Happening Hyderabad Badminton Asia Team Championships 2016:Indian Men's Team beats Malaysia 3-2 to make it to next round of the Tournament and Women's team lose to Korea 3-0

Men's campaign survived a scare but managed to pip Malaysia by 3-2 margin in best of five knock out tie of the Team Asia Championship.

World No. 9 K.Srikant drew the first blood against Malaysian Zulfadli Zulkiffili in the opening match in an encounter which lasted 40 minutes saw Srikant beating Zulfadli by 14-21 and 15-21 margin.Srikant showed his good form as he pressed hard with tactical shots across the court to make Zulfadli toil for each points. Kidambi showed good selection of shots both at the nets and across the base line to make Zulfadli move across the court.Midway through the first set Srikant opened up big lead of 10-19 points ultimately to win the set by 14-21. In the second set Zulfadli came back strong as he was quick of the mark to open a 5-0 lead but the Indian ace managed to pull back things to restore a 10-10 equalizer to gain control of the game.After the mid set break Srikant looked comfortable set to win the set as his play across the court was excellent and he made Zulfadli  stretch on both sides ultimately to win the second set ny 15-21 margin and giving India a perfect start in the morning session.
In the next game Indian doubles pair Manu Attri and Sumeet Reddy faced off against Juan Low and Kian Tan.Manu Attri and Reddy started the first set strongly as the Malaysian pair seemed to be in a shell in the opening match and the Indian pair won by a comfortable 10-21 margin.
In the second set the pair Low/Tan game back strong and  it was a closely fought set as both teams seeemed to be in with a chance to win the set but ultimately the Malaysian player did few unforced errors and judged the lines well to win the set 22-20.In the third set Attri and Reddy combined well and showed good understanding as they moved forward and back well and interchanged positions well during the rallies to mix deft touches with powerful smashes to win the third set and match by 10-21;22-20 and 21-16 margin.


The most anticipated match of the day saw Iskander Zulkarnain taking on Ajay Jayaram and the Malaysian shuttler showed his class and stature as he turned the momentum of the entire tie beating Jayaram by 17-21;21-12 and 21-16 margin in an encounter  that lasted close to an hour
Though Jayaram started the first set brightly beating Zulkatnain by 17-21 margin the Malaysian came back strongly to beat Ajay Jayaram  21-12 in the second set. in the third set Aajay Jayaram desperate to turn tide was already trailing in the set managed to stage a comeback midway through the set rallying to 12-13 but Zulkarnain showed great all round play to restore a lead of 17-13 and ultimately winning the set by 21-16 margin to keep Malaysia in the game.
In the doubles event that followed Indian Men's pair of Pranav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar went down to Yew Ong and Ee Teo by 21-14;14-21 and 21-12 margin as Malaysian levelled the tie score to 2-2.
In the deciding match of the day HS Prannoy faced Teck Zhi Soo as both team looked to win the tie. HS Prannoy had a bright start winning the first set 12-21 margin but Soo was quick to snap back in the second set as the Malsyain looked in pole position most part of the match to win the set.But it was the grit and determination of Prannoy as he time and again closed in on the lead and showed brilliant persistence to win the set 20-22 and power India into the 
next round. 

Team Asia Championship women's tie : Korea vs India

In the evening session India's womens team faced Korean womens team were humbled to a 3-0 defeat in a best of 3 encounter of a five match tie. In the opening match PV Sindhu went down to  Ji Hyun Sung by 21-12 and 21-14 as the India's womens singles hopes was shattered in front of some exemplary play of the Korean.Next match saw aGutta Ponappa losing to Jung/Shin pair by 21-15/20-22/21-13 margin and in the 3rd match PC Thulasi good do little infront of marauding Yeon Ju Bae lsoing 21-14 and 21-15 margin to lose the tie 3-0.

Happening Hyderabad Badminton Asia Team Championships 2016:Indian Women's team thrashed 5-0 by Japan in women's tie

India's women shuttler led by Sindhu and Ruthvika Gadde coulde not do an encore of the Men's team as it was a wash out for India's women's team as they lost 0-5 to Japan in the evening session. Notably, India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal is not part of the team owing to an injury.

