Friday, 17 May 2024

BWF News

For the first time in over three decades, a different country will claim the Men’s Singles gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. Yesterday’s quarter-finals witnessed a shocking defeat for Malaysia’s Chong Wei Feng, who was beaten by India’s RV Gurusaidutt, thereby breaking Malaysia’s stronghold on the title since 1990. Another Malaysian quarter-finalist, Daren Liew, also suffered defeat to an Indian opponent. The last non-Malaysian Men’s Singles champion was England’s Steve Baddeley in 1986, and interestingly, those Games were hosted in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Despite impressing in the Mixed Team competition and advancing through the individual draw, Chong fell short in the quarter-final match. Gurusaidutt, with nothing to lose, demonstrated composure and clinched victory 21-15 8-21 21-17, after an exceptional comeback by Chong in the second game had seemed to secure his win.

This unexpected outcome left Malaysian fans at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow stunned. Gurusaidutt, at 24 years old, will now face Singapore’s Derek Wong in today’s semi-final. Wong also prevailed in a thrilling three-game match against India’s Kidambi Srikanth, winning 21-10 12-21 21-12.

India has a strong chance of earning medals in the Men’s Singles category, with two players remaining in the final four. Number two seed Kashyap Parupalli will face England’s Rajiv Ouseph for a spot in the final. Parupalli comfortably defeated Liew 21-13 21-14, while Ouseph secured a convincing victory of 21-14 21-7 against Scotland’s Kieran Merrilees.

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In the Women’s Singles event, the top seeds advanced to today’s matches without any major surprises. India’s PV Sindhu won comprehensively, defeating Anna Rankin of New Zealand 21-10 21-9. On the other side of the draw, local favorite Kirsty Gilmour achieved the same score in reverse, triumphing over another New Zealander, Michelle Chan, with a score of 21-9 21-10. Gilmour will face Malaysia’s Tee Jing Yi in the semi-finals, while 19-year-old Sindhu seeks redemption after her loss in the Mixed Team competition when facing Canada’s Michelle Li. Li secured her spot in the semi-finals by defeating England’s Sarah Walker 21-18 21-18, while Tee showcased her resilience in a hard-fought 18-21 21-19 21-19 victory against India’s PC Thulasi. Tee’s determination was fueled by the knowledge that her compatriot Chong Wei Feng had lost his match, and she wanted to ensure her nation would still be represented in the Commonwealth singles semi-finals.

The doubles event promises excitement with the highly anticipated showdown between long-standing Mixed Doubles rivals Chris and Gabrielle Adcock of England and Scotland’s Robert Blair and Imogen Bankier. Both pairs won their matches in straight games, setting the stage for a thrilling Best of Britain clash. The Adcocks are also still in contention in the Men’s and Women’s Doubles respectively. Chris Langridge, their teammate, will feature in two semi-finals: the Men’s Doubles with Peter Mills and the Mixed Doubles with Heather Olver.

In other matches, Malaysia’s Lai Pei Jing has emerged as an unsung heroine, achieving several hard-fought victories in both the Mixed and Women’s Doubles. She and her partner Chan Peng Soon defied the odds once again, coming back from a 15-18 deficit in the third game to defeat the second seeds Danny Chrisnanta and Vanessa Neo of Singapore 21-8 17-21 21-19. Lai also displayed her tenacity in a Women’s Doubles thriller alongside Lim Yin Loo, narrowly defeating Shinta Mulia Sari and Yao Lei of Singapore 19-21 22-20 21-19.

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Despite his defeat in the Men’s Singles, Chrisnanta can find solace in his Men’s Doubles campaign, as he and Chayut Triyachart have advanced to the semi-finals.