US Open: Malvika Bansod keeps India's campaign alive, reaches semi-finals

At the Fort Worth Convention Center, Malvika, ranked 49th in the world in badminton, overcame a game deficit to defeat Scotland's two-time Commonwealth Games medallist Kirsty Gilmour.

Indian shuttler Malvika Bansod advanced into the semi-final of the women's singles event at the US Open 2024 in Texas on Friday (local time). At the Fort Worth Convention Center, Malvika, ranked 49th in the world in badminton, overcame a game deficit to defeat Scotland's two-time Commonwealth Games medallist Kirsty Gilmour.

The 57-minute match saw the Indian badminton player defeat world No. 22 Gilmour 10-21, 21-15, 21-10. In the final four, she will play Japan's Natsuki Nidaira, ranked 38th in the world. Gilmour stormed to a commanding 9-1 lead in the opening game.

Malvika managed to get back into rhythm and cut the lead to 16-9, but it was too late to overcome the early advantage. Gilmour ended the opening game by winning five of the subsequent six points. The shuttlers were knotted at six points apiece as the second game got underway. Malvika won the following four points to extend her lead to 18-12 after she had successfully established a slim lead at 14-12. Malvika kept her cool and won the second game to force a decider, despite her Scottish opponent's best efforts to cut the deficit to 19-15.

Malvika got off to a fast start in the decisive game and led by a considerable margin at 10-5. After bringing the score to 14-10, Gilmour, an Indian player, 22, went on to win the next seven points to seal the draw and set up a semifinal matchup with Natsuki Nidaira. In the meantime, the 34th-ranked Lei Lan Xi of China defeated world No. 40 Priyanshu Rajawat of India 21-15, 11-21, 18-21 in the men's singles quarterfinals.

In the women's doubles event, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand suffered a three-game loss to world No. 35 Rui Hirokami and Yuna Kato of Japan. The 73-minute-long quarter-final encounter finished 21-17, 17-21, 21-19 in favour of the Japanese shuttles. (ANI)

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