CHENNAI: With big-hitter PV Sindhu missing and three main contenders in the same half of the men's singles draw, the build-up to the BWF World Championships, as far as Indian supporters were concerned, was a damper. But despite that, the contingent boasted some promising players who could spring a surprise or two.
MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila's, playing in the marquee event for the second time together, run so far is a case in point. The second-ranked Indian men's doubles pair, relatively a new face on the elite circuit, have notched up three wins with their latest victory coming on Thursday. More notably, they now have a chance to become pathbreakers by becoming the first men's pair from the country to medal at the event.
After upsetting the eight-seeded Danish pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the second round, the Indian duo put up another fighting show to overcome Singapore's Hee Yong Kai Terry and Loh Kean Hean 18-21, 21-15, 21-16 in the third round, thereby ensuring a spot in the quarterfinals.
The Indian duo are reaping the benefits of facing some of the elite players in the circuit in recent times. They had been playing with an open mind and learning on the job under the guidance of India's doubles coach Mathias Boe.
"In the past six months or so, we have played top-10 players on a regular basis. We have lost close matches. We think we are very close, but I think we need more experience. We have to learn to cope during crucial situations of the match and we are working on it right now," Dhruv had told this daily after the Thomas Cup success earlier this year.
Thursday was a tight contest and they were on the backfoot after conceding the first game. What followed was evidence that the duo had learnt a great deal from recent experiences. The duo, who joined hands in 2019, retained their calm and bounced back immediately to level the tie. They were happy to engage in long rallies, forcing their opponents into making mistakes.
With momentum on their side, Dhruv and Arjun had found a template to follow. They continued to stay calm and were ready to defend what was thrown at them with some sharp play in front of the net. They also unleashed some big smashes, winning crucial points in the process. In the end, Dhruv killed the contest with a perfect smash.
They'll need that killer instinct when they take on three-time gold winners Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia. The Indian youngsters had lost a close battle against the No 3 seeds during the All England Championships earlier this year.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the No 1 Indian pairing, also breezed into the quarterfinals with a 21-12, 21-10 victory over Danish pair of Jeppe Bay and Lasse Molhede. Up next for Satwik and Chirag are reigning champions, Takuro Hoki and Yuko Kobayashi of Japan.
Prannoy beats Lakshya
Upbeat after beating former World No 1 Kento Momota on Wednesday, HS Prannoy had another stiff test the following day. He was up against a familiar face in Lakshya Sen. Prannoy won 17-21, 21-16, 21-17 to advance to quarterfinals and will take on Zhao Jun Peng of China next. Saina Nehwal, meanwhile, went down fighting (21-17, 16-21, 21-13) against Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan.