Thailand Open 2024: Satwik-Chirag, Ashwini-Tanisha Enter Semi-Finals; Meiraba's Run Ends

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India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty eased into the Thailand Open 2024 semi-final following straight games victory at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday (May 17).

World number 3 Indian pair defeated Malaysia's Junaidi Arif & Roy King Yap by a scoreline of 21-7, 21-14 in the men's singles quarterfinal match that lasted 38 minutes on Court 1.

The Olympics-bound Indian duo of Satwik-Chirag, who won the French Open Badminton title earlier this year, will next face Chinese Taipei's Lu Ming-Che & Tang Kai-Wei in the last four match on Saturday (May 18).

Joining them in the semi-final round will be compatriots, Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, who registered a hard-fought win in the women's doubles quarterfinal earlier in the day.

The fourth-seeded Indian pair defeated sixth-seeded South Korean duo of Lee Yu Lim and Shen Seung Chan by a scoreline of 21-15, 21-23, 21-19 in the last eight match that lasted for an hour and 16 minutes on Court 3.

Tanisha-Ashwini, who are also headed to the Paris Olympics, will next face top seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai of Thailand on Saturday (May 18).

Meanwhile, it was end of a dream run for Meiraba Luwang Maisnam in the men's singles competition after he suffered a straight games loss in the quarterfinal round earlier on Friday (May 17).

The 21-year-old Meiraba, who ousted compatriot HS Prannoy in the opening round, suffered a 12-21, 5-21 loss in a lopsided contest against fourth seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the last eight match that lasted 34 minutes on Court 4.

Earlier in the second round, Meiraba had defeated Mads Christophersen of Denmark by straight games 21-14, 22-20. The Dane had knocked out India's Kiran George in the tournament opener.

On Thursday (May 16), several shuttlers from India bowed out. Ashmita Chaliha, Swetaparna Panda-Rutaparna Panda and Satish Kumar Karunakaran-Aadya Variyath crashed out of their respective categories in the second round.

On the first two days of the tournament, Prannoy, George, Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda, Akarshi Kashyap were among the Indians to make an early exit from the Thailand Open Super 500 Series badminton tournament.