Paris, March 8 (UNI) India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the 2024 French Open semifinals defeating the Thai pair of Jomkoh Supak and Kittinupong Kedren.
The world No. 1 pair overwhelmed the Thailand pair 21-19, 21-13 in straight games to enter the final four stage.
The Thai pair ranked 32nd in the world, started the match nicely to take a good 11-6 lead by the break as the Indian pair struggled to get into their groove.
However, the momentum shifted after the change of the sides as they put power into their shots, instead of lifting the shuttle.
Jomkoh and Kittinupong found it difficult to negotiate the fast-paced returns and badly trailed as the Indian pair drew level at 12-12.
Rankireddy and Shetty remained focused despite the chair umpire losing track of the score and notched up the first game 21-19.
The Indian pair, who are Asian champions too, continued their stinging display in the second game and kitted it 21-13 without shedding a sweat and stormed into the semifinals in 42 minutes.
Rankireddy and Shetty will lock horns with the reigning world champions and third seeds Kang Ming Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae on Saturday for a spot in the final.
Earlier in the day, China's Chen Yu Fei ousted Pusarla V Sindhu from the tournament by handing out a 22-24, 21-17, 21-18 defeat in a marathon encounter.
The 28-year-old Sindhu, who returned from a knee injury sustained last year, was pushed to the walls as she trailed 6-11 at the first break.
Sindhu, however, clawed back to draw level at 17-17 before garnering a game point. A 45-shot rally saw Chen equalise at 20-20, but the double Olympic medallist kept the heat and won the opening game 24-22 with a drop shot from deep in the court.
Sindhu's drop shots were the cynosure of the match as she collected points impromptu. She kept Chen on tenterhooks throughout and was level at 13-13 in the second game before the Chinese grabbed five consecutive points to get a crucial lead and later forced a decider.
Despite sweating it out in the first two games, Sindhu never compromised on vigour and fierceness, in the decider. She trailed 10-11 at the change of ends.
Chen, however, burst open in the later stages as Sindhu exited after a grueling 92-minute skirmish.
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