Badminton, Syed Modi International: Ashwini Ponnappa/Tanisha Crasto enter final; Priyanshu bows out

The Indian badminton women’s doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, on Saturday, advanced to the final of the 2023 Syed Modi India International Challenge Super 300 in Lucknow.

The seventh seeded Indian pair reached the final after their opponents and top seeds Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota retired mid-way from the match with an injury.

Ponnappa and Crasto were trailing 10-11 when Hirota slipped and fell on the court, injuring her left knee. The Japanese was later carried to the sidelines and attended by a physio before the pair decided to pull out of the contest.

Ponnappa and Crasto will now take on Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan in the final on Sunday.

#SyedModiInternational2023????

An unfortunate end to the women's doubles semi-final

India's Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto advance to the final after the Japanese duo retire mid-way with an injury.https://t.co/kR6c9x04Dg pic.twitter.com/FQiGJwfwqB— The Field (@thefield_in) December 2, 2023

Priyanshu Rajawat bows out

Earlier in the day, Priyanshu Rajawat bowed out of the men’s singles competition following a hard fought loss to a lower-ranked Chi Yu Jen in a battle which lasted 74 minutes.

There was nothing to separate the two players in the early exchanges of the match, but Rajawat soon found himself trailing 11-15 in the first game.

But with the home crowd right behind him,...

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