Kidambi Srikanth and Men's double pair of Pranav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar storms into the final of Syed Modi International Championship while Jwala Gutta-Aswini Ponappa pair faces semi final exit

Kidambi Srikanth had a good outing in the semi final of Syed Modi International Badminton Championship as the Indian shuttler powered into the Men's final virtually demolishing his Thai opponent Boonsak Ponsana 21-14;21-7.

Srikanth looked in sublime touch as he gave little sniff to his opponent Ponsana gaining control of match from very start.

K.Srikanth showed great maturity as he powered through the first set convincingly by 21-14 with little unforced error and using fore and back court play to utmost precision as Ponsana had very few answers to the Srikanths  cross court rallies.

If first set was easy the second set was a cake walk as Srikanth blew away a hapless looking Boonsak Ponsana 21-7 who could do little to the ace Indian shuttlers tactical positional play and finally what was rated to be a high voltage semi final clash turned out to be a meek surrender as the match was rolled up 21-14;21-07 margin. Srikanth faces China's Huang Yuxiang on Sunday in the event final.

India's womens pair of Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponappa faced a semi final exit losing to Korean pair of Jung Kyung Eun and Shin Seung Chan by 21-14 and 21-16 margin.The Indian womens duo could not quite get their act together as they were chasing the game all through as Jung-Shin pair had control over the game till the last point.

Gutta-Ponappa pair had their moments to comeback into the match but unforced errors during crucial junctions let the Korean pair sail into convincing lead across both sets.

Jung-Shin pair showed glimpse of good touch as they used the width of the court to good use to stretch the Indian pair. 

 

The show stopper for the day was the Men's double match of Pranav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar as they faced Korean pair of Kim Gi Jung and Kim Sa Rang.The Indian pair looking to make it to their maiden final of a Grand prix Gold event infront of a vocal Lucknow crowd did no harm to their surging reputation to win the semi final by 25-23;13-21;21-17 margin.

As expected the match was a tantalizing end to end battle and it turned to be a showdown of Indian tactical play versus Korean stamina and power.The first set was a virtual cat and mouse chase as both teams moved never allowed their opponent to run away.Pranav Jerry used his height to good advantage as he belted out some powerful smashes and Akshay Dewalkar was at his technical best to find empty pockets in the court.The Indian duo held onto a nervous point by point rally to win the first set by25-23 margin.

In the second set the Kim & Kim duo made a crucial fightback helped by lose play from Indian pair resulting in 13-21 loss for Pranav and Akshay pair.

As the match rolled onto the third set the vociferous crowd rallied behind the home team and the Indian belted out an inspired performance going strength to strength as the match rolled on to its business end.Pranav and Aksay went into the 30 second changeover break in 3rd set with a 11-09 lead.

After the break the occassion seemed to got better of the Korean pair as Pranav and Akshay pair virtually ran away with the set with great combination play forcing the Kim and Kim pair to unforced errors as the Indian duo could make use of their tactical play to find smashing spots in the Korean half to win the final set 21-17.

A great win for Indian pair as they now face Malaysian pair of V Shem Goh and Wee Kiong Tan on Sunday for the Men's double summit clash.

News Information: Shuttler India exclusive

P Kashyap handed quarter final exit after losing to China's Huang Yuxiang 21-18;18-21;21-15 at Syed Modi International Badminton Championship 2016

India's Men's singles hope came to a crashing halt as ace shuttler P Kashyap was grounded with a quarter final exit after losing marathon battle with China's Huang Yuxiang losing 21-18;18-21;21-15.
The much awaited contest which lasted over an hour saw high drama as P Kashyap lost the first 21-18 as Huang Yuxiang seemed to be in control of the game with good technical play using the length and breadth of the court and creating spaces to deliver powerful smashes to win the first set.
In the second set however defending champion P Kashyap seem to got his mojo back and he stretched the Chinese opponent with sound skills using deft touches across nets and with rub of the green going Kashyap's way winning 21-15 as the match headed to decider set.
In third set both players kept sight of each other as players matched evenly at 11-10 till the mid set changeover. At this point it seemed it could be anyone's game as the modest crowd support was backing the Indian shuttler and P Kashyap looked confident to clinch the decider set.
But the Chinese shuttler Yuxiang had other ideas as he belted out a superb performance stretching Kashyap fore and across the court with neat play and powerful shots as Kashyap did himself no good either succumbing to many unforced errors eventually losing 21-15 .
Huang Yuxiang faces his compatriot Shi Yuqi in the semi final clash on Saturday.

Syed Modi International Badminton Championship: Indians had a mixed day at quarters outing

Indian Men's doubles pair Pranav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar proceeded to semis beating 3rd seeded Danish pair of Mads Conrad-Petersen and Mads Pier Kolding 21-22; 11-21 and 23-21.
The Indian duo started strongly beating the Danish pair 22-20 with strong court play making the visitors toil hard infront of some vocal crowd support. As Pranav and Akshay pair looked confident from the first set win but soon after in the second set the pair was grounded with some fierce play from the Petersen-Kolding pair with strong attacking shots as they looked to stretch the Indian pair across with some fine balance of strong front and back court extension play as well as deft shots from the nets resulting in an easy win by 11-21 margin.

As the match proceeded to third the small crowd at BBD arena was treated with some end to end encounter as the balance of the match swung on either side with each rally point. Pranav and Akshay managed to keep their composure with some sound technical play as they created width on the court with some pin point rally points and never let the Danish pair out of their sight. As the match closed to the closing stages it seemed it could be anyones game but Pranav Jerry and Akshay Dewalkar managed to scrape through in what turned out to be a gripping encounter to win the final set 23-21.

While the women's duo of Gutta-Ponappa had a fairly easy outing against the Thai shuttler Puttita Supajirakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai winning 23-21 and 21-17.
The Indian women's player showed great maturity and composure over their Thai opponent as the Gutta-Ponappa pair kept control of the game across both sets to manage a fairly easy win.

In Men's single Quarters India's rising star K.Srikanth had to toil hard to earn a spot in semis against Malaysian opponent Goh Soon Huat winning 21-17;18-21;24-22.The marathon battle lasted more than an hour.The intensely contested match saw K.Srikanth pull out some amazing shot across the court as the Malaysian opponent was stretched by the Indian shuttler to submission . As the match proceeded to third set the fiercely fought encounter took toll on both the players but finally K.Srikanth managed to hold on to his nerve and battled third set fatigue to break the deadlock with a score of 24-22 to surge forward Indian Men's singles hopes to the business end of the tournament.
However Harsheel Dani's promising run in the tournament came crashing in Quarters losing to Chinese shuttler Shi Yuqi 21-14; 21-11 without much fight as Shi Yuqi dominated the match and cruised to a easy win.
In other matches Men's double top seeded player Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen had easy win over Lee Sheng Mu and Tsai Chia Hsin of Taipei beating them 21-12;21-18 and Japanese women's player Sayaka Sato thumped Maria Feebe Kusumastuti 21-;21-3

Syed Modi International Badminton Championship:V Sindhu was stunned by Nitchaon Jindapol in the second round, while Kidambi Srikanth and defending champion Parupalli Kashyap eased into quarterfinals.

