Sameer Verma showcased a return to form, stunning men’s singles third seed Kiran George in straight games at the Yonex Sunrise Guwahati Masters Super 100 badminton tournament. In the women’s singles, fifth seed Aakarshi Kashyap faced a tough battle against Denmark’s Amalie Schulz.
Sameer Verma vs Kiran George in Yonex Sunrise Guwahati Masters 2023:
In the marquee match, 29-year-old Sameer Verma triumphed over Kiran George, displaying a resurgence after recent challenges. Despite trailing early in the first game, Verma fought back, winning eight of nine points from 13-12 to claim victory. Verma, battling recent injuries, dominated the 32-minute encounter, securing a 21-13, 21-13 victory.
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The former 11th-ranked player in the world, now positioned at 91, participated in just his ninth event over the last 12 months. He started the opening game slowly, finding himself behind Kiran at 1-5. However, he staged a comeback, equalizing the score at 10-10 and seizing the advantage by winning eight of the nine points from 13-12.
In the second game, he demonstrated a more precise performance, swiftly establishing an 8-3 lead. Despite Kiran’s efforts to mount a comeback and securing five consecutive points at one stage to narrow the gap to 15-11, it proved to be too little and too late.
Aakarshi Kashyap vs Amalie Schulz in Yonex Sunrise Guwahati Masters 2023:
Despite losing the first game, Aakarshi Kashyap saved a match point at 19-20 and triumphed 15-21, 21-17, 22-20. She sets up a second-round clash with Chinese Taipei’s Lin Sih yun. Women’s singles national champion Anupama Upadhyaya advanced to the pre-quarters with a 21-11, 21-16 win over Bilqis Prasista of Indonesia.
Women’s singles players Ira Sharma and Tanya Hemanth also impressed, overcoming Malaysian opponents in the second round. Ira came back from a game down to beat Wong Ling Ching 17-21, 21-17, 21-12, while Tanya defeated top Malaysian star Kisona Selvaduray 21-16, 15-21, 21-16. Tanya will face compatriot Malvika Bansod, who defeated Uganda’s Fadilah Rafi in the earlier round while Ira faces Malaysian Karupathevan Letshanaa.
Men’s National champion Mithun Manjunath and junior world championships bronze medallist Ayush Shetty secured contrasting wins to move to the next round. Mithun defeated Hemanth Gowda 21-14, 21-10, while Shetty overcame Indonesia’s Jason Alexander 21-12, 14-21, 21-17.
