men's singles battle on Thursday.

The 27-year-old from Madhya Pradesh will lock horns with 33-year-old Tommy Sugiarto, a bronze winner at the 2014 World Championships.

However, it proved to be too daunting a task for Lakhsya to match Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen as he thrashed the Indian 21-15 21-7 in a lop-sided second-round contest.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/denmark-open-saina-nehwal-knocked-out-lakshya-sen-marches-ahead-422450">Denmark Open: Saina Nehwal knocked out, Lakshya Sen marches ahead</a>

Coming into the match with a dismal 1-5 head-to-head count, Sameer showed great athleticism and tactical acumen to down Antonsen, a silver medallist at the 2019 World Championships.

Sameer opened a 2-0 lead before increasing it to 11-6 at the break.

The Indian kept his nose ahead, crushing all attempts by the Danish player to make a comeback. He comfortably sealed the opening game with three straight points.

The second game was slightly tighter but Sameer ensured that he held on to his two-point lead throughout after being 5-3 up early on.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/denmark-open-two-time-olympic-medallist-pv-sindhu-marches-into-next-round-422068">Denmark Open: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu marches into next round</a>

Sameer entered the interval at 11-8 and didn't allow Anderson to make any comeback.

Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu had also reached the quarterfinals on Thursday, beating Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-16, 12-21, 21-15 in 67 minutes.

She will take on fifth-seeded Korean AN Seyoung in the quarters.&nbsp;

India's Sameer Verma notched up a stunning straight-game win over world no.3 Anders Antonsen to storm into the quarterfinals but it was curtains for Lakshya Sen at the Denmark Open Super 1000 badminton tournament here.

India's Sameer Verma notched up a stunning straight-game win over world no.3 Anders Antonsen to storm into the quarterfinals but it was curtains for Lakshya Sen at the Denmark Open Super 1000 badminton tournament here. World No 28 Sameer, who had qualified for the World Tour Finals in 2018 after winning three titles, produced a sensational performance to outwit local hero Antonsen 21-14 21-18 in a 50-minute men's singles battle on Thursday. The 27-year-old from Madhya Pradesh will lock horns with 33-year-old Tommy Sugiarto, a bronze winner at the 2014 World Championships. However, it proved to be too daunting a task for Lakhsya to match Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen as he thrashed the Indian 21-15 21-7 in a lop-sided second-round contest. ALSO READ: Denmark Open: Saina Nehwal knocked out, Lakshya Sen marches ahead Coming into the match with a dismal 1-5 head-to-head count, Sameer showed great athleticism and tactical acumen to down Antonsen, a silver medallist at the 2019 World Championships. Sameer opened a 2-0 lead before increasing it to 11-6 at the break. The Indian kept his nose ahead, crushing all attempts by the Danish player to make a comeback. He comfortably sealed the opening game with three straight points. The second game was slightly tighter but Sameer ensured that he held on to his two-point lead throughout after being 5-3 up early on. ALSO READ: Denmark Open: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu marches into next round Sameer entered the interval at 11-8 and didn't allow Anderson to make any comeback. Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu had also reached the quarterfinals on Thursday, beating Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-16, 12-21, 21-15 in 67 minutes. She will take on fifth-seeded Korean AN Seyoung in the quarters.

Denmark Open: Sameer Verma shocks World No. 3 Anders Antonsen to enter quarterfinals, Lakshya out

Former champion Kidambi Srikanth and fellow Indian shuttler Sameer Verma made winning starts to their men's singles campaigns at the USD 850,000 Denmark Open Super 1000 tournament here on Tuesday.

Srikanth, who had claimed the title in 2017, outsmarted compatriot B Sai Praneeth 21-14 21-11 in 30 minutes, while Sameer, ranked 28th, prevailed over Thailand's world no 21 Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-17 21-14 in a 42-minute clash.

World no 14 Srikanth is expected to meet world no 1 and top-seeded Japanese Kento Momota in the second round, while Sameer will face Denmark's third seed Anders Antonsen in all probability in the next round.

In men's doubles, Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy lost 18-21 11-21 to Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin in the opening round to bow out of the competition.