Lucknow: Top seed Kidambi Srikanth entered the quarterfinals but heartbreak was in store for P V Sindhu as she suffered a shocking loss to Nitchaon Jindapol of Thailand in the second round of the $120,000 Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in Lucknow. 

Srikanth dished out sweet revenge in the prequarterfinals when he demolished Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin 21-9, 21-12 in a 32-minute match, just five days after going down to the Malaysian in the semifinals of Malaysia Masters in Penang.

The World No. 9 Indian will face another Malaysian in Goh Soon Huat on Friday.

Sindhu bowed out with a 21-18, 24-26, 17-21 loss to World No. 27 Jindapol in an edge-of-the-seat thriller that lasted an hour and 28 minutes.

Defending champion Parupalli Kashyap also reached the quarterfinals after notching up a 21-19 21-10 win over China's Zhu Siyuan. The Commonwealth Games champion will next take on China's Huang Yuxiang.

The 2011 World Championship bronze medallists, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa brushed aside compatriots Ningshi Block Hazarika and Harika Veludurthi 21-9 21-10 and the sixth seeds will next take on the Thai pair of Puttita Supajirakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai.

Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar also had a good day in office as they marched past the fifth-seeded Indonesian combo of Angga Pratama and Ricky Karanda Suwardi 21-13, 21-14 in a men's doubles match.

The Indian duo will meet third seeds Mads Conrad-Petersen and Mads Pieler Kolding of Denmark, who dispatched the Indian combo of K Nandagopal and Shlok Ramchandran 21-19, 21-6 in another match.

Fifth seeds Shizuka Matsuo and Mami Naito of Japan ended the run of India's S Poorvisha Ram and Arathi Sara Sunil 21-9, 21-11 in a women's doubles match, while K Maneesha and N Sikki Reddy went down 11-21, 17-21 to Puttita Supajirakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand.

In men's doubles, top seed Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen of Denmark, the silver medallist at London Olympics, defeated the Indian pair of Vineeth Manuel and S Sanjeeth 21-7, 21-12 in just 19 minutes.

Aparna Balan and Prajakta Sawant too bit the dust, going down 17-21, 17-21 to third seeds Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek of Netherlands in a 39-minute match.

In another men's doubles match, M Anilkumar Raju and Venkat Gaurav Prasad were outclassed 14-21, 7-21 by sixth seeds Vladimir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov of Russia.

Syed Modi International Badminton Championship 2016:PV Sindhu eased past qualifier Mukherjee Riya 21-6, 21-7 in her first round match. Kidambi Srikanth brushed aside his Iranian opponent Vatannejad Soroush Eskandari in just 18 minutes

Lucknow: Top Indian shuttlers, including K Srikanth and Parupalli Kashyap in men's singles and P V Sindhu in women's singles, advanced to the second round after easy victories on the first day of the main draw in the Syed Modi International Badminton tournament in Lucknow.

Srikanth hardly broke a sweat as he thrashed Vatannejad Soroush Eskandari of Iran 21-4, 21-10 in just 18 minutes in his first round match at Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium. He will meet Joo Ven Soong of Malaysia in the second round.

Fourth seeded Kashyap, on the other hand, beat compatriot Oscar Bansal 21-18, 21-11 in a 27-minute match to storm into the second round. He will play Zi Liang Derek Wong of Singapore in the second round.

However, fifth seed H S Prannoy and R M V Gurusaidutt were among the Indians who lost their men's first round singles matches.

In the women's singles, third seed Sindhu easily defeated compatriot qualifier Mukherjee Riya 21-6, 21-7 in her first round match. She will next meet unseeded Nitchaon Jindapol of Thailand in the second round.

In the women's doubles, top Indian pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa sailed into the second round with an easy 21-6, 21-14 win over English pair of Heather Olver and Laurem Smith in a 25-minute contest.

They will now play against the Indian pair of N B Hazarika and Harika Veludurthi in the second round.

Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu to Represent India in SAG Badminton Tournament in Shillong

Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and a host of renowned shuttle's have been named to represent the country in the upcoming 12th SAG scheduled to be held in Shillong. 

In a release by Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, President BAI and Chairman GTCC, listed the players, which includes Saina, Sindhu, Parupalli Kashyap, Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy, Ajay Jayaram.

The team championship for men and women will be held on league basis on February 6 and 7. The semi finals and the finals will be held on February 8.

The individual events, men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles and mixed doubles will be held on February 9 and 10.

Eight men's teams and seven women's teams are participating in the team event.

The squad:

Men's singles: Parupalli Kashyap, Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy, Ajay Jayaram, Women's singles: Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Ruthvika Shivani, PC Thulasi

Men's doubles: Manu Atri-Sumeeth Reddy, Pranaav Jerry Chopra-Akshay Dewalkar

Women's doubles: Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa, Sikki Reddy-K Maneesha Coaches: Tan Kim Her, Vijaydeep Singh, Amrish Shinde, Ravikanth Singla.

Saina Nehwal has not yet recovered from an Achilles injury and will miss the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold Badminton tournament in Lucknow.

Saina Nehwal will skip the USD 120,000 Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold tournament starting in Lucknow on Tuesday after failing to recover from an Achilles injury. She played her last international tournament at Dubai Masters in December last year.

The world no 2 and defending champion had earlier confirmed her participation for the championship organised by Uttar Pradesh Badminton Association under the auspices of Badminton Association of India.

Saina had a great 2015 season and also achieved the world No.1 ranking. She would be hoping to better her London Olympics performance this time when she takes the field in Rio Games later in 2016. She is likely to pick and choose tournament to stay fit and healthy for the mega event.

"I am improving, I am doing pretty well. Hopefully, I will get back into the shape soon," she told NDTV. "I will not hurry up and play tournaments. I want to make sure that wherever I play, I give my best."

Saina is aware that the expectations will be high during the Rio Olympics.

"I worked really hard and was on top of my game in 2012. Olympics is always a big tournament to perform in. It adds up pressure and expectations are high. Hope I stay in shape and I am sure I will come out with good results," she said.

Elite Indian shuttlers like P.V. Sindhu, P. Kashayp, K. Srikant, Ajay Jayaram, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa to starcast in Syed Modi International Championships

India's top shuttlers, including defending champion Saina Nehwal, are set to take field in the prestigious Syed Modi International Championships to be held in Lucknow at the BBD, UP Badminton Academy from January 26 to 31. 

Olympics bronze medallist, Saina has confirmed her participation for the championship organised by Uttar Pradesh Badminton Association under the auspices of Badminton Association of India.

Chief secretary, U.P. and president of U.P. Badminton Association Alok Ranjan while speaking at a press conference said badminton fans will get a chance to see world's top players in action here.

"The presence of big stars in all the categories would be good enough to excite fans," Ranjan, who is also the President, Organising Committee said.

Organising secretary Vijai Sinha said Indian star P.V. Sindhu, P. Kashayp, K. Srikant, Ajay Jayaram, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa and also foreign players like Tommy Sugiarto (Indonesia), Mathias Boe (Denmark), Vladimir Ivanov (Russia) would be an added attraction.

