The Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth defeated World No. 3 Denmark's Anders Antonsen and booked his ticket to the semi-final of the Swiss Open 2022. He registered a 21-19, 19-21, 22-20 victory in a nail-biting quarter-final match.
Srikanth started the opening game well and was leading 9-1 until Antonsen bounced back hard. The World No. 3 fought hard and led 11-9 at a point of the match before the break. The world championship silver medallist Srikanth changed the match to his name post-break and won it 21-19.
Srikanth started the second game with an early lead of 9-6. The duo went to the break with Srikanth's 11-9 lead. Interestingly, both Srikanth and Anderson were tied 19-19 at one point. This was the moment from where Anderson turned the match to his name. He won consecutive two points and ended the match 21-19, both with one win.
The last and the decider match took turns at every point. The second seed Antonsen took an early lead with 4-1 but soon after Srikanth leveled it with 3 consecutive points. Antonsen won 6 consecutive points while being at 7-7 and made a huge leap of 13-7 but Srikanth did not give up for a bit. He fought harder and won another 6 points to tie at 13-13. With one leading another in various instances, Srikanth finally emerged victorious with 22-20.
After a long quarter-final of 1 hour and 19 minutes, the India shuttler made his way to the semi-finals where he will face off World No.8, Indonesia's Jonatan Christie.
Indian Badminton players struggle with the slow court: Here is why
Indian Badminton players even after dominating in the Asian countries fail repeatedly in countries like Europe and Olympic stages. What can be the underlying problem?
The contemporary Indian Badminton has so far gained the popularity in its country. However, certain issues need to be resolved. The biggest concern lies in the shuttlers facing a different environment in the non-Asian Countries. The major problem they face is the thick and slower court.
This issue had made India short of many assured medals by whiskers. Be it peak Kidambi Srikanth missing his World Title in 2017 to Reddy-Shetty failing in big tournaments.
How do Indian and Asian Courts differ from European Courts?
The Asian Summers
Speaking about the weather in the Asian summers, it is humid. The Asian stadia provide full on air-conditioned courts for athletes.
Air-conditioned rooms are marked favorable for shuttles, as the shuttles fly faster here. Here are the reasons:
Lower air density: Air conditioning reduces temperature and humidity, resulting in denser air with fewer air molecules. This decrease in air resistance allows shuttlecocks to travel faster.
Reduced air turbulence: Air conditioning systems circulate and filter the air, minimizing turbulence and air pockets that can slow down the shuttlecock.
Consistent airflow: Air conditioning maintains a consistent airflow, reducing unpredictable air currents that can affect shuttlecock trajectory.
Lower humidity: Dry air reduces the shuttlecock's drag coefficient, enabling it to fly faster.
This helps the athletes to maintain faster rallies and increased smashes with an attacking play. The also helps them to read the speed and work on their reaction time'
Added to this, the enhthralling supporters add more fuel to the pagddlers when tired.
European winters
European winters contradics the humid weather. Unlike the windy weather here, the air feels cal, slow and still.
Slow and still air significantly impacts shuttlers' performance, technique, and strategy. it included different physical challenges along with rectified techniques and strategies.
The challanges a shuttler faces due to these conditions are as follows:
Reduced shuttlecock speed: Slower reactions, less power.
Increased drag: Shuttles dip and drop unexpectedly.
Unpredictable trajectory: Difficulty judging distance and direction.
Fatigue: Players expend more energy to generate power.
However, these are the "negetives" bigger stages like Olympics, offer.
Slow court, A Bane to the Shuttlers
Here are some instances when paddles were denied their crown due to the courts' behaviour.
2017 Kidambi Srikanth, a fast court specialist in India missed his Worlds Title in the slow Glaswegian conditions. The slow pitch defied from the title as the Korean Son Wan-ho defeated him in the quarterfinal.
Tanvi Patri, a 13 year old rookie got defeated in Thailand's sluggish pitch last December. The thick air denied her speed, showing a red alert that she needs to gain some strength.
And the most discussed duo- Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty. Right now, Reddy-Shetty is the finest doubles player in Indian Badminton periphery. Reddy still has his world fastest smash of 493km/hr. Even then, this duo cannot assert full power in slow court. And thus, they lost a few of the most serious and well-deserved titles.
Demands of Sluggish Pitches
Slow and still air significantly impacts shuttlers' performance, techniques, and strategies. Someone who was been trained on faster courts will find it difficult to adapt to the conditions if exposed.
The shuttles face certain physical changes that are listed below:
Reduced shuttlecock speed: Slower reactions, less power.
Increased drag: Shuttles dip and drop unexpectedly.
Unpredictable trajectory: Difficulty judging distance and direction.
Fatigue: Players expend more energy to generate power.
An athlete thus needs to make a few technical adjustments to combat the challenges.
Slower stroke speed: Compensate for reduced shuttlecock speed.
Increased wristwork: Generate power and control.
Softer touches: Reduce shuttlecock's descent.