Double Olympic medallist and reigning world champion P V Sindhu will begin her campaign later in the day.&nbsp;

Former champion Kidambi Srikanth and fellow Indian shuttler Sameer Verma made winning starts to their men's singles campaigns at the USD 850,000 Denmark Open Super 1000 tournament here on Tuesday.

Former champion Kidambi Srikanth and fellow Indian shuttler Sameer Verma made winning starts to their men's singles campaigns at the USD 850,000 Denmark Open Super 1000 tournament here on Tuesday. Srikanth, who had claimed the title in 2017, outsmarted compatriot B Sai Praneeth 21-14 21-11 in 30 minutes, while Sameer, ranked 28th, prevailed over Thailand's world no 21 Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-17 21-14 in a 42-minute clash. World no 14 Srikanth is expected to meet world no 1 and top-seeded Japanese Kento Momota in the second round, while Sameer will face Denmark's third seed Anders Antonsen in all probability in the next round. In men's doubles, Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy lost 18-21 11-21 to Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin in the opening round to bow out of the competition. Double Olympic medallist and reigning world champion P V Sindhu will begin her campaign later in the day.

Kidambi Srikanth, Sameer Verma off to winning starts at Denmark Open

Shuttler <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/saina-nehwal-makes-first-round-exit-from-hong-kong-open-261705">Saina Nehwal</a> on Thursday progressed to the quarter-finals in the ongoing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/saina-nehwal-loses-to-carolina-marin-in-semi-final-of-malaysia-masters-191421">Malaysia Masters</a> after registering a win in the second round.

Nehwal defeated Korea's An Se Young 25-23, 21-12 in about minutes 38 minutes.

The first game saw back and forth action between both shuttlers, and in the end, Nehwal kept her cool to win it.

On Wednesday, the 29-year-old had outclassed Belgium's Lianne Tan 21-15, 21-17 to move ahead to the pre-quarterfinals.

Men's shuttlers <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/fuzhou-china-open-p-kashyap-crashes-out-after-losing-to-viktor-axelsen-260476">Parupalli Kashyap</a> and Kidambi Srikanth lost their matches to Kento Momota and Chou Tien Chen respectively and as a result, crashed out of the tournament on Wednesday.

Shuttler Saina Nehwal on Thursday progressed to the quarter-finals in the ongoing Malaysia Masters after registering a win in the second round. Nehwal defeated Korea's An Se Young 25-23, 21-12 in about minutes 38 minutes.

Shuttler Saina Nehwal on Thursday progressed to the quarter-finals in the ongoing Malaysia Masters after registering a win in the second round. Nehwal defeated Korea's An Se Young 25-23, 21-12 in about minutes 38 minutes. The first game saw back and forth action between both shuttlers, and in the end, Nehwal kept her cool to win it. On Wednesday, the 29-year-old had outclassed Belgium's Lianne Tan 21-15, 21-17 to move ahead to the pre-quarterfinals. Men's shuttlers Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth lost their matches to Kento Momota and Chou Tien Chen respectively and as a result, crashed out of the tournament on Wednesday.

BWF: Saina Nehwal progresses to quarter-finals of Malaysia Masters

Indian shuttler <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pv-sindhu-saina-nehwal-enter-second-round-of-asia-badminton-championship-213196">Sameer Verma</a> was knocked out of the ongoing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/malaysias-mahathir-says-hong-kong-leader-should-step-down-253709">Malaysia Masters</a> here on Thursday. 
 
The 25-year-old faced a defeat in the second round of the match at the hands of local boy Lee Zii Jia in straight games 21-19, 22-20.

Verma had the lead in the first game but lost consecutive points and ultimately lost the match after a tough fight in the second game.

The clash lasted for 52 minutes and the defeat ended Verma's run in the competition.

Earlier in the day, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating South Korea's An Se Young 25-23, 21-12 in about minutes 38 minutes.

The first game saw back and forth action between both shuttlers. In the end, Nehwal kept her cool to win the match.

On Wednesday, the 29-year-old had outclassed Belgium's Lianne Tan 21-15, 21-17 to progress to the pre-quarterfinals.