"Saina & Sindhu's presence would certainly make the field interesting for everyone," said Vijai Sinha, who is also the Secretary General of Badminton Association of India.

The qualifying rounds will be played on January 26, whereas the main draw matches will take place from January 27.

The finals are to be played on January 31.

PV Sindhu Starts 2016 With Malaysia Masters Badminton Crown beating Scotland's Kristy Gilmour in straight games

Two-time World Championship bronze-medallist, India's P V Sindhu made a rousing start to the new season as she clinched the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title after defeating Scotland's Kristy Gilmour in straight games in the final here on Sunday.

The third seeded Indian had lost to Gilmour in 2013 French Open in their only meeting but today she showed why she is considered to be one of India's most revered women's singles shuttler as she avenged her loss with a dominating 21 -15 21-9 win in a 32-minute clash to clinch her fifth Grand Prix Gold title.

This is her second Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title, having won it in 2013 as well. She also completed a hat-trick at the Macau Open Grand Prix Gold in November last year.

Sindhu, who had an unbeaten streak at the Premier Badminton League (PBL), produced a dominating performance as she showed better court coverage and cut down on her errors to outclass her opponent in the summit clash.

In the opening game, Sindhu made early strides, moving to 5-2 and then sped away with her superior game plan. She had a healthy 12-6 lead which she increased to 18-10.

The Scottish shuttler, on the other hand, reeled off four straight points but could never threaten Sindhu who closed the game without much effort.

In the second game, Sindhu once again opened up a slender 5-2 lead which was quickly erased by Gilmour. But the Indian then changed gears and moved to a 9-5 and then jumped to a huge 16-5 lead.

Gilmour tried in vain to narrow the gap but the Indian slammed the door on her rival.

Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold "PV Sindhu defeated old foe Lindaweni Fanetri 21-10, 21-10, while Kidambi Srikanth eased past Chinese Huang Yuxiang 21-15, 21-14 to make it so semis

Top Indian shuttlers P.V. Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth earned straight-game victories to enter the semi-finals of the $120,000 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold at the Spice Arena here on Friday.

A former winner here, double World Championship bronze medallist Sindhu played a clean game to beat old foe Lindaweni Fanetri and enter the women's singles semis.

Third seed Sindhu took less than half hour to beat her Indonesian opponent 21-10, 21-10 in the quarter-final to better her record to 8-2 against Lindaweni. This was the World No.12's sixth straight win over Lindaweni.

Sindhu, who won the event here in 2013, will next play South Korean top seed Sung Ji Hyun. Though the Hyderabadi has a 3-2 record against the World No.8, the South Korean has won the two meetings between them.

Later, men's singles second seed Srikanth needed just 33 minutes to move past China's Huang Yuxiang 21-15, 21-14 in the quarter-finals. This was the first contest between the two.

World No.9 Srikanth will face Malaysian Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin in the last four clash on Saturday. The Indian has a 1-0 record against him.

However, it was the end of the road for Ajay Jayaram who lost his last-eight clash to legendary Malaysian Lee Chong Wei in 35 minutes. Jayaram went down 16-21, 16-21 to lose his eighth match in as many meetings to the two-time Olympic silver medallist.

Malaysia Masters: PV Sindhu overcome Japan's Kaori Imabeppu 21-13, 13-21, 21-14, Kidambi Srikanth had an easy 21-17, 21-10 win over Thai 16th seed Boonsak Ponsana.

Penang: Indian singles shuttlers had a field day at the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold on Thursday as PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and Ajay Jayaram all won their respective matches to enter the quarter-finals of the $120,000 event being played at the Spice Stadium here.

However, the Indian challenge in doubles ended with women partners Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa losing their second round match to the Japanese pairing of Shizuka Matsuo and Mami Naito 14-21, 17-21 in 37 minutes.

Former winner and third seed Sindhu had a difficult outing as she took more than an hour to overcome a strong challenge thrown at her by Japan's Kaori Imabeppu. Eventually, the 2013 winner came out on top with a 21-13, 13-21, 21-14 triumph in the women's singles second round.

Sindhu will next take on her old foe from Indonesia, Lindaweni Fanetri, for a place in the semis. World No.12 Sindhu has a healthy 7-2 record against the Indonesian.

Later in men's singles, second seed Srikanth had an easy win over Thai 16th seed Boonsak Ponsana. The Guntur-born took just 33 minutes to come out the winner with a 21-17, 21-10 win. The World No.9 Indian will next face China's Huang Yuxiang.

Jayaram, seeded 10th, also had a tough outing but managed a 56-minute victory over Malaysia's Zulfadli Zulkiffli. The Mumbaikar won 11-21, 21-8, 22-20 and faces an even tougher quarter-final as he will be up against two-time Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei in the last eight clash.

Saina Nehwal Likely to Meet Ratchanok Intanon in Thailand Masters Finals

Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and former World Champion Intanon Ratchanok are likely to clash in the finals of the Thailand Masters as the two have been drawn in opposite halves in the USD 1,20,000 Grand Prix Gold tournament to be held in Bangkok from February 8 to 13.

World No. 2 Saina, who will open her new season as the defending champion at the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold, will also look to clinch the Thailand Masters title and pocket some valuable points for 2016 Olympic qualification

The top seeded Indian have been handed an easy draw as she will take on Singapore's Jiayuan Chen in her opening match and is likely to meet sixth seed Busanan Ongbumrungphan of Thailand in the quarterfinals at Bangkok's Nimibutr Building.

The Olympic bronze medallist is likely to face China's World No.11 Sun Yu in the last four. The Indian had lost to the Chinese in 2013 China Open but overall she has beaten her five times.

Local star Ratchanok too seems to have an easy road ahead as she is likely to face compatriot Nichaon Jindapol in the quarter-finals and World No.8 Sung Ji-Hyun of South Korea in the semi-finals. Sung will open her campaign against India's Saili Rane.

Saina has not been in the best of form as she is still nursing a foot injury and also didn't play all her matches for Awadhe Warriors at the recently-concluded Premier Badminton League (PBL).

Another Indian, Tanvi Lad will face USA's Rong Schafer in her opening match.

In men's singles, Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap will take on Korea's Kwang Hee Heo, Anand Pawar will meet Thailand's Tawan Huansuriya and youngsters Sameer Verma and Harsheel Dani will square up against Singapore's Kean Yew Loh and Mexico's Lino Munoz respectively.

Subhankar Dey and Shreyansh Jaiswal will meet a qualifier and top seed Lee Hyun Il of Korea respectively in their first round matches.

New men's doubles pair of K Nandagopal and Shlok Ramchandran will meet Thai combo of Puavaranukroh Dechapol and Kedren Kittinupong, while M Anilkumar Raju and Venkat Gaurav Prasad will face Indonesia's Andrei Adistia and Agripinna Prima Rahmanto Putra.

In women's doubles, Dhanya Nair and Mohita Sahdev will face Indonesian pair of Keshya Nurvita Hanadia and Devi Tika Permatasari, while Komal Antil and Lalita Dahiya will take on Malaysian fourth seed Vivian Kah Mun Hoo and Khe Wei Woon.