More spin: Control shuttlecock trajectory.
The strategic changes include:
Patient play: Waiting for opportunities to attack.
Defensive focus: Exploiting opponents' struggles.
Net play: Using precise, soft shots.
Angle play: Creating sharp angles to disrupt opponents.
Effects on a few notable Shots:
Smashes: Less effective due to reduced power.
Clear shots: More difficult to execute.
Drops: Harder to control.
Slow Court? Not an Issue!
Not an old story when Lakshya Sen lost to Victor Axelsen in the Olympics semi-final. Slower Courts like that in Europe, especially in stages like Olympics demand patience and exquisite footwork, with strong defence. Lakshya had his defence in the checklist, but his footwork was still a sore in his throat. The Denmark giant was a set ahead when Lakshya fought but lost to nerves.
Lakshya Sen shaking hands with Victor Axelsen after being defeated in the Olympics Semifinal. (AP)
The bronze medal match had all these including his exposed injury in his smashing hand. The defence he has can aid in this condition but muscular opponents are still a challange to him.
The other veteran on court H.S. Pranoy is a clever lad with versatile techniques. He has got his techniques handy to combat the sluggishness. He thus not only won in Malaysia, but has a Worlds medal round his neck.
Two-time Olympic medalist P.V. Sindhuwith her blazing power heft and work rate till 2019, defies these challanging conditions. The Olympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal with her sturdy power smash overshadowed her limitations in court coverage capabilities.
Indian Approach
India has a love for stroke-making. Even though it is aesthetically pleasing, it question the practicality in World Badminton.
With the October ticks in, the Europe session starts. The badminton camp then comes back and does a wide India-hoping, visiting smallcities playing number of tournaments! But how that that judge their efficiency in slow courts!
The slow courts host a major number of important international tournaments. With India not getting enough time their will never expire the frustration of them not getting medals.
Rookies like Priyanshu Rajawat will depend more on strokeplays like his ancestor Srikant used todo. Not failing the later, Rajawat will succumb to frustrating errors, missing points. Srikant had Son Wan-ho, but Rajawat will have way more equipped opponents- Kunlavut Vitidsarn and of Kodai Naraoka.
Its high time for Indian to spend more time on slow courts, count quality over quantity, in order to not miss any well deserved title in fututre,
Thomas Cup 2024: HS Prannoy makes winning start; Satwik-Chirag fcaes defeat
However, Indian doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have faced defeat against Indonesian duo Fikri-Maula as they went down in the decider game, despite putting up a good fight.
India's No. 1 shuttler HS Prannoy beat Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 13-21 21-12 21-12 to give India a 0-1 lead over Indonesia in the Thomas Cup 2024 in Chengdu, China on Wednesday.
Prannoy won the match despite losing the first game. He took the third 21-12, giving Ginting no chances to turn the tables on him. Prannoy's last meeting against Ginting was the Australian Open last year, where the Indian also won in three games.
Earlier, Prannoy returned to the winning path by defeating Harry Huang 21-15, 21-15 in a straight match despite losing to Kunlavut Vitidsarn in India's first tie against Thailand at the Thomas Cup 2024.
However, Indian doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have faced defeat against Indonesian duo Fikri-Maula as they went down in the decider game, despite putting up a good fight. The Indians lost the second match against their opponents despite a stunning comeback in the second game. Nearly pulled out another in the decider too but missed out narrowly.
Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen returns to take the second singles spot, which means Kidambi Srikanth slots back in for MS3. A change in the 2nd doubles sees Sai Pratheek replace MR Arjun to partner Dhruv Kapila.
India has already confirmed their spot in the Thomas Cup quarterfinals with two consecutive wins over Thailand and England respectively.
Thomas Cup: Indian men's team reaches quarterfinals after defeating England
Earlier, India had defeated Thailand 4-1 in the first match of the Thomas Cup 2024. India will face 14-time champion Indonesia in the last group match.
Defending champion India defeated England 5-0 in the Group C match and entered the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup badminton tournament in Chengdu, China on Monday.
Earlier, India had defeated Thailand 4-1 in the first match of the Thomas Cup 2024. India will face 14-time champion Indonesia in the last group match.
HS Prannoy returned to the winning path and gave India the 1-0 lead by defeating Harry Huang 21-15, 21-15 in a straight match despite losing to Kunlavut Vitidsarn in India's first tie against Thailand.
Sat-Chi showed their class against Lane and Vendy
In the second match, The world No.1 doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty once again had to work hard, which was the toughest phase of the match against Bane Lane and Sean Vendy. But Satwik-Chirag won the match 21-17, 19-21, 21-15 and took India ahead 2-0.
Though Satwik-Chirag won an intense first game 21-17, world no. 19 Lane and Vendy maintained a two-point lead over the Indian duo throughout the second game and eventually claimed the game 19-21.
However, in the third game, Satwik-Chirag ramped up their game to earn a quick lead. Although both pairings were engaged in a neck-to-neck battle until the interval, the Indian combo broke away to a massive lead before sealing the match with a 21-15 win in the decider.