Men's shuttlers <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ace-shuttlers-saina-nehwal-parupalli-kashyap-tie-the-knot-184076">Parupalli Kashyap</a> and Kidambi Srikanth crashed out of the tournament after losing their matches to Japan's Kento Momota and Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei respectively.

&nbsp;

Indian shuttler Sameer Verma was knocked out of the ongoing Malaysia Masters here on Thursday. The 25-year-old faced a defeat in the second round of the match at the hands of local boy Lee Zii Jia in straight games 21-19, 22-20.

Indian shuttler Sameer Verma was knocked out of the ongoing Malaysia Masters here on Thursday. The 25-year-old faced a defeat in the second round of the match at the hands of local boy Lee Zii Jia in straight games 21-19, 22-20. Verma had the lead in the first game but lost consecutive points and ultimately lost the match after a tough fight in the second game. The clash lasted for 52 minutes and the defeat ended Verma's run in the competition. Earlier in the day, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating South Korea's An Se Young 25-23, 21-12 in about minutes 38 minutes. The first game saw back and forth action between both shuttlers. In the end, Nehwal kept her cool to win the match. On Wednesday, the 29-year-old had outclassed Belgium's Lianne Tan 21-15, 21-17 to progress to the pre-quarterfinals. Men's shuttlers Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth crashed out of the tournament after losing their matches to Japan's Kento Momota and Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei respectively.

BWF: Sameer Verma ousted from Malaysia Masters

Indian shuttlers HS Prannoy and B Sai Praneeth Monday claimed that administrative goof-ups by the Badminton Association of India have robbed them of participation at the Asia Badminton Championship, an allegation that the BAI refuted.

India will be represented by Kidambi Srikanth and Sameer Verma in men's singles at the $&nbsp;400,000 event in Wuhan, China, commencing on Tuesday after the BAI allegedly did not confirm the entries of Prannoy and Praneeth to the organisers.

"According to the process, Badminton Asia confederation sent the allocations informing who are the players who all have qualified from a country. All other countries like Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia have four entries even though Indonesia and Malaysian players are ranked way below me and Praneeth," Prannoy told PTI.

"So I enquired about the rules and came to know BAI didn't reply to the e-mails confirming our entries," added the 26-year-old, who had won a bronze at the last edition.

The BAI, however, said in a statement that Badminton Asia asked for only two entries in men's singles and it sent the names of Srikanth and Verma based on their world rankings.

"Based on the e-mail received from Badminton Asia, we were asked to send names of two players each for Men Singles, Women's Singles; three names each for Men's and Women's doubles and 4 players for mixed doubles.

And the draw that was published based on the World Ranking of players dated week of February 26, 2019, mentioned Kidambi Srikanth (World Ranking 6) and Sameer Verma (World Ranking 11) in the main draw as per the ranking eligibility list published by Badminton Asia and the same was followed to send the players for the Championships," the BAI said in a statement.

Prannoy, who had been battling a gastroesophageal reflux disease since last year, has missed out on a lot of time.

He was looking good in the last few weeks, having reached the quarterfinals at India Open, but now he won't have the chance to defend his semifinal ranking points.

"It happened in 2016 also. ABC was the last event for the Olympic race and me and Ajay Jayaram were also running for the Olympics. Then Kashyap and Srikanth got the entries, so that time also nobody told us. At that time also BAI didn't confirm.

"Last year we all played because the guy who send the entries, Abhijit, was doing everything correctly, now I don't know what is happening, who is missing. The system is entirely messed up," alleged the 26-year-old.

"Next year ABC will come in the Tokyo qualification and if they mess it up again then I won't be able to take it," added a frustrated Prannoy.

According to sources, the BAI did not send the entries of around 10 shuttlers, including top doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, for the New Zealand Open (April 30 to May 5), which starts the Olympic qualification race.

"Almost 10 entries have been missed even though players had sent their names before the deadline and they are not even apologising for it," Prannoy claimed. 
Satwik had been nursing a shoulder injury and was missing in action this season.