Premier Badminton League: Delhi Acers Overcome Mumbai Rockets to Clinch Title

Tommy Sugiarto, men's doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong and Rajiv Ouseph won their respective matches as Delhi Acers lifted the Premier Badminton  League trophy and pocketed a winner's cheque of Rs 3 crore.

Delhi Acers notched up a thrilling 4-3 victory over Mumbai Rockets in the summit clash to clinch the revamped Premier Badminton League (PBL) title at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here on Sunday.

Tommy Sugiarto, men's doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong and Rajiv Ouseph won their respective matches as Delhi clinched the trophy and pocketed a winner's cheque of Rs 3 crore.

Mixed doubles pair of Kamilla Juhl and Vladimir Ivanov thrashed Gabrielle Adcock and Akshay Dewalkar 15-6, 15-12 to draw frist blood for Mumbai Rockets.

In the first men's singles, Tommy Sugiarto then continued his unbeaten run at the tournament as he saw off Mumbai's H S Prannoy 13-15, 15-9 15-9 to bring Delhi back into the contest.

In the men's doubles match, Ivanov and Mathais Boe played their heart out before going down narrowly 14-15 15-10 15-14 to Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong as Delhi grabbed a 2-1 lead after three matches.

China's Han Li, who had beaten World No. 2 Saina Nehwal on Friday to take Mumbai into the finals, then notched up a 12-15, 15-8, 15-8 win over PC Thulasi in their Trump match to make it 3-2 in Mumbai's favour.

In the deciding match, which was Delhi's Trump match, 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Rajiv Ouseph took the court against RMV Gurusaidutt and he took Delhi across the line by grabbing two points with a 15-11, 15-6 win over the Indian in the last match of the day.

In the first match, Kamilla and Ivanov stamped their authority early as they zoomed to a 8-5 lead at the break. The Denmark shuttler dished out some superb serves to continue their good run and reeled off six points to reach 14-8. Ivanov hit wide but they grabbed the next point to win the opening game.

Adcock and Dewalkar opened up a slender 3-1 lead early on in the second game and reached the interval with a 8-4 cushion. But Mumbai clawed back when Dewalkar hit wide and then wrested a 12-9 lead with Ivanov in full flow. Kamilla's return took Mumbai to a 14-11 match point. Delhi saved one but a service error sealed it in Mumbai's favour next.

In the second match of the day, Sugiarto, who has not lost a match in PBL, took the court against Prannoy and despite a fight from the Indian lead 8-5 at the break when the latter's smash got buried at the nets.

Prannoy clawed back at 9-9 with a cracking smash and moved into the lead at 12-11 when Sugiarto hit the nets. The Indian moved into the game point at 14-12 with a dribble at net and grabbed the opening game when Sugiarto hit long.

Sugiarto once again nosed ahead, grabbing a 8-3 lead in the second game with a cross court return. With Prannoy struggling with his strokes, Sugiarto ran away with the match to bounce back in the contest.

In the decider, Sugiarto continued his dominance and lead 8-3 at the break. The duo engaged in gruelling rallies but Prannoy failed to close the points. The result was Sugiarto zoomed to the match point in a jiffy. The Indian saved three points before the Indonesian sealed his sixth win when Prannoy hit long.

"It was a tough match as it is the Final Tie of the League, so its quite expected. Prannoy played very well today and gave me good competition. Losing the first match was a setback but I came back with better strategies. Happy to win the match, it's big boost to my team," Sugiarto said.

In men's doubles, Ivanov and Boe rallied their way from 5-8 to clinch the opening game after a thrilling battle with Keat and Heong. However, the Delhi pair came back strongly to grab the second game. In the decider, Keat and Heong moved to a 10-3 lead early on and also reached the match point at 14-11.

Ivanov and Boe saved three match points to draw parity but Ivanov hit wide next to hand over the match to Delhi.

Koo Keat Kien and Tan Boon Heaong said: "It was an unbelievable match. We all held our nerves till the last moment. We had some game-plans. Though we lost the first game, the second game turned into a big motivation for us. We gave everything in the third game and eventually managed to out-fox the opponents."

Delhi's Thulasi then conjured up hopes of an upset as she dished out a delectable game of badminton to grab the opening game against Saina slayer Han Li but the Chinese bounced back in style as she brushed aside the Indian in the second game with a much-improved game.

In the decider, Li continued to dominate as she opened up a 8-4 lead at the break. The China shuttler didn't let her guard down after the interval and picked points with ease. Thulashi engaged in rallies and some of her strokes stunnned Li but in the end it was the Chinese who had the last laugh.

The second men's singles turned out to be a edge of the seat affair as Guru and Rajiv fought hard right from the start and the England shuttler entered the first break at 8-7.

The duo continued their tooth and nail battle after the breather moving together till 11-11. Rajiv then changed gears and dominated the rallies and pushed Guru to commit errors who netted one and then sent one long to allow Delhi grab the first game.

In the second game, Rajiv opened up a 8-4 lead and then continued his dominance as Guru's game crumbled.

Premier Badminton League: Delhi Acers Look to Trump Mumbai Rockets in Final

Rampaging Delhi Acers will look to continue their dominance and pull the rug from under the feet of an equally menacing Mumbai Rockets when they clash in the finals of the Premier Badminton League at the Siri Fort Sports Complex on Sunday.

The Acers have been in great form as they topped the table with 20 points, progressing to the final after defeating Chennai Smashers 4-3.

Mumbai, on the other hand, punched above their weight in the semifinals on Friday when they edged out title contenders Awadhe Warriors 3-0, who were led by world number 2 Saina Nehwal at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.

Delhi had thrashed Mumbai 5-0 when they meet at the league stage at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. In fact, that was the win which confirmed Delhi's position on top of the Premier Badminton League standings.

However, in a format comprising two trump matches, fortunes fluctuated more quickly during the course of the tournament and Delhi know that past results would count little and they will have to bring their best to the table if they have to realise their dream of laying hands on the coveted title.

During their last clash, Delhi had won all the three singles and the men's doubles match, while Mumbai just won the mixed doubles match in the five-match tie.

"I think it would be anybody's game. We have seen how results can go topsy-turvy in the tournament. The men's doubles will be crucial. Because they have a strong pair and even last time it was a close match," Delhi's Ajay Jayaram said.

"Of course choosing the trump match will be crucial and it will have a big bearing on the result. In mixed doubles they have an edge. Also Han Li beat Saina last night so they are likely to field her in the women's singles tomorrow. But we have beaten them last time, so we just want to give our best," he added.

Mumbai's decision to propose the women's singles match as their Trump match had backfired as Delhi's PC Thulasi eked out a 15-11, 8-15, 15-13 win over Ruthvika Gadde to change the complexion of the game and this time the visitors will have to be careful.

In the two men's singles, Tommy Sugiarto (Delhi) had thrashed HS Prannoy and Rajiv Ouseph had spanked RMV Gurusaidutt and it remains to be seen what the two Indian shuttlers produce when they take the court tomorrow.

