Taipei Open: Ayush, Unnati crash out in semis to end India's campaign

Taipei, May 10 (IANS) Indian shuttlers Ayush Shetty and Unnati Hooda concluded their stellar runs with semifinal finishes in the men’s and women’s singles events, respectively, at the USD 2,40,000 BWF Taipei Open Super 300 on Saturday, marking the end of India’s campaign at the tournament.

Ayush, a bronze medallist at the 2023 World Junior Championships, put up a strong fight but eventually lost 18-21, 17-21 to local favourite and world No. 7 Chou Tien Chen.

Ayush, known for his powerful smashes and strong net play, had a notable run leading up to the semis, having defeated prominent players like All England runner-up Lee Chia Hao, former world No. 1 and compatriot Kidambi Srikanth, and Canada’s Brian Yang.

He started aggressively against Chou, using sharp angles and attacking the forecourt to open up an 8-4 lead. However, a few unforced errors helped Chou claw back to 10-9 and eventually take a slight advantage at the mid-game break. The match remained tight at 11-all, with both players trading blows evenly. Ayush’s aggressive forehand smashes kept him in contention, but Chou’s experience shone through in the closing stages of the first game, which he sealed with a body smash and a crisp backhand at 18-all.

The second game continued with high intensity. Ayush led 11-10 at the interval, varying his strokes to keep Chou under pressure. But Chou responded with smart net play and angled returns, turning the score in his favour. Despite Ayush’s efforts to fight back to 14-13, a few long shots disrupted his rhythm. Chou capitalised, earning four match points at 20-16. Ayush saved one but ultimately hit a backhand into the net to lose the match.

Earlier in the day, Unnati showed early promise but couldn't maintain her momentum, going down 19-21, 11-21 in 43 minutes against top seed and world No. 8 Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan, the 2022 World Junior Champion.

Unnati, the winner of the 2022 Odisha Masters and 2023 Abu Dhabi Masters, started strong, dominating the front court and using precise smashes to unnerve Miyazaki, taking a 7-3 lead and then stretching it to 11-6 at the interval. However, after the change of ends, her game became error-prone. Miyazaki closed the gap to 10-12 and levelled at 18-18 when Hooda netted a return. The Japanese secured the opening game with a powerful straight smash after Hooda went wide on game point.

In the second game, Miyazaki stormed to a 4-0 lead while Hooda appeared unsettled. Trailing 2-8, the Indian squandered key chances, including one when Miyazaki was on the floor. Her inconsistency persisted, allowing Miyazaki to surge ahead 15-6 and eventually close out the match comfortably.

--IANS

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