The Indian contingent had another field day in the Odisha Masters tournament on Saturday. Almost all the Indians who competed in the semi-finals reached the finals, with the only exception of Unnati Hooda who lost to top seed Nozomi Okhura in the women’s singles semi-final. The highlight of the day was Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto pair who reached their third successive final in as many weeks.
Dhurv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto started India’s charge on Saturday with their mixed doubles semi-final against Mads Vestergaard-Christine Burch pair. The Indian duo raced through the first set, winning it 21-14. The Indians were dominant in the second set too, winning the set by the same scoreline, moving to the final.
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Sathish Kumar Karunakaran saw off fellow Indian Kiran George in the Men’s Singles semi-final, while Ayush Shetty warded off Alwi Farhan in the other semi-final. Shetty’s victory meant the Men’s Singles final on Sunday will be an all-Indian affair.
Krishna Prasad Garaga and Sai Pratheek.K reached the Men’s Doubles final, beating Teges Satriaji Cahyo Hutomo and Christopher David Wijaya in a tough battle. The Indian duo fought hard and secured the game 21-17, 17-21, 21-18.
Unnati Hooda probably faced the toughest game of the tournament, against top seed Nozomi Okhura in the Women’s Singles category. Okhura maintained her form to beat the Indian shuttler 21-16, 21-5. Okhura looked in control from the start and provided Hooda with no chance to make a comeback.
However, the highlight of the day was definitely the semi-final clash between Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto and Arlya Nabila Thesa Munggaran-Agnia Sri Rahayu pair in Women’s Doubles. Ponnappa and Crasto were flying high after winning the Guwahati Masters last week. On Saturday, they ensured their ascent remained consistent. The Indian duo won the semi-final in straight sets with the scoreline of 21-17, 21-13. They will face Indonesian pair Meilysa Trias Puspitasari-Rachel Allessya Rose in the final on Sunday.
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