Last time, Mumbai will once again depend on the experienced mixed doubles pair of Vladimir Ivanov and Kamilla Juhl to earn them points against Akshay Dewalkar and Aparna Balan like.

The men's doubles clash will be a mouth-watering one as despite their loss in the last outing against Delhi, the pair of Mathias Boe and Ivanov remains a formidable opponent.

"It is a different match and a different venue and a lot of things have changed since we last played Delhi. Han Li for one have bounced back to form and she was terrific last night. Also Prannoy had a good match yesterday. So it will be crucial to win two singles and also one doubles," RMV Gurusaidutt said.

"We have a formidable pair in Ivanov and Boe, we lost against them last time in men doubles but it was a close match and also our mixed doubles pair also had a good outing against them. Also it is a 15-point format and Trump match so anything can happen in this format," he said.

Premier Badminton League: Saina Nehwal Loses as Mumbai Rockets Beat Awadhe Warriors to Enter Final

World No. 2 Saina Nehwal suffered a crushing defeat in Awadhe Warriors' Trump match as Mumbai Rockets stormed into the Premier Badminton League final with an emphatic 3-0 win at the Gachibowli Indoor stadium here on Friday. 

The Mumbai side would now take on the Delhi Acers in the summit clash at the Siri Forts Sports Complex in the Capital on Sunday.

Mumbai won the men's singles, men's doubles and also the women's singles, in which Saina played for Awadhe, to bag four points. Awadhe got one point with its win in the mixed doubles, but Saina's loss in the trump match meant Lucknow drew a blank. As a result, the last match of the tie -- second men's singles, which was the trump match of Mumbai, was abandoned.

It was Mumbai's Han Li from China, who pulled off the sensational 15-8, 13-15 and 15-7 victory over Saina who is currently ranked world number two in Women's Singles.

Saina lost the first match 8-15 to Han Li but the Indian managed to win the second match 15-13 after a hard-fought battle. In the decider, Han Li proved a tough nut to crack as the Mumbai player got the better of her star rival.

In the mixed doubles match, Awadhe's Bodin Issara-Christinna beat Kamilla Juhl-Vladimir Ivanov of Mumbai 12-15, 15-13 and 15-14 in a close battle with both sides trying to outsmart each other.

With each team winning one game each, the third game was a close contest. Though Awadhe took an early lead, but the Mumbai players came back hard, but the former still clinched the match in the end.

Mumbai's HS Prannoy defeated Tanongsak S of Awadhe 12-15, 15-7, 15-9 in the first Men's Singles match of the day. Though Prannoy, who is currently ranked world number 20 in Men's Singles, lost in the first game, he managed to trounce his low ranked rival from Thailand in the next two games. Tanongsak is ranked 33 in world rankings.

After winning the match, Prannoy said: "A good win for my team after losing the first match. I had an unfortunate start and lost the first game. However, with my team's support and motivation, I came back strongly with better strategies.

"Tanongsak is very good player and challenged me many times in the match today and which i enjoyed. I just played my attacking game and reduced my errors. Happy to level the scores for my team."

Mumbai defeated Awadhe in the Men's Doubles 15-10, 12-15 and 15-13. The Men's Doubles was also a close match with both sides leaving no stones unturned to take an advantage. The Mumbai pair, however, prevailed over their rivals in the end.

Premier Badminton League: Tommy Sugiarto Powers Delhi Acers to Final

World Number 11 Tommy Sugiarto led turned out to be a hero for the Delhi Acers as he led his side to the summit clash of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) with his 15-11, 15-10 win over Chennai Smashers' Brice Leverdez in the trump match in Bengaluru. 

The scores were level 2-2 when Sugiarto took the courts and courtesy his win, Delhi edged Chennai 3-2 in the semifinals.

In the first game, Sugiarto was leading 10-5 at one stage but Brice managed to reduce the margin to 11-13. However, he could not match the agility and skillful movements of Sugiarto.

In the enthralling second game, Sugiarto kept the nerves at the end prompting Brice to commit two crucial errors, which saw Delhi clinching the tie and entering for the title clash.

India's star women's shuttler P V Sindhu consolidated the hopes of Chennai to qualify into the final by thrashing P C Thulasi in the trump match 15-6, 15-7, which gave Chennai N overall 3-2 points lead.

Down 0-2 in the tie, it was the Chennai duo - Chris Adcock and Pia Zebadiah - that kept the hopes alive by beating Delhi's pair of Gabrielle Adcock and Koo Keat Kien 15-9, 15- 14.

Sindhu picked the first game of the fourth match quite easily over Thulasi, who failed to repeat her own performance last night when she had denied Mumbai Rockets' trump match.

From the very beginning the lanky girl from Andhra Pradesh prevailed over Thulasi, who found it tough to cope up to the deft manoeuvres and power-packed smashes of her opponent.

Sindhu was at her best as she used her height to her advantage, making Thulasi clueless of her movements in the court and variety of stroke-plays she had in the store.

In Men's Doubles, Koo Keat Kien and Tan Boon Heong of Delhi Acers began with great elan, by clinching a thrilling encounter 15-10, 15-14 over Chris Adcock and Pranaav Chopra. Though the Delhi duo won the first match in straight sets, they did not fail to entertain the spectators, with their attacking game.

They powered their way through with lusty power-hitting and smashes down the line and on both sides of the court in a closely-fought battle.

Heong wrapped up the match in a thrilling second game when he smashed straight into the chest of the Adcock, who could not return, with the game ending at 15-14.

The Delhi duo started off with great elan when they won the first game of the match quite comfortably with both Adcock and Pranaav, finding it difficult to counter the attacking game of their opponents.

In the men's singles, Delhi's Ajay Jayaram overwhelmed Sony Dwi Kuncoro 14-15, 15-10, 15-7, giving an overall 2-0 lead in two matches of the tie.

Jayaram lost the first game in a close fight, but trounced Kuncoro in the next two games, rather convincingly.

The match was not less entertaining than the first. The fans enjoyed the first game with the battle going down the wire with Sony wrapping up the game smashing to the right of Jayaram who struggled to reach to the shuttle.

The Chennai star did well to keep the match in the team's kitty, especially after Jayaram was 6-8, two points behind Sony at the interval.

Sony however lost the second game as some casualness crept into his play, helping Jayaram to speed away with 15-10 victory.

Jayaram exploited the casual approach of Sony and played to his advantage by taking an early 8-2 lead at interval and continued with the tempo, claiming the decider with a margin of eight points, a clear reflection how Kuncoro lost the plot after winning the first game.

After losing first two matches, Chennai duo - Chris Adcock and Pia Zebadiah - came up trumps, winning their Mixed doubles match against Gabrielle Adcock and Koo Keat Kien, 15-9, 15-14, which kept the hopes of Chennai alive to go into the finals down 1-2 overall lead.

Trailing 7-8 at the interval in the first game of the third match, Delhi lost the game badly with a margin of six points, but gave a tough fight in the second game.

The see-saw fight ended with Koo hitting the shuttle into the net off Adcock's smash when the score read 14-all.

Chennai Smashers edged out Bangalore Top Guns 3-2 in the last league match of the Premier Badminton League.

