French SS: Srikanth & Prannoy clash in SF; Sindhu plays Yamaguchi
AN ALL INDIAN SEMI-FINAL it is at the French Super Series. Later today, 8th seed Kidambi Srikanth who was recently crowned Denmark SSP champion will lock horns against compatriot HS Prannoy who on the other side has been in top form in this tournament.
The head-to-head favours the 8th seed 2-1 but the last these two played against each other was in 2015 and a lot has changed since then. The odds favour Srikanth to win this match and claim a spot in yet another SS finals but all eyes will be on Prannoy if he can make it to his first ever SS final.
No matter what the result, this year has just been a great celebration of Indian male shuttlers and it very well continues. Srikanth defeated the reigning French SS champion Shi Yuqi 8-21, 21-19, 21-19 while Prannoy trumped Jeon Hyeok Jin 21-16, 21-16.
In the women's singles category second seed PV Sindhu avenged her Denmark SSP revenge as she defeated Chen Yufei 21-14, 21-14 to set up a clash against 5th seed Akane Yamaguchi in the semis.
The men's doubles clash between young Indian duo Satwiksairaj/Chirag Shetty and defending French SS champions Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen was a match that will be remembered for quite sometime.
The young duo seemed nervous at the start of the match as they lost the opening round 5-21 against the champion Danes.
But what followed in the remaining two games was something to be cherished especially if you are an Indian badminton fan.
Satwik/Chirag won the second game 21-17 making the Danes sweat and rethink their strategy. The final game was going down to the wire as both the pairs were fighting neck-to-neck. The result could have favoured any but in the end experience won over belief and confidence. Mathias/Carsten winning the final game 21-17 to seal a place in the semis once again.
Though the young Indian pair lost the match, they have created history and have once again raised hopes for the men's doubles in India.
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