In the tie between PV Sindhu and Japan's Nozomi Okuhara, the Indian shuttler lost to her Japanese rival, who is ranked world number 8.

Sindhu, ranked number 12, began on a confident note and won the first game 21-18, but lost the plot subsequently. The agile Okuhara came up with display of class as Sindhu was made to work acros the court against the grit and strength of Okuhura and errors in line judgement and unforced errors sealed Sindhu's fate t come back into the match

Okuhara went on to gain a firm grip as the match progressed and she eventually pulled off a 18-21, 21-12, 21-12 win. 

India's PC Thulasi, who is currently ranked 111, lost to her competitive rival Sayaka Sato 22-24, 14-21.PC Thulasi looked impressive in the first round as the match was an end to end encounter with Thulasi showing some good skills off the net to keep Sato within the gunning range. Sato could not manage a substantial lead as Thulasi always was in with a sniffing chance to seal the first set but eventually Sato showed his experience at the top level to win the close fought encounter 22-24 margin.However in the second set Sato was in firm control of the game as he found empty pockets in the court to unleash her powerful smashes and Thulasi could do little to come back from a set down against an opposition of Sato's class who gave away little to win the set by comfortable 21-14 margin.

Ruthvika Shivani Gadde fresh from her SAG Gold triumph, went down fighting Japan's Yui Hashimoto, ranked 16, in the third singles. Hashimoto defeated Ruthvika 23-25, 21-14, 21-14.

Ruthvika won the first set in a hard fought encounter and showed her rising stature in the shadows of Saina and Sindhu played with grit and confidence.She was good off the court and moved well to reach most technical shots that Hashimoto Yui threw at her and won the opening set 23-25.

True to Japanese traditions with a set down the Japanese shuttler seemed more charged in the next two sets as she won 21-14 and 21-14 with Ruthvika could not sustain her first set momentum.As the match progressed Yui showed great strength and made Ruthvika work hard across the court forth and back and then easily followed it up with powerful smashes to build on healthy lead in both sets.

It was no different in doubles pair as India's double hope of Jwala Gutta and Ashini Ponappa were pitted against Matsutomo and Takahashi the World No. 3 doubles pair and the Japanese pair won convincingly by 21-12; 21-18 margin.

In last  encounter of the day PV Sindhu and Sikki Reddy faced Matsuo and Naito won their first set by 18-21 margin infront of a modest but vocal crowd to pep the Indian duo but eventually the Japanese bombers outgunned the Indian pair to win 21-11 and 21-16 margin in next two sets to complete a 5-0 drbiing for Indian women's Team.

India next face Korea in Knock out rounds as tough competition awaits to proceed further into the competition.

Happening Hyderabad Badminton Asia Team Championships 2016:Kidambi Srikanth, Ajay Jayaram and HS Prannoy to help India register a 3-2 win over China in the Badminton Team Championships

India defeated a depleted China 3-2 in the men's category of the Badminton Asia Team Championships at the Gachibowli indoor stadium in Hyderabad. 

K Srikanth, Ajay Jayaram and HS Prannoy emerged triumphant in their respective singles matches to give India the victory.

In the five-match tie, India won the three singles but lost the two doubles matches. India's men's and women's teams have already made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

In the first singles match, Srikanth, currently the top ranked player for India at No.9, gave a great start to his team's campaign with a superb 2-0 (21-11, 21-17) win over China's Houwei Tian.

In the second singles between Ajay Jayaram and China's Zhengming Wang, the Indian won the match 22-20, 15-21, 21-18.

Though Wang was well ahead of Jayaram in terms of rankings, the Indian came up with a spirited performance to challenge his rival. Wang is now ranked 11, while Ajay Jayaram stands at 25.

It was an exciting contest between Jayaram and Wang as both of them left no stone unturned to outsmart each other.

Particularly, the third and decisive game of the match was a battle of wits.

"It's a different feeling to play for the country. It's always great to beat a higher ranked Chinese player," Jayaram said after the match.