Chennai Smashers qualified for the semifinals after beating Bangalore Top Guns 3-2 in the last league match of the Premier Badminton League 2016 at Sri Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. 

In a rather smart move, Chennai opted for the trump match in their very first game of the tie and won it to make life difficult for the hosts.

Bangalore Top Guns then had to win all their matches to gain five points, excluding the bonus point to sail through the knockout stage.

Chennai's Sony Dwi Kuncoro dashed all the hopes of the hosts after he defeated Sameer Verma in a riveting encounter. Kuncoro won the match 15-10, 10-15, 15-8.

After Kuncoro's triumph, there was no much interest left for the Bangalore side, but played to the delight of the fans by clinching the men's doubles match 15-7, 15-8.

The Bangalore pair of Hoon Thien How and J F Nielse beat Chris Adcoack and Pranaav Chopra.

Srikanth Kidambi then got Bangalore race past Chennai with a 2-1 lead when he overwhelmed his rival Brice Leverdez 15-4, 15-12. The Indian star was too hot for the French shuttler.

For the keepsake, the match between Suo Di and P V Sindhu generated lot of interest among the fans, especially for the Chinese youngster who had been the star performer for Bangalore this season. She had been in the news for having won three matches out of four.

However, the Indian star outplayed Di 15-12, 15-7 in straight games.

Later, Chennai pair of Chris Adcock and Pia Zebadiah prevailed over Ashwini Ponnappa and Joaquim Fisher Nilesen in the mixed doubles tie 15-14, 15-12, thus clinching the tie 3-2.

Delhi Acers topped the table with 20 points followed by Awadhe Warriors, who are on 17 points. Both teams have qualified for the semifinals.

Rajiv Ouseph won the trump match as Delhi Acers pulled off a 4-1 win against Mumbai Rockets in a Premier Badminton League tie played at Indoor Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

With the win, Delhi became the table toppers with 20 points ahead of Awadhe Warriors, who are on 17 points. Both teams have qualified for the semifinals.

Mumbai, however, will be banking on the outcome of the tie between Bangalore Top Guns and Chennai Smashers. If Bangalore fails to get five points, Mumbai will qualify for the semifinals.

Rajiv beat his rival R M V Gurusaidutt comfortably 15-7, 15-10 in the fifth match of the tie.

P C Thulasi denied trump match for Mumbai's Ruthvika Gade as the match helped Delhi to bounce back after their mixed doubles pair Akshay Dewalkar and Aparna Balan lost to Kamilla Juhl and Vladimir Ivanov 13-15, 11-15.

Thulasi, in an exciting encounter, beat Ruthvika 15-11, 8-15, and 15-13. "This is a confidence booster win for our team, it was a Trump match for Mumbai and after winning the first set I lost focus in the 2nd and paid the price. Luckily I held my nerves in the third and managed to win a vital point for our team," she said.

Thulasi had a close win 15-11 in the first game, but her Mumbai rival came back strongly to take the second game 15-8.

Thulasi, however, kept her nerves in the see-saw battle and claimed the decider 15-13 after Ruthvika faltered by smashing the shuttle long.

After losing the trump match, it was left to H S Prannoy to bring the team back into the tie, but failed to live up to the expectation of the team management as he was undone by great grit displayed by Tommy Sugiarto, who secured 15-8, 15-6 win.

The first game was a close-knit battle as Sugiarto was leading 10-8, but the Indonesian player dominated the court and bagged the game 15-8.

Sugiarto was a in a destructive mood with gaining an early lead 5-3 in the second game and maintained it at the interval at 8-3.

Putting up a world class show before the cheering fans, the Indonesian star outsmarted Prannoy 15-6 to give Delhi an overall lead 2-0 their last league tie.

Vladimir Ivanov and Mathias Boe of Mumbai dominated the proceedings from the word go and kept the lead until the last moment, winning the first game 15-11.

Mumbai were denied a straight set victory by Koo keat Kien and Tan Boon Heong, who clinched the second game 15-12, pushing the match to the decider in an exciting encounter.

The Delhi pair maintained their winning tempo and claimed the decider 15-10 in their favour by trouncing the Mumbai pair, who looked out of sorts after pocketing the first game.

PBL: Bangalore Top Guns' Ashwini Ponnappa and Kidambi Srikanth Say Trump Match Brings More Pressure

Top players of Bangalore Top Guns Kidambi Srikanth and Ashwini Ponnappa said Trump matches bring pressure because it changes the complexion of the tie pretty quickly. 

"We feel a little bit of pressure because the whole team depends on you to pull off a crucial match to get vital bonus point. Yes, the trump match adds pressure because it changes the complexion of the match quickly," Srikanth told reporters here.

Ashwini, who plays the mixed doubles match for Top Guns, also talked about the pressure, but added it all depends on players how they handle the pressure and outsmart the opponent.

"Of course there is a lot of added pressure because they are crunch matches. However, success lies in how players handle the pressure in crunch situation," she said.

Top Guns Coach Arvind Bhat said Trump matches are taken at a very crucial stage and hence the players are in different zone and feel differently.

Asked reasons for Joachim Fischer Nielsen playing just one mixed doubles, Bhat said the Danish star had to miss four days of the league for playing a league back home.

"It is purely an administrative issue. Because the window was short he had to go to participate in a league back home, and hence he missed four days of the PBL," he said.

Asked did Fischer's absence cost the team which now find themselves in a tough position to qualify for semifinal, Bhat said, "Yes, his absence has affected the team's chances, otherwise we would have been probably at the second spot in points-table."

Asked about the preparations for PV Sindhu-Suo Di face-off, Bhat said it would be a close contest with the Chinese, but the pressure is on the Indian star and the underdogs have an advantage of playing freely without any pressure.

"We are expecting a very close contest between Di and Sindhu, but the pressure is on the latter. The underdogs always have an advantage to play freely, without much pressure," Bhat said.

PBL: The Warriors registered an emphatic 4-1 win over Chennai Smashers in the evening match but the Hunters were out of contention for a semi-final berth following their 1-4 loss against Mumbai Rockets early in the day at the Gachibowli indoor stadium

The Awadhe Warriors virtually assured itself a berth in the semi-finals but it turned out to be a disappointing day for the Hyderabad Hunters in the ongoing Premier Badminton League (PBL) here on Tuesday.

The Warriors registered an emphatic 4-1 win over Chennai Smashers in the evening match but the Hunters were out of contention for a semi-final berth following their 1-4 loss against Mumbai Rockets early in the day at the Gachibowli indoor stadium here.

Awadhe gained two points with a win in the Mixed Doubles clash, which was the Trump match for both sides, and bagged two more points by defeating Chennai in Men's Doubles and one of the two Men's Singles' matches.

Chennai secured two points, including the win of India's star shuttler PV Sindhu in Women's Singles, but lost one point after the team's loss in the Trump match.HY

The win for Awadhe came despite the absence of its star shuttler Saina Nehwal, who was not part of the team today.

It was World No. 34 Sai Praneeth who earned the first win for Awade after pulling off a hard-fought victory over Chennai's Sony Dwi Kuncoro, an experienced Indonesian shuttler.