They had planned to start the year with the New Zealand Open but now they have decided to utilise the time playing international challenger events in Brazil and Denmark.

"After we came to know that our entries were not sent we decided to play at Brazil and Denmark," Chirag said.

Prannoy also alleged that travelling for tournaments too have became difficult as the players mostly come to know about the ticket confirmation at the last moment.

"The guys who is handling our entries, travelling, transporting is messing it up for the last five months since Abhijit quit BAI.

"Ticketing is done at last moment. If we are travelling on Saturday, we are getting to know on that day itself and we are getting worse flights. Why can't they confirm our tickets five days before," asked Prannoy.

He also claimed that they were stranded in Hong Kong during the Asia Mixed team championship, apparently, due to another goof-up by the BAI.

"When we went to Hong Kong for ABC mixed team event, we were stranded at the airport for two hours. There was no transportation for us because BAI didn't send the request to the organisers," he said.

"The BAI official sent in the transportation request for Hong Kong event in the form of Wuhan event (individual event). Can you imagine that?," Prannoy said.&nbsp;

Indian shuttlers HS Prannoy and B Sai Praneeth Monday claimed that administrative goof-ups by the Badminton Association of India have robbed them of participation at the Asia Badminton Championship, an allegation that the BAI refuted.

Indian shuttlers HS Prannoy and B Sai Praneeth Monday claimed that administrative goof-ups by the Badminton Association of India have robbed them of participation at the Asia Badminton Championship, an allegation that the BAI refuted. India will be represented by Kidambi Srikanth and Sameer Verma in men's singles at the $ 400,000 event in Wuhan, China, commencing on Tuesday after the BAI allegedly did not confirm the entries of Prannoy and Praneeth to the organisers. "According to the process, Badminton Asia confederation sent the allocations informing who are the players who all have qualified from a country. All other countries like Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia have four entries even though Indonesia and Malaysian players are ranked way below me and Praneeth," Prannoy told PTI. "So I enquired about the rules and came to know BAI didn't reply to the e-mails confirming our entries," added the 26-year-old, who had won a bronze at the last edition. The BAI, however, said in a statement that Badminton Asia asked for only two entries in men's singles and it sent the names of Srikanth and Verma based on their world rankings. "Based on the e-mail received from Badminton Asia, we were asked to send names of two players each for Men Singles, Women's Singles; three names each for Men's and Women's doubles and 4 players for mixed doubles. And the draw that was published based on the World Ranking of players dated week of February 26, 2019, mentioned Kidambi Srikanth (World Ranking 6) and Sameer Verma (World Ranking 11) in the main draw as per the ranking eligibility list published by Badminton Asia and the same was followed to send the players for the Championships," the BAI said in a statement. Prannoy, who had been battling a gastroesophageal reflux disease since last year, has missed out on a lot of time. He was looking good in the last few weeks, having reached the quarterfinals at India Open, but now he won't have the chance to defend his semifinal ranking points. "It happened in 2016 also. ABC was the last event for the Olympic race and me and Ajay Jayaram were also running for the Olympics. Then Kashyap and Srikanth got the entries, so that time also nobody told us. At that time also BAI didn't confirm. "Last year we all played because the guy who send the entries, Abhijit, was doing everything correctly, now I don't know what is happening, who is missing. The system is entirely messed up," alleged the 26-year-old. "Next year ABC will come in the Tokyo qualification and if they mess it up again then I won't be able to take it," added a frustrated Prannoy. According to sources, the BAI did not send the entries of around 10 shuttlers, including top doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, for the New Zealand Open (April 30 to May 5), which starts the Olympic qualification race. "Almost 10 entries have been missed even though players had sent their names before the deadline and they are not even apologising for it," Prannoy claimed. Satwik had been nursing a shoulder injury and was missing in action this season. They had planned to start the year with the New Zealand Open but now they have decided to utilise the time playing international challenger events in Brazil and Denmark. "After we came to know that our entries were not sent we decided to play at Brazil and Denmark," Chirag said. Prannoy also alleged that travelling for tournaments too have became difficult as the players mostly come to know about the ticket confirmation at the last moment. "The guys who is handling our entries, travelling, transporting is messing it up for the last five months since Abhijit quit BAI. "Ticketing is done at last moment. If we are travelling on Saturday, we are getting to know on that day itself and we are getting worse flights. Why can't they confirm our tickets five days before," asked Prannoy. He also claimed that they were stranded in Hong Kong during the Asia Mixed team championship, apparently, due to another goof-up by the BAI. "When we went to Hong Kong for ABC mixed team event, we were stranded at the airport for two hours. There was no transportation for us because BAI didn't send the request to the organisers," he said. "The BAI official sent in the transportation request for Hong Kong event in the form of Wuhan event (individual event). Can you imagine that?," Prannoy said.

