Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Archana Girish Kamath add to Indian success

by Ian Marshall, Editor

Following an impressive win against colleagues Harmeet Desai and Ayhika Mukherjee (11-2, 11-2, 11-9), Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Archana Girish Kamath secured the title at the final expense of Singapore’s Pang Yew En Koen and Gi Rui Xuan (11-1, 11-7, 11-4).

Defeat for Pang Yew En Koen but he was the player to cause India the greatest pain. At the quarter-final stage of the men’s singles event, he beat Sharath Kamal Achanta (7-11, 9-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9, 11-7, 12-10).

Only Sathiyan Gnanasekaran

A surprise semi-finalist, the Singaporean teenager was not alone; if fact of the top four names only Sathiyan Gnanasekaran booked a penultimate round place. England’s Sam Walker experienced a second round defeat at the hands of the host nation’s Sushmit Sriram (11-8, 14-12, 11-8, 11-4) who in turn suffered at the hands of colleague, Harmeet Desai (11-4, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8).

Likewise, there was a second round exit for Australia’s Heming Hu; he was beaten by India’s Sanil Shetty (11-3, 8-11, 14-16, 13-11, 9-11, 11-9, 14-12), who in the very next round departed at the hands of England’s Tom Jarvis (11-5, 11-8, 8-11, 13-11, 12-10).

At the semi-final stage Pang Yew En Koen meets Harmeet Desai, Tom Jarvis confronts, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, the top seed, the quarter-final winner in opposition to Nigeria’s Bode Abiodun (11-7, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6).

Opposite scenario

Three surprise semi-finalists, in the women’s singles event it was the opposite scenario, three seeded players reached the last four. England’s Tin-Tin Ho, the top seed, progressed courtesy of success against Archana Girish Kamath (11-9, 7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-6); likewise India’s Ayhika Mukherjee and Madhurika Patkar both enjoyed quarter-final success at the expense of colleagues. Ayhika Mukherjee accounted for Mousomi Paul (11-6, 11-6, 11-2, 11-8); Madhurika Patkar overcame Sinha Krittwika (11-4, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9).

The exception to the rule was Sreeja Akula, also from India; she accounted for colleague, Sutirtha Mukherjee (11-5, 11-5, 11-9, 17-19, 6-11, 17-15) to claim her semi-final places.

In the penultimate round Tin-Tin Ho faces Ayhika Mukherjee, Sreeja Akula confronts Madhurika Patkar.
Semi-finalists known in the men’s singles and women’s singles events; it is the same in the men’s doubles and women’s doubles competitions.

Indian hopes alive

Furthermore, Indian hopes are very much alive and a chance for revenge. In the men’s doubles Sharath Kamal Achanta and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran face Pang Yew En Koen and Singaporean colleague, Josh Chua Shao Han; Amalraj Anthony and Manav Vikash Thakkar confront Tom Jarvis and Sam Walker.

Meanwhile, in the women’s doubles event, the Indian presence is even greater; Sreeja Akula and Mousumi Paul oppose Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee, Pooja Sahasrabudhe and Sinha Krittwika confront Singapore’s Goi Rui Xuan and Wong Xin Ru.

Play in Cuttack concludes on Monday 22nd July.