Thailand Masters champion Devika Sihag triumphed over third seed Riko Gunji of Japan in the women’s singles quarterfinals, securing a 22-20, 21-19 victory. Simultaneously, Rounak Chouhan progressed to the US Open badminton semifinals by defeating Israel’s Misha Zilberman 23-21, 21-11 in just 38 minutes.
Former world number one Kidambi Srikanth also excelled, defeating Liao Jhuo-Fu of Chinese Taipei 21-9, 12-21, 21-8 in the quarterfinals. Srikanth’s win sets the stage for a potential all-India final on Sunday, raising hopes for Indian badminton enthusiasts.
In the upcoming semifinals, Rounak Chouhan will face off against eighth seed Su Li Yang of Chinese Taipei, while Kidambi Srikanth will compete against the fourth seed Yudai Okimoto of Japan. Devika Sihag, on the other hand, will challenge second seed Line Christophersen in her semifinal match.
The US Open badminton tournament also saw Rakshitha Sree’s defeat to Canada’s Rachel Chan in a closely contested quarterfinal with scores of 15-21, 21-16, 21-12. Additionally, earlier in the competition, rising stars Tanvi Sharma and Devika started strong, with Tanvi beating Yvonne Li of Germany and Devika triumphing over Ines Lucia Castillo of Peru in the women’s singles first round.
The tournament showcased impressive performances from the Indian contingent, with Rounak Chouhan, Kidambi Srikanth, and Devika Sihag leading the charge towards the latter stages of the competition.
