Cuttack: Odia shuttler Swetaparna Panda’s dream run in the Odisha Open BWF Super 100 meet was halted in the semifinals on Saturday.
The 16-year-old Swetaparna, first player from Odisha to make the semifinal stage of a Super 100 tournament, and her partner Balkeshari Yadav came up short against the more experienced pair of MR Arjun and Tressa Jolly to go down 9-21, 9-21.
Swetaparna may have missed out on the title, but the teenager has set Odisha dreaming. The way she competed against more experienced players, it may not be long before she stands proudly on the podium.
Arjun and Jolly will face Sri Lankan duo Sachin Dias and Thilini Dias in the final on Sunday.
Both the men’s and women’s singles finals will be all-Indian affairs.
Priyanshu Rajawat saw off Kaushal D 21-17, 21-14 to set up a summit clash with Kiran George. Kiran, who had knocked out the fancied Subhankar Dey in the quarterfinal, overcame a 0-1 deficit to come through 19-21, 21-12, 21-14 against Ansal Yadav.
In women’s semifinals, Unnati Hooda surprised favourite Malvika Bansod 24-22, 24-22 in a tight contest. Unnati will be up against Smit Toshniwal, who also ousted higher-ranked Ashmita Chaliha 21-19, 10-21, 21-17.
SUNDAY’S FINALISTS
Men’s Singles — Priyanshu Rajawat (India) vs Kiran George (India)
Women’s Singles – Unnati Hooda (India) vs Smit Toshniwal (India)
Men’s Doubles — PS Ravi & SP Uday (India) vs Nur Mohd & Lim Khim Wah (Malaysia)
Women’s Doubles – Treesa Jolly & Gayathri Gopichand (India) vs Sanyogita Ghorpade & Shruti Mishra (India)
Mixed Doubles — MR Arjun & Treesa Jolly (India) vs Sachin Dias & Thilini Dias (Sri Lanka).
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