Praneeth lost the first game 12-15, but fought back to win the remaining two games 15-8 and 15-13. With both players leaving no stone unturned, the decisive third game turned into a tense battle and Praneeth had the last laugh.

After winning the match, Praneeth said: "It's never easy to come back after losing the first game. I committed a lot of mistakes in the first game and Sony took full advantage of it. I knew if I get rhythm I will play better and that's what happened in the rest of the match and the result is in front of all."

In the Men's doubles match, the combination of Cai Yun and Hendra Gunawan gave Awadhe a point with a 15-13 15-11 win over Pranav Chopra and Toby Ng of Chennai Smashers.

However, the star attraction of the tie was the Women's singles match between P V Sindhu and upcoming shuttler Vrushali G from Andra Pradesh and it was the World No. 12 who continued her unbeaten run with a 15-7,15-3 win in the third match of the rubber.

In the other Men's Singles match of the tie, Chennai's Brice Leverdez defeated Awadhe's Tanongsak S 15-13, 15-9 to bag another point for his team.

Awadhe thus has secured 17 points in the tournament.

Earlier in the day, rising Indian shuttler H S Prannoy stunned compatriot Parupalli Kashyap in the hosts' Trump match as Mumbai Rockets trounced Hyderabad Hunters.

Gurusaidutt defeated Hyderabad's upcoming shuttler Siril Varma, runner-up in the world junior championship, 15-12 15-4 in a Men's Singles match to give two points to Mumbai in their Trump match.

However, it was Prannoy's 15-11, 15-13 victory against Kashyap in the other Men's Singles -- the Trump match of Hyderabad -- which dashed Hyderabad's chances in the five-match tie. After losing in the Trump match, Hyderabad lost one point, while Mumbai gained one.

After the surprise win, Prannoy said: "This was a very important match for us as we had already lost the first two matches and I am happy to have opened our team's account. This was a Trump match for them but we managed to snatch a win."

The Mixed Doubles match between Jwala Gutta-Markis Kido of Hyderabad and Mumbai's Kamilla Juhl-Vladimir Ivanov also turned out to be a disappointment for the host as the Denkark-Russian combo beat the Indian-Indonesian pair 15-8, 15-8 in the match.

Hyderabad gained two points after winning the Women's Singles and Men's Doubles matches, but the loss in the Trump match quashed their hopes.

Supanida K of Hyderabad saw off Mumbai's Liu Zi Die 13-15 15-14 15-14 in the Women's singles, while men's doubles pair of Carsten Mogensen and Markis Kido notched up a 15-7 15-14 win over Chayut T and Vladimir Ivanov of Mumbai.

Premier Badminton League: Mumbai Rockets Maul Hyderabad Hunters 4-1

Rising Indian shuttler HS Prannoy stunned compatriot Parupalli Kashyap in the hosts' Trump match as Mumbai Rockets trounced Hyderabad Hunters 4-1 in their Premier Badminton League (PBL) clash at the Gachibowli indoor stadium here on Tuesday.

Gurusaidutt defeated Hyderabad's upcoming shuttler Siril Varma, runner-up in the world junior championship, 15-12, 15-4 in a Men's Singles match to give two points to his side in their Trump match.

However, it was Prannoy's 15-11, 15-13 victory against Kashyap in the other Men's Singles -- the Trump match of Hyderabad -- which dashed Hyderabad's chances in the five-match tie. After losing in the Trump match, Hyderabad lost one point, while Mumbai gained one.

Kashyap, who has not been at his best in the PBL after recovering from an injury, suffered yet another disappointment against Mumbai's Prannoy.

After the surprise win, Prannoy said: "This was a very important match for us as we had already lost the first two matches and I am happy to have opened our team's account. This was a Trump match for them but we managed to snatch a victory. Now hopefully our team can concentrate and win the rest of the matches."

The Mixed Doubles match between Jwala Gutta-Markis Kido of Hyderabad and Mumbai's Kamilla Juhl-Vladimir Ivanov also turned out to be a disappointment for the host as the Mumbai side did not let their rivals take any advantage.

The Denkark-Russian combo beat the Indian-Indonesian pair 15-8, 15-8 in the match.

Hyderabad gained two points after winning the Women's Singles and Men's Doubles matches, but the loss in the Trump match quashed their hopes.

The Women's Singles between Supanida K of Hyderabad and Mumbai's Liu Zi Die was a close contest with both shuttlers leaving no stones unturned to take advantage.

After losing in the first match 13-15, Supanida, a budding shuttler from Thailand, fought back to win the remaining two games 15-14 and 15-14.

Hyderabad's Men's Doubles pair of Carsten Mogensen-Markis Kido too put up an impressive show in their match against Chayut T-Vladimir Ivanov of Mumbai, notching up a 15-7, 15-14 win over the Mumbai combo.

PV Sindhu emerged victorious in the trump match as Chennai Smashers secured a thrilling 4-3 win over Hyderabad Hunters in the Premier Badminton League.

PV Sindhu clinched an exciting Trump match as Chennai Smashers scored a 4-3 win over Hyderabad Hunters in a Premier Badminton League (PBL) clash at the Gachibowli indoor stadium. 

Local girl Sindhu beat her Hyderabad rival Supanida K, an experienced player from Thailand, 15-8, 14-15, 15-5 to seal the issue in favour of Chennai.

Twice World Championships bronze medallist Sindhu had a comfortable 15-8 win in the first game, but her Hyderabad rival came back strongly to take the second game 15-14.

Sindhu, however, came back strong and defeated her rival 15-5 in the deciding game to clinch the match in her favour.

Expressing happiness over her win, Sindhu said: "A great match which proved to be a very tough fight. Supanida was good in many areas and played extremely well against me. In the first game, I executed very well and continued to put the pressure on her by winning the game.

"The second game was very tough as she bounced back very strongly. Our intense battle for each point continued in the third game. I re-worked on my game-plan and played added aggression to counter Supanida, which yielded a good win for me."

The day began with the mixed doubles match between Carsten Mogensen-Jwala Gutta of Hyderabad and Chennai Smashers' Chris Adcock-Pia Zebadiah. The Chennai pair had a comfortable 15-7, 15-7 victory over their Hyderabad rivals.

Though the spectators lustily cheered local girl and India's seasoned doubles specialist Jwala Gutta, the Chennai players dominated the proceedings throughout without letting their opponents take any advantage.

Hyderabad secured one point with veteran men's singles player from Malaysia Lee Chong Wei defeating Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Chennai 15-3 12-15 15-8 win over.

Wei had an easy 15-3 win in the first game, but the gritty Chennai player, a seasoned shuttler from Indonesia, gave a stiff resistance and went on to win the second game 15-12. Wei, however, had the last laugh with a 15-8 win in the deciding game.

Lee Chong Wei said: "A very good match and I enjoyed it. First game went as per my game-plans as I managed to dominate the game. Sony Dwi came very strongly in the second game and gave a tough fight to take the game. He surprised me with his attacking skills and quick returns. In the third game, I just kept calm and concentrated on my strategies, which yielded positive result in my favour."

