Ayush, Kiran stun higher-ranked rivals to enter Hylo Open quarterfinals

Saarbrucken (Germany), Oct 30 (PTI) Ayush Shetty and Kiran George grabbed the headlines on a fruitful day for India at the Hylo Open Super 500 badminton tournament, registering stunning wins over higher-ranked opponents to storm into the men’s singles quarterfinals here on Thursday.

If US Open champion Ayush thrashed former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in a lop-sided contest, Kiran showed grit and composure en route to an upset win over world No.13 Toma Junior Popov of France.

Ayush’s pinpoint accuracy in attack, athleticism in defence and total command at the net helped him shock Loh, the 2021 world champion, 21-11, 21-11 in a round-of-16 match.

World No.38 Kiran, son of former national champion George Thomas, produced a gritty performance to outwit eighth seed Popov 18-21, 21-18, 21-19 in a 69-minute thriller at the USD 475,000 event.

Earlier, Lakshya Sen and Rakshitha Ramesh booked their berths in the men’s and women’s singles quarterfinals with contrasting victories.

Lakshya, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, eased past compatriot S Subramanian 21-14, 21-11, while Rakshitha overcame Shriyanshi Valishetty 19-21, 21-8, 21-13 in another all-Indian contest lasting 58 minutes.

Lakshya will next face fourth seed Alex Lanier of France, while Rakshitha is set to meet Denmark’s sixth seed Line Christophersen.

Ayush was simply sensational as he dismantled Loh with his sharp netplay and aggressive returns, leaving the Singaporean searching for answers.

The 20-year-old from Karnataka, a 2023 World Junior Championships semifinalist, will face either Finland’s Kalle Koljonen or Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in the quarterfinals.

Ayush, who had beaten Loh at the Orleans Masters earlier this year, trailed 2-5 early on but a 10-point burst turned the tide as the Singaporean struggled for control.

In the second game, Ayush dictated the pace right from the start, with Loh erring at the net and failing to find the corners with his smashes. Down 7-15, Loh produced a brief fightback with a few service variations and winners, but another long return handed the serve back to the Indian.

Ayush dominated the net thereafter to earn 10 match points and sealed the contest on his second opportunity when Loh sent one wide.

The 25-year-old Kiran, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, last reached a Super 750 quarterfinal at the India Open in January.

A two-time Super 100 champion — having won the 2022 Odisha Open and 2023 Indonesia Masters — Kiran will next meet either second seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia or Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen.

Kiran, part of India’s 2022 Thomas Cup-winning and 2020 Asian Team Championships squads, had earlier stunned world No.1 Shi Yu Qi of China in 2023. However, a series of injuries and close losses had stalled his progress.

On Thursday, Kiran was left chasing early as Popov took the opening game despite the Indian closing in at 16-17. Switching sides, Kiran raced to a 7-1 lead in the second game, but Popov fought back to 19-18 before the Indian held firm to force a decider.

In the final game, Kiran trailed 6-11 but displayed steely resolve to claw back to 15-16 before turning the tables at 19-17 and sealing the match with a powerful finish. PTI ATK KHS