Sukant Kadam prepares for his semi-final clash against compatriot Suhas Yathiraj at the Paris Paralympics (Photo credit: Instagram @sukant9993)
India When Kadam turns set up a SL4 men’s singles semi-final clash against his compatriot Suhas Yathiraj to secure India a medal in para badminton, but Krishna Nagar’s title defence ended in agony after an ankle injury in the Paris Paralympic Games.
Disappointment awaited the mixed doubles pair. Solaimalai of Sivaraja and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan as the second-ranked duo squandered an opening-game lead to go down 21-17 14-21 13-21 to Miles Krajewski and Jayci Simon of the USA in the SH6 semi-finals on Saturday.
The Indian duo will now play in the bronze medal playoff.
Earlier, debutant Sukant thrashed Thailand’s Teamarrom Siripong 21-12 21-12 to top Pool B and will face Tokyo silver medallist Suhas in the semi-final to secure a place in the final for India in the SL4 class, which is meant for athletes with lower limb disabilities and minor balance issues while walking or running.
Nitesh Kumar, who had won a silver medal at the Asian Para Games last year, qualified for the semi-finals of the men’s singles SL3 category after registering a straight-games win in his final group match.
Nitesh topped Group A after beating Thailand’s Mongkhon Bunsun 21-13, 21-14, securing his third consecutive win.
However, it was a heartbreaking end to Krishna’s campaign as he twisted his ankle during his must-win SH6 Group B match against Thailand’s Meechai Natthapong.
Following his loss to Miles Krajewski, Krishna needed to win the match with a good points difference to stay in contention, but he suffered the injury while trailing 20-22 3-11 and was forced to retire.
“I had to win in two consecutive games to reach the knockout round but I lost the opening game but luck was not on my side. I twisted my ankle in the second game so I had to retire. I will try to come back stronger next time,” Krishna said after the match.
For Sukant, this was his second consecutive victory in the three-player group.
“It’s my first tournament. I’m very happy to have qualified for the semi-finals,” said Sukant, who had won bronze at the Asian Para Games last year.
“I was well prepared for today’s match. The first match was much more difficult than this one. And I’ve played against him many times and I was very confident. So I wanted to take one point at a time and then I played well.”
In the men’s SL4 competition, only the top finishers in each of the four groups qualify for the semi-finals.
In the SL3 class, intended for players with severe disabilities in the lower limbs who compete on medium-width courts, the top two finishers in each of the two groups qualify for the semi-finals.
Thus, in addition to Nitesh, Bunsun also qualified for the semi-finals as the second-placed team in Group A.
In Group A, Manoj Sarkar, a bronze medallist at the Tokyo Paralympics who had already withdrawn from the tournament, defeated Yang Jianyuan of China 21-1, 21-11. Manoj had earlier lost to Bunsun and Nitesh.
However, in SL4, Tarun Dhillon failed to make it to the semi-finals after finishing second in Group D following his 7-21 16-21 loss to Frenchman Lucas Mazur, who topped the group.
In the men’s SL4 competition, only the top finishers in each of the four groups qualify for the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Mandeep Kaur entered the quarter-finals of the women’s singles SL 3 category after defeating Australia’s Vinot Celine Aurelie in the women’s singles SL 3 event on Saturday.
Mandeep bounced back and won her final Group B match 21-23, 21-10, 21-17 against her Australian rival. She had lost her opening match against Nigerian Bolaji Mariam.
The Indian finished second in the three-player Group B and secured a place in the quarter-finals. Mariam topped the group and moved into the semi-finals.
The top teams in Groups A and C advance to the semi-finals. The top two teams in Group B, as well as the second-place teams in Groups A and C, compete in the quarter-finals for the two remaining semi-final spots.
In the women’s singles SU5 tournament, which is intended for athletes with upper limb disabilities, second seed Manisha Ramadass suffered a 15-21, 7-21 loss to Yang Qiu Xia and finished second in Group C.
The Indian, whose right arm was damaged even before she was born due to a medical error by a doctor, will thus play in the quarter-finals, while the Chinese advanced to the semi-finals after topping the group.
Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan, the top seed in the women’s singles SH6, went down 20-22 18-21 to Lin Shuangbao of China in her third match and finished second in the group.
The 19-year-old from Tamil Nadu, who won two bronze medals at the 2022 Asian Para Games, will play in the quarter-finals while her opponent will advance to the semi-finals.
In the men’s singles SH6, Sivarajan Solaimalai ended his campaign with a third consecutive defeat, going down 12-21 10-21 to Great Britain’s Krysten Coombs.
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