Paris, Oct 23:
India’s Ashmita Chaliha pulled off a major upset by defeating Japan’s world No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi to enter the women’s singles quarter-finals of the French Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Thursday. Two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu also advanced to the last eight with a straight-games victory.
The unseeded Ashmita defeated third seed Yamaguchi 21-19, 21-18 in 37 minutes, registering the biggest win of her career and her first victory over a top-five opponent. The 26-year-old Indian held her nerve in the opening game before controlling the second to complete an impressive win.
The victory was particularly significant after Ashmita’s defeat to Yamaguchi at the Denmark Open last week. The Indian shuttler has enjoyed a strong comeback this season after recovering from a knee injury and winning her maiden BWF World Tour title at the Korea Masters in August.
Sindhu followed with a composed 21-12, 21-16 win over Japan’s Riko Gunji in 44 minutes. The former world champion recovered from a challenging opening-round contest to deliver a more assured performance and secure her quarter-final berth.
The results marked a notable achievement for Indian women’s singles badminton, with two players reaching the quarter-finals of a Super 750 tournament for the first time since 2019.
However, India’s campaign also suffered setbacks. Young shuttler Tanvi Sharma lost 11-21, 14-21 to world No. 1 An Se-young of South Korea, while Ayush Shetty retired from his men’s singles match against Japan’s Kodai Naraoka when trailing 17-21, 6-11 due to an undisclosed injury.
Ashmita and Sindhu will now look to continue their strong runs as the tournament moves into the quarter-final stage.