World No. 64 Sankar Subramanian Muthusamy achieved the biggest win of his senior career, overcoming World No. 2 Anders Antonsen in the pre-quarterfinals of the Swiss Open, a Super 300 event in Basel, on Thursday, March 20. The 21-year-old rallied from behind to secure victory in three sets—18-21, 21-12, 21-5—in a 66-minute match.
Sankar, a past junior World No. 1, was ahead 16-14 in the initial game but let Antonsen, who is better adapted to the conditions in Basel, stage a comeback and win the first game.
Nonetheless, Sankar regrouped himself in the second, not allowing Antonsen to establish his rhythm. Counting on his strong defense, the youngster frustrated his more experienced rival, who faced difficulties due to unforced errors. Sankar was ahead 18-9 and smoothly finished the game 2.\
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Sankar, a silver medallist at the 2022 World Junior Championships, took part in the Swiss Open as a qualifier and has now made it to the quarterfinals of a Super 300 event for the second time this year. In January, he reached the quarter-finals at the Thailand Masters.
Sankar will compete against France’s World No. 31 Christo Popov in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Meanwhile, there was letdown for other Indian players, as Kidambi Srikanth and Priyanshu Rajawat both were eliminated in the second round.
