• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Hong Kong Open 2025: Ayush Shetty had created one of the biggest upsets of his career as he had defeated the World No.9 Kodai Naraoka and has qualified for the quarterfinals of the ongoing tournament. The youngster, who is an ex-world junior championship medalist, played aggressively and defeated Japan's Kodai Naraoka by 21-19, 12-21, and 21-1uring a pre-quarterfinal match.

With this, Shetty has qualified for his first BWF World Tour Super 500 quarter-final and has made sure that the country will at least get one semifinal match as he will now lock horns with Lakshya Sen during the quarterfinal.

Sen, at the same time, bounced back after starting slowly and had beaten HS Prannoy during another all-Indian clash. The youngster defeated Prannoy by 15-21, 21-18, 21-10 and has qualified for the quarterfinals for the first time in six months.

Also Read: IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025: Huge Blow For Pakistan As Captain Salman Agha Faces Injury Scare Ahead Of Clash Against India

This Sen-Prannoy clash has become quite recurring, as it was the ninth time on Thursday that they had faced each other since 2017. Lakshya has the upper hand in their head-to-head record of 6-3.

Prannoy looked at his absolute best during the first game as he was able to control his rallies and won the game by 21-15. He maintained his momentum during the game and was leading by 4-0. But Lakshya's six-point burst helped him to bounce back.

The scores were leveled at 18-18, and that's when the youngster went on a nerve-booming smash and forced Prannoy to commit two unforced errors and thus took the game away from Prannoy. Prannoy did bounce back but succumbed under pressure and committed errors at important junctures. Lakshya took advantage and reduced the 9-13 deficit and won the game. A few mistakes from Prannoy helped Lakshya score 10 match points, and he won the match after Prannoy faltered yet again.

Also Read: IND vs AUS: Huge Blow To Australia As Aaron Hardie Ruled Out Of Upcoming Series Against India Owing To Injury, Will Be Replaced By THIS Player

Lakshya, who has been going through a lean patch owing to injuries and inconsistent performances, last qualified for the semis in the All England Open earlier this year. His qualifying deep in this tournament has boosted his confidence before the last leg of the season.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have also qualified for the quarters of the ongoing tournament. They will lock horns with Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap in the next round.