India’s Malvika Bansod faced a tough challenge and lost to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in straight games (10-21, 16-21) in the China Open quarterfinals on Friday. While her journey in the tournament ended, there’s some positive news for the 23-year-old. Malvika managed to gain important ranking points and earned a huge cash prize despite her exit from the tournament.
Historic achievement for Malvika
Ranked 43rd in the world, Malvika became the third Indian woman, after legends PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, to reach a Super 1000 quarterfinal. Her stunning victories included defeating Kristy Gilmour 21-17, 19-21, 21-16 on Thursday and the incredible win against Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in the round of 32. These achievements marked a prominent milestone in her career.
Valuable ranking points and cash prize
Although Malvika is out of the tournament, she takes home 7,400 points, which will improve her ranking. Along with the points, she also earned INR 9,18,000, as the China Open is one of the richest badminton tournaments, with a prize pool of $2 million.
Tough quarterfinal clash
In the quarterfinal match, Akane Yamaguchi, ranked 8th in the world, dominated the game with a straight-set victory over Malvika, winning 10-21, 16-21 in just 35 minutes. This marks Malvika’s third consecutive loss against Yamaguchi, the former world number one.
Prize Money Breakdown for the China Open
Singles (Men’s and Women’s):
Winners: INR 11,760,000
Runners-up: INR 5,712,000
Semi-finalists: INR 2,352,000
Quarter-finalists: INR 924,000
Last 16: INR 504,000
Last 32: INR 168,000
Doubles (Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed):
Winners: INR 12,432,000
Runners-up: INR 5,880,000
Semi-finalists: INR 2,352,000
Quarter-finalists: INR 1,050,000
Last 16: INR 546,000
Last 32: INR 168,000
