Ayush Shetty, Tanvi Sharma enter US Open semis
Indiaโs Ayush Shetty and Tanvi Sharma secured their places in the semi-finals of the US Open 2025 badminton tournament with commanding victories in their respective quarter-final matches on Friday, even as the countryโs doubles campaign came to a halt.
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Fourth seed Ayush Shetty, ranked 34th in the menโs singles, came from behind to defeat former junior world champion Kuo Kuan-lin of Chinese Taipei 22-20, 21-9 in a 38-minute encounter at the BWF Super 300 event. Trailing 19-16 in the opening game, the Indian youngster displayed resilience and tactical flair to edge past Kuo in a tight finish before sealing the second game with ease.
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Shetty will next face a stern test against world No. 6 and top seed Chou Tien-chen, also of Chinese Taipei, in the semi-finals. The two last met in the semi-finals of the Taipei Open earlier this year, where Chou emerged victorious in straight games. Saturdayโs clash will mark Shettyโs third semi-final appearance this season, having previously reached the last four at the Orleans Masters in March.
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Meanwhile, 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma, currently ranked 66th in womenโs singles, delivered a composed performance to overcome Malaysiaโs Letshanaa Karupathevan, ranked 50th, with a 21-13, 21-16 win in the quarter-finals. She will face a higher-ranked opponent in world No. 40 and seventh seed Polina Buhrova of Ukraine for a place in the final.
Also read: Tanvi Sharma, Ayush Shetty storm into US Open QF
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However, Indiaโs hopes in the doubles events were dashed. In menโs doubles, third seeds Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi were knocked out by the Chinese Taipei pairing of Chiang Chien-Wei and Wu Hsuan-yi in a straight-game defeat, 21-9, 21-19.
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In the womenโs doubles, Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra exited the tournament after a 21-10, 21-14 loss to the American pair of Laura Lam and Allison Lee.
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The mixed doubles challenge had already ended on Wednesday, with Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto suffering a first-round defeat, bringing a premature end to Indiaโs campaign in that discipline.
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Despite the setbacks in doubles, Indiaโs singles contenders continue to show promise, with Shetty and Sharma keeping medal hopes alive as they head into their respective semi-finals.