Hyderabad's P Kashyap, a Commonwealth gold medallist, disappointed again in the PBL as he lost to Simon Santoso of Chennai 12-15 12-15. It was a clash of equals as both Kashyap and Santoso tried to outsmart each other.

Santoso, a seasoned player from Indonesia, appeared determined not to let his Indian opponent gain an upper hand.

The last match of the day -- the Trump match of Hyderabad -- was the men's doubles in which Carsten Mogensen-Markis Kido of Hyderabad beat Chris Adcock-Pranav Chopra of Chennai 15-12 15-13.

PBL:Awadhe Warriors registered their third straight victory in the Premier Badminton League as they defeated Hyderabad Hunters 4-3.

Saina Nehwal-led Awadhe Warriors came out with another stupendous performance to beat hosts Hyderabad Hunters 4-3 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium and more or less seal their place in the semi-finals of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) in Hyderabad on Saturday. 

The Warriors clinched the first three matches to pocket four points but the hosts came back well to win the next two and kitty three points. This is the Warriors' third victory on the trot, having lost the opener, while the Hunters have now lost two out of the three ties played.

Captain Saina did not play the opening women's singles contest. But that did not let the Warriors down as Gummadi Vrushali gave them a fantastic start by beating Supanida Katethong of the Hunters 15-7, 15-11 to take one point for the visitors.

"Great win for our team to start the tie. Supanida is a highly qualified player and it gives you a lot of confidence after beating a player of such calibre. A win in the opening match is always a huge boost for the rest of the players. I am happy I won," Vrushali said.

Then Warriors' top men's doubles pair of Cai Yun and Bodin Issara also defeated the experienced combine of Markis Kido and Carsten Mogensen 15-10, 15-12 in what was the visitors' Trump Match, giving the Lucknow-based team a 3-0 lead.

"We were quite certain about our win and hence were confident to play the Trump game for our team. Vrushali started the day with a comfortable win over our opponents," said Cai.

Reigning Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap of the Hunters was expected to defeat compatriot and friend B. Sai Praneeth of the Warriors in the first men's singles. Kashyap even won the first game 15-6 but Sai turned the tables on his senior colleague by drubbing him 15-8, 15-5 in the next two games to clinch the contest and tie for the Warriors.

"I cannot express my joy as we all know Kashyap is a hard nut to crack. I committed a lot of mistakes in the first game and eventually lost. But in the second and third games I got the better of him. I am happy that our team is not losing focus even in Saina's absence," said a joyful Sai.

At 4-0, the tie was beyond reach for the Hunters but still they had to accumulate as many points as possible in their quest for the semi-finals.

The legendary Lee Chong Wei stepped on to the court for the Hunters' Trump Match and he did not disappoint this time, taking two points for the hosts by beating exuberant Thai left-hander Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 15-5, 15-9 for his first victory in three matches in the six-team tournament.

"A tough day for our team. We had already lost the tie but I won the Trump game which will close the points gap," said Lee.

Hosts' Jwala Gutta and Markis Kido then earned a thrilling come-from-behind victory to beat Christinna Pedersen and Bodin Issara 12-15, 14-15 in the final mixed doubles contest to bag one more point for the Hunters.

The Hunters return to court here on Sunday evening to take on the P.V. Sindhu-led Chennai Smashers.

Korea Open Super Series finalist, Ajay Jayaram gave Delhi Acers a positive start as he saw off TATA Open winner Sameer Verma 15-10, 15-12 in the opening men's singles match

English recruit Rajiv Ouseph mesmerised badminton fans in the capital with a stunning victory over World No. 9 Kidambi Srikanth as Delhi Acers notched up their second successive win in the Premier Badminton League by outclassing Bengaluru Top Guns 5-2 at the Siri Fort Stadium here on Friday.

The 29-year-old, who had won a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games here in 2010, scripted another memorable victory in front of a handful of cheering fans here when he saw off Srikanth 4-15, 15-11, 15-9 in the second men's singles to give Delhi an unassailable 4-0 lead in the five-match rubber.

Korea Open Super Series finalist, Ajay Jayaram gave Delhi Acers a positive start as he saw off TATA Open winner Sameer Verma 15-10, 15-12 in the opening men's singles match.

Jayaram had an easy ride in the opening game as he broke off from 6-6 to gradually distance himself from Sameer to seal it with a smash at 14-10.

In the second game, Sameer showed better fight as he clawed his way back to 10-10 after trailing at 2-8 at the first break. However, Jayaram again surged ahead and grabbed the lead at 13-12 when the 21-year-old from Dhar found the nets. The Mumbai-born shuttler eventually shut the door with a jump smash.

Jayaram said: "It was an incredible start in the Tie to build pressure on the opponent. I played few matches against Sameer before and knew his style of play which helped me to create my strategy. I just put pressure on him from the first service and managed to continue till the last minute. I played my natural game and kept the game tight."

Former men's doubles World No. 1 pair of Koo Keat Kien and Tan Boon Heong then earned Delhi two crucial points after beating Malaysian duo of Hoon Thien How and Khim Wah Lim 15-9, 15-10 in the hosts' Trump match to take their lead to 3-0.

Benguluru then put the onus on Srikanth, who won the India Super Series here last year, to bring them back in the contest but the 22-year-old from Guntur could not deliver the goods.

China Open 2014 winner, Srikanth, who had beaten former World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei in Mumbai recently during their match against the Rockets, ran away with the opening match as Rajiv struggled with his strokes early on.

But the former World No. 11 England shuttler dished out a superb game of badminton in the second game as he pushed Srikanth to commit a lot of unforced errors to bounce back into the contest.

Rajiv continued his good run in the third game as he opened up a 8-4 lead early on and moved to a 12-5 lead in a jiffy with Srikanth hitting wide, long and at the nets. In the end, Rajiv shut the door on the Indian when he once again hit long.

This was Benguluru's fourth loss in the tournament. They had earlier faced defeats against Hyderabad Hunters, Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors.

After winning the deciding third match, Rajiv said, "It was a great match for me as I played extremely well against Srikanth. I was bit nervous in the first game and could not get a proper rhythm, which cost me the first game."

"However, I understood the game of Srikanth and played according to his style. I focused more on my surprise shots and managed to inject the shuttle into the spot. After winning the second game, I got more confidence in the third game and eventually I won it. This win helps my team to bag the Tie for the day."

Bengaluru then reduced the margin of defeat when Suo Di spanked Delhi's Shikha Gautam 15-5 15-6 in a women's singles contest to earn the visitors two points from their Trump match.

Sou Di stated: "The match was good and Shikha is a talented player, not easy to beat her. My start was good and maintained my form from the first point. By committing less errors, I gave no room to Shikha to edge past me.

"I continued my dominating game and maintained pressure on her. After winning the first game, I played with more aggression and won the second game with an ease. My win was very important for my team and it motivated them."

In the fifth match of the day, Benguluru's Ashwini Ponnappa and Khim Wah Lim then tried to reduce the margin further but lost 14-15, 15-9 12-15 to Delhi's Gabrielle Adcock and Koo Keat Kien in the mixed doubles match.