India's HS Prannoy, ranked 27, did not have to sweat out much to tame his low-ranked rival Yuqi Shi and he closed the proceedings at 21-14 and 21-10.

The two doubles matches of the tie were, however, a disappointment for India as the team ended on the losing side. Manu Attri-Sumeeth Reddy lost to China's Junhui Li-Zihan Qiu 20-22, 11-21.

In the second doubles match, the Indian pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra-Akshay Dewalkar was defeated by Yilv Wang-Wen Zhang 10-21, 18-21.

Happening Hyderabad Badminton Asia Team Championships 2016: India blanks Singapore 5-0 in both Men's and Women's Tie

Happening Hyderabad Badminton Asia Team Championships 2016:Men's Tie
India started their campaign in the Happening Hyderabad Badminton Asia Team Championships 2016 with a bang as Mens and Women's Team blanked Singapore 5-0 in both the ties to start the tournament with a bang on Day 3 of the event at GMC Balayayogi Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.

India's new badminton sensation high from his recent win at Syed Modi International tournament Kidambi Srikant faced off against Zi Liang Wong of Singapore won 21-16,16-21,21-13.Srikant looked in control in most part of the match as he played with usual fluency which had a blend of deft touches near the net and some precise smashes in empty pockets of the court as the shuttler won the contest in three set as the second set was lost due to some loose play ending in unforced error  while Wong capitalized on the rallies to pull of a second set win.However Srikant got his focus and touch back in the deciding set to win failty easy by 21-13 margin.
In the next encounter doubles pair Mannu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy B. faced  Yong  Hee and Kean Loh.The Indian duo looked sharp in their cross court play as they foxed the Singaporean duo into wrong anticipations to find the gaps on the court with reasonable ease and won the contest 21-15 and 21-14 much to the delight of Indian camp.
Following enounter for the Indian team saw Ajay Jayaram facing off against Kean Yew Loh in Men's Single tie and Ajay Jayaram coming back from a successful 2015 season showed why he is rated so highly on the Indian shuttler circuit thumped to a comprehensive win by 21-11 and 21-18 margin.Jayaram gave no sniff to his opponent in the first et as Loh had very few answers to Jayarams powerful smashes as he successfully spread the play to all corners of the court leaving Loh guessing for directions in most part of the match though a late fightback in the second set was not enough as Jayaram made it 3-0 for the Indians.
Doubles pair Pranav J Chopra and Akhsay Dewalkar showed their long term understanding of playing Men's double as the Indian player next blanked Singaporean duo of Chrisnanta and Vijaya 21-14 and 21-13 as the Indian player gave  little sniff to their opponent to make it 4-0.
Final game of the Men's tie saw HS Prannoy toyed with Zin Rei Ryan NG  to win 21-10,21-12 as the contest proved to be a one sided affair as the lanky Indian shuttler used his reach and power to strect Ryan who looked hapless infront of the class displayed by Prannoy to make it a perfect 5-0 for the Indians.

Happening Hyderabad Badminton Asia Team Championships 2016:Women's Tie
India's Women's Team faced off against Sinaporean team had to match the example set by Men's team did not disappoint as PV Sindhu opened India's women's team tie Xiaoyu Liang winning 21-17 and 21-11. Sindhu played with great confidence against  Liang considered a dogged opponent as Sindhu showed his range of varities being in excellent touch playing into nets or across the courts. Sindhu anticipation play was excellent as Liang failed to outsmart Sindhu who used his reach and tactcal guile to fox Liang winning the contest in straight sets.
P.C. Thulasi in the next game Hui Zhen Grace 21-16,21-07 showed the depth in Indian squd as the rising shutler used his low centre of gravity to reach to everything that Zhen threw at her. Thulasi showed good distribution play across the court and played with right intensity through the match to win in straight sets.

In the follwoing enounter Ruthvika Gadde overcame Jia Min Yeo 21-14 and 21-11.
The first of Women's double saw Gutta -ponnapa facing off against Shinta Shari and Wei Han Tan winning 21-18 and 21-16 as the crowd puller duo showed their importance in Indian sqaud playing with great maturity and understaning to make the tie 4-0 for Indians
Last tie of the day saw a rare combination as PV Sindhu paired with Sikki Reddy for doubles as Sindhu known more for her Singles prowess showed no issues of adaptability to combine well with Sikki Reddy to win the contest 21-08 and 21-14 to make it a successful day for Indian shuttlers.

