Sameer Verma through to quarters of Hyderabad Open

In another match, Pratul Joshi shocked his brother and fifth-seeded Sourabh Verma to also progress to the quarterfinals.

Samer Verma in action at the Hyderabad Open.

Top-seeded Sameer Verma defeated his teammate Kevin Arokia Walter 21-14, 21-9 to enter the men’s singles quarterfinal of the Hyderabad Open badminton championship at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, here, on Thursday.

It was a near-flawless display from Sameer as he revelled with his delectable backhanders, which had the opponent guessing, repeatedly. And, the few times, Walter tried to put up a fight, that challenge was quelled by the former’s efficacy at the net.

In another match, Pratul Joshi shocked his brother and fifth-seeded Sourabh Verma 14-21, 21-13, 21-19. Pratul matched his opponent and came back from a deficit in the first game to outsmart his more experienced opponent. His placement of his big smashes and the net play when it mattered most was a treat to watch.

In women’s singles, Jia Min Yeo of Singapore knocked out top-seed and Indonesian Ayustine Dinar Dyah 21-15, 21-15 while, fifth-seeded K. Sri Krishna Priya demonstrated her growing stature with a 21-15, 21-18 win over Aimsaard Nuntakarn of Thailand.

Pre-quarterfinalsresults (players from India otherwise mentioned) Men’s singles: Sameer Verma bt Kevin Arokia Walter 21-14, 21-9; R.M.V. Guru Sai Dutt bt Daniel S. Farid 21-14, 21-13; Pratul Joshi bt Sourabh Verma 14-21, 21-13, 21-19; Abdul Kholik Farman (Ina) bt Chirag Sen 21-16, 21-18; Lim Chi Wing (Mas) w\o Giap Chin Goh (Mas); Vicky Angga Saputra (Ina) bt Kaushal Dharmamer 21-16, 21-18. Men’s doubles: R. Satwiksairaj & Chirag Shetty bt Maulana Bagas & Frengky Wijaya Putra (Ina) 21-13, 21-17. Women’s singles: Jia Min Yeo (Sgp) bt Ayustine Dinar Dyah (Ina) 21-15, 21-15; An Se Young (Kor) bt Tam Brittney (Can) 21-5, 21-12; K. Sri Krishna Priya bt Aimsaard Nuntakarn (Thai) 21-15, 21-18; Iris Wang (USA) bt Aimsaard Benyapa (Thai) 21-13, 21-7; Ga Eun Kim (Kor) bt Ruselli Hartawan (Ina) 21-12, 21-14; Joy Xuan Deng (Hkg) bt Choirunnisa Choirunissa (Ina) 19-21, 21-11, 21-13; Rasika Raje bt Ying Mei Cheung (Hkg) 21-19, 21-16; Yu Jin Sim (Kor) bt Aakarshi Kashyap 21-9, 21-8. Mixed doubles: Pranav J. Chopra & N. Sikki Reddy bt Choi Shing Yeung & Yan Ka Fan (Hkg) 21-10, 22-20; Ming Nok Yeung & Ng Tsz Yau (Hkg) bt Shivam Sharma & Poorvisha Ram 21-13, 21-17; S. Sunjith Jr & K.P. Sruthi bt B. Sumeeth Reddy & Arathi Sara Sunil 11-21, 21-15, 21-11.