Top shuttlers Prannoy, Praneeth blame BAI's administrative mess for missing Asian Badminton Championship

World number three Tai Tzu-ying won the women`s singles at the Hong Kong Open Sunday, dashing PV&nbsp;Sindhu&#39;s hopes of back-to-back superseries titles and avenging her loss to the Olympic silver medallist in Rio.

Sameer Verma, the other Indian in the final, also tripped in the final hurdle, losing to local player&nbsp;Ng Ka Long Angus.

The unheralded Verma had beaten world number Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark on Saturday to reach the final. But he could not repeat the same magic in the final on Sunday.

Too good for Sindhu

Sindhu, fresh from capturing the China Open in Fuzhou last week, was slow off the blocks and failed to match the pace set by the Taiwanese player, who unleashed a mix of well-timed lobs and drop shots in her 21-15, 21-17 victory.&nbsp;

&quot;It was a good game overall, but it was her day,&quot; said Sindhu, who brushed off suggestions that her win at Fuzhou had left her drained in Hong Kong. &quot;I&#39;ll go back and train hard.&quot;&nbsp;

Sindhu rallied in the second but was unable to establish a rhythm as Tai pulled away in the latter half of the game.&nbsp;

The 22-year-old stayed patient during longer rallies as her opponent struggled to reach shots and keep the shuttlecock in play.&nbsp;

&quot;I like to be easy during my matches. I don`t like to put too much pressure on myself,&quot; said Tai, who booked her ticket to the final a day earlier by beating Rio gold medallist Carolina Marin.&nbsp;

This was Tai&#39;s second superseries win this season, having previously won the Indonesia Open title in June.&nbsp;

She said her eyes were now firmly set on finishing the season on top at the tour final in Dubai, a tournament she won in 2014.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

World number three Tai Tzu-ying avenged her loss at the Olympics by beating Sindhu in straight sets

World number three Tai Tzu-ying won the women`s singles at the Hong Kong Open Sunday, dashing PV Sindhu's hopes of back-to-back superseries titles and avenging her loss to the Olympic silver medallist in Rio. Sameer Verma, the other Indian in the final, also tripped in the final hurdle, losing to local player Ng Ka Long Angus. The unheralded Verma had beaten world number Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark on Saturday to reach the final. But he could not repeat the same magic in the final on Sunday. Too good for Sindhu Sindhu, fresh from capturing the China Open in Fuzhou last week, was slow off the blocks and failed to match the pace set by the Taiwanese player, who unleashed a mix of well-timed lobs and drop shots in her 21-15, 21-17 victory. "It was a good game overall, but it was her day," said Sindhu, who brushed off suggestions that her win at Fuzhou had left her drained in Hong Kong. "I'll go back and train hard." Sindhu rallied in the second but was unable to establish a rhythm as Tai pulled away in the latter half of the game. The 22-year-old stayed patient during longer rallies as her opponent struggled to reach shots and keep the shuttlecock in play. "I like to be easy during my matches. I don`t like to put too much pressure on myself," said Tai, who booked her ticket to the final a day earlier by beating Rio gold medallist Carolina Marin. This was Tai's second superseries win this season, having previously won the Indonesia Open title in June. She said her eyes were now firmly set on finishing the season on top at the tour final in Dubai, a tournament she won in 2014. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Hong Kong Open: PV Sindhu, Verma trip in final hurdle

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