Report By: Shuttler India Bureau Chief

Chinese Shuttler Yu Xiaohan Banned For Doping

 

 

Chinese women's shuttler Yu Xiaohan has received a seven-month sanction from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for an anti-doping rule violation at the 28th Summer Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea last year.

The sanction, imposed by the BWF's doping hearing panel, has resulted from an adverse analytical finding of Yu’s sample taken on July 12 last year. The sample, which was collected during the 28th Summer Universiade, contained sibutramine, a specified prohibited substance, the source of which was contained in a supplement that Yu had been taking.

The BWF panel heard arguments and evidence from Yu's legal representative and ruled that the shuttler did not take the pill to cheat or to gain a performance-enhancing advantage.

"The FISU (International University Sports Federation) determined an anti-doping rule violation and the athlete was disqualified. Her women’s doubles silver medal was reallocated. In the team event, China was disqualified and the team placings were reallocated.

"Following this process and under article 7.1.1 of the WADA code, the BWF was required to determine the consequences beyond the 28th Summer Universiade," the BWF said in a statement on Friday.

"Appearing before the BWF doping hearing panel on Saturday January 30, 2016, Yu accepted that sibutramine was present in her sample and that she had consequently committed an anti-doping rule violation under regulation 2.1 of the BWF anti-doping regulations (2015). Her argument was that she did so inadvertently and that either no sanction should take place according to Clause 10.4, or at least that any sanction should be reduced according to Clause 10.5.1," the statement added.

"That conclusion led to a sanction of seven months’ ineligibility which the panel deemed correct and fair to backdate to the date of sample collection."

This thereby ends Yu’s sanction on Friday February 12, 2016, and she may resume her badminton career on Saturday 13 February, 2016.

Yu was a member of the China squad that won gold in the mixed team category at the Asian Youth Championship in 2011. She also won the women's doubles title at the Singapore Open in April last year along with her partner Ou Dongni.

Ashwini and Jwala Gutta bags Gold in Women's Doubles Badminton at South Asian Games 2016

Kidambi Srikanth clinched the Syed Modi International Championships title with a hard-fought 21-13, 14-21, 21-14 win over China's Huang Yuxiang in the final of the USD 120,000 badminton tournament

Kidambi Srikanth clinched the Syed Modi International Championships title with a hard-fought 21-13, 14-21, 21-14 win over China's Huang Yuxiang in the final of the USD 120,000 badminton tournament on Sunday.

Srikanth, the number one seed, had finished runners up in the previous two editions of the Syed Modi International Championships, and set the record straight with a dogged performance in the summit clash.

The Indian shuttler breezed through the first game, hardly breaking a sweat.

In the second game, however, Srikanth found the going much harder. He led 11-7 and looked set to wrap the match up in a hurry. But the Chinese player upped his game at the crucial juncture to win five consecutive points to take a 12-11 lead.

Srikanth seemed to lose his focus, winning just three points from therein to throw away his advantage and lose the second game.

The third game was another tight affair as Yuxiang streaked to a 8-4 lead before the Indian started a fightback of his own. Srikanth, who at No. 9 is the highest ranked Indian in the world, won five consecutive points to take a 9-8 lead.

With the Chinese shuttler leading 13-12, the match was firmly in the balance. Srikanth, however, made it a one-sided affair from there after winning six straight points to open up a 18-12 lead. He won the final three points without much fuss to wrap up his first title here.

Earlier in the day, Indian men's doubles pair of Pranaav Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar had to endure a heartbreak as they wasted two match-points to lose the final to experienced Malaysian combine of Goh V. Shem and Wee Kiong Tan.

The reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallists took exactly an hour and a minute to win the Grand Prix Gold tournament 14-21, 24-22, 21-8 at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium. The win extended the Malaysian pair's head-to-head record against the Indians to 3-0.