Hylo Open Badminton: Malvika Bansod defeats Nguyen Thuy Linh to enter semi-finals
Malvika Bansod advanced to the semifinals of Hylo Open in Saarbrucken, Germany by starting strong against Nguyen Thuy Linh, ranked 31st in the world, and winning 21-15, 21-17 in a 45-minute match.
Malvika, aiming for a breakthrough on the circuit, caused a stir at China Open by defeating Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung. However, she has yet to secure a championship title while competing in the competitive realm of elite badminton. But, the first contenders to challenge her for this title during the final stages of the European tour will be Danish females.
Also read: Hylo Open Badminton: Rakshitha Upsets 2nd Seed; Enters QFs
23-year-old Malvika Bansod quickly established an eight-point advantage at 10-2. Nguyen Thuy Linh, ranked three spots higher than Malvika at world No. 31, narrowed the difference to 18-15. Still, the Indian badminton player managed to secure the last three points in order to win the first game.
The second game unfolded in a comparable manner. Malvika had a 9-3 lead in the second game, but Nguyen Thuy Linh caught up to tie the score at 17-17.
The Indian badminton player earned the last four points to advance to the semi-finals, where she will face Denmark’s Julie Dawall Jakobsen, who beat India’s 17-year-old Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj 21-12, 21-17.
Also read: Hylo Open Badminton: Young Malvika Bansod leads India’s challenge
Malvika Bansod will be in her third semi-final of the year. In February, she emerged victorious at the Azerbaijan International and made it to the semi-finals of the US Open in June.
Ayush Shetty overcomes Finland’s Kalle Koljonen
Ayush Shetty, aged 19, who secured the bronze medal at last year’s Junior World Championships, defeated Finland’s Kalle Koljonen with a scoreline of 21-18, 21-18 in the men’s singles event.
Ayush Shetty will compete against Christo Popov of France to secure a spot in the final. Christo Popov was awarded a walkover after India’s seventh-seeded Sathish Kumar Karunakaran withdrew before the match.
Also read: Hylo Open 2024: Young star Malvika Bansod makes winning start
Lakshya Sen, who reached the semi-finals in the Paris Olympics, and PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, are not participating in this year’s Hylo Open where the last Indian title was won by Sen in 2019.
