Satwik-Chirag fight back to seal last-eight spot

India enjoyed a strong day at the Hong Kong Open Super 500 badminton tournament on Thursday, with Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty all progressing to the quarterfinals.

Lakshya Sen, ranked 20th in the world, overcame senior compatriot HS Prannoy in a hard-fought three-game battle. After dropping the opening game 15-21, the 23-year-old rallied back 21-18, 21-10 to seal his first quarterfinal at a top-level BWF World Tour event in six months.

Lakshya, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, has been battling inconsistent form and injuries this year. His last deep run came at the All England Super 1000 in March, where he reached the semifinals. He will now face either Japan’s Kodai Naraoka or India’s Ayush Shetty in the last eight.

The match against Prannoy was a contest of momentum shifts. Prannoy looked sharp early, taking the first game with ease and racing to a 4-0 lead in the second. But Lakshya turned the tables with a string of winners, eventually snatching the game at 21-18. In the decider, Prannoy’s unforced errors mounted as Lakshya pulled ahead 13-9 and then stormed to victory.

In men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag, fresh from winning their second World Championships bronze, overcame Thailand’s Sukphun and Teeraratsakul in three games. The Indians lost the first game 18-21 after a late surge from the Thai pair. However, they bounced back strongly, edging ahead 11-10 at the interval in the second game before closing it out confidently.

The decider was a one-sided affair as Satwik and Chirag dominated from the start, racing to a 7-2 lead and never looking back. They will next meet Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap for a semifinal spot.