Then, in the absence of Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth performed brilliantly to ensure an equalizer for India in straight games. The former world number one gave India a 3-0 lead by defeating Nadem Dalvi 21-16, 21-11.
M R Arjun and Dhruv Kapila defeated Rory Eatson and Alex Green 21-17, 21-19 in the second doubles match to make the score 4-0.
In the last match, Kiran George defeated Cholan Kiyan 21-18, 21-12.
On the other hand, Indonesia also defeated Thailand in the other Thome Cup pre-quarterfinal match. India and Indonesia qualified for the knockout from Group C. The group toppers will be decided by their match on Wednesday.
Thomas and Uber Cup 2024 Full Schedule: India to begin their campaign against Thailand on April 27
The Indian men's team will present a challenge in the Thomas Cup, while the Uber Cup is the world badminton team championship for women. In this, singles and doubles matches will be played as teams.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has released the schedule for Thomas and Uber Cup 2024 on Monday. The tournament will be played in Chengdu, the People’s Republic of China from April 27 to May 5.
The Indian men's team will present a challenge in the Thomas Cup, while the Uber Cup is the world badminton team championship for women. In this, singles and doubles matches will be played as teams.
The Thomas and Uber Cup 2024 can prove to be important for Indian players in terms of preparation for the Paris Olympics 2024. The Indian team is the defending champion of the Thomas Cup and qualified automatically in the 2024 season. It won the title for the first time by defeating 14-time champion Indonesia 3-0 in the tournament played in Thailand in 2022. While the women’s team qualified for the Uber Cup 2024 after winning a historic gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships earlier this year.
India's senior selection committee has decided to have maximum options in singles given the busy schedule of all the players this season. Apart from this, PV Sindhu, Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto and Gayatri Gopichand-Treesa Jolly have already withdrawn their names from the Uber Cup due to their busy schedule ahead of the Olympics. In their absence, the selection committee has picked a very young women's team which features 17-year-old national champion Anmol Kharb, Ashmita Chaliha and Tanvi Sharma. They included players who have performed well in the recent national championships.
Meanwhile, Kiran George will be the new face in the 10-member squad for the Thomas Cup. Apart from him, there will be five more players for singles, which include HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and Priyanshu Rajawat. At the same time, in doubles, the world number one pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as well as the pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila will present a challenge.
Indian men's team is Placed in Group C and will begin their campaign against Thailand on April 27, play England on April 29 and conclude the group stage against Indonesia on May 1. Indonesia are the most successful nation in Thomas Cup history with 14 titles. The Indian women’s team is placed in Group A and will take on Canada on April 27, Singapore on the following day and China, the most successful team in the Uber Cup history with 15 titles, on April 30.
The top two teams from each of the four groups (A–D) in the Thomas and Uber Cup qualify for the quarter-finals to be held over two days on May 2 and 3. The finals will be held on May 5.
Swiss Open 2024: India's campaign ends with Kidambi Srikanth's defeat in the semifinals
Former No.1 Indian badminton player Kidambi Srikanth lost to Taiwan's Lin Chun-Yi 21-15, 9-21, 18-21 in the Swiss Open semi-final to end India's campaign at the USD 210,000 badminton tournament.
Indian experienced shuttler Kidambi Srikanth's journey in the Swiss Open has ended as he faced a close defeat in the men's singles semi-finals on Saturday. In a match that lasted one hour and five minutes, Indian badminton player Srikanth lost to Taiwan's Lin Chun-Yi 21-15, 9-21, 18-21.
Since the 2022 Hilo Open Super 300 held in Germany, this was the first time Srikanth reached the semi-finals of a BWF Tour event.
First game
Srikanth made a good start in the Swiss Open semifinal match against Lin and took an early lead. After this, Srikanth took it brilliantly to 11-5 and won the first game by 21-15.
Second game
In the second match, Srikanth continued his domination and took an early lead of 4-1. But, Lin made a quick comeback in the game scoring eight points and taking a lead of 9-5. Lin then won seven successive points to throw the former No.1 Indian badminton player out of the race in the second game. Lin levelled the match winning the second game by 9-21.
Final game
In the final game, Lin made a good start and went ahead of Srikanth by 6-2. Srikanth tried his best to make a comeback by levelling the score at 6-6. At 6-6, both the players both players battled hard to get closer to the final.
Both Lin and Srikant went shoulder to shoulder till the points reached 16-16. However, a few consecutive unforced errors from Srikanth meant Lin would win the decider by 18-21. Lin Chun Yi will next face Chou Tien-chen in the final.
Srikanth was the last Indian player to continue his campaign in the Swiss Open. Priyanshu Rajawat and Kiran George were already out of the quarterfinals. Before that, the women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also had to face defeat in the quarterfinals. PV Sindhu's campaign also ended in the second round. With Kidambi Srikanth's exit, India's challenge at the USD 210,000 tournament has ended.
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