Former champions Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap and Sourabh Verma advanced to the semi-finals of the 83rd Senior Badminton Nationals with victories at Guwahati on Friday, 15 February.
The recently-married Nehwal and Kashyap had belatedly begun their respective campaigns late evening on Thursday, 14 February, after refusing to take to the court for their pre-quarterfinal ties due to an “uneven” surface.
The duo’s opening round matches were rescheduled and shifted from the Assam Badminton Academy courts to a newly-laid wooden court at the nearby TRP indoor stadium.
Nehwal’s rival and fellow Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, incidentally, had played two matches on the same court that Nehwal and Kashyap deemed unfit to book her spot in the semis on Thursday itself.
Back in action on Friday morning after her late opener the night before, defending champion Nehwal barely broke a sweat to get the better of former India number one Neha Pandit 21-10, 21-10 in a lop-sided quarter-final clash.
The three-time winner will face 22-year-old qualifier Vaishnavi Bhale, who was part of India’s Uber Cup squad last year, in the last-4 later on Friday.
Kashyap, the 2012 national champion, prevailed 21-18, 21-16 over Bodhit Joshi, who had reached the final of the Iceland International last year. The 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, with his win, set up an exciting match-up with junior world champion Lakshya Sen.
Earlier on Friday, Sourabh Verma, who won Super 100 titles in Russia and Netherlands last year, eked out a hard-fought 21-11, 21-23, 21-18 win over world number 28 B Sai Praneeth.
26-year-old Verma, a two-time national champion, takes on qualifier Kaushal Dharmamer in the semis.
The second women’s semi-final pits Sindhu against local sensation Ashmita Chaliha.