Bangkok: K Srikanth became the latest badminton sensation to emerge from India as he lifted his maiden men's singles title with a stunning straight-game triumph over top-seeded local favourite Boonsak Ponsana at the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold here today.
The 20-year-old from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, beat world No. 8 Ponsana 21-16, 21-12 in a 34-minute match to script the biggest win of his still nascent career. "When I went onto the court, I was pretty okay. I was not thinking anything. He was the local guy and the court was also with him. I knew I had a 50-50 chance even though he is world No. 8," the excited youngster told PTI.
"I just wanted to give my 100 percent. I was focusing on one point at a time and I knew it was all about who plays well on that particular day," he said. The 13th-seeded Indian matched his fancied rival in all departments of the game in what turned out to be a lop-sided contest. "The win has not sunk in. I am still pretty excited. I spoke to my parents and they are also very happy. I will be travelling to Hyderabad tonight and probably fly back to Singapore next Friday or Saturday," he said.
The first game went neck and neck before Srikanth broke free to notch up six consecutive points to win the game and wrest the initiative. "The first game was tough. I was leading by 2-3 points from the
12:02 PM, Jun 09, 2013
Bangkok: Indian shuttler K Srikanth entered the final of the Thailand Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament after registering a comfortable straight-game victory over local favourite Thammasin Sitthikom in the men's singles event here on Saturday. Srikanth, seeded 13th, took 43 minutes to overcome his opponent 21-14 21-18 at the Nimitbutr National Stadium here. He will take on the winner of the other semi-final match between Boonsak Ponsana and Wisnu Yuli...
01:24 PM, Jun 08, 2013
Bangkok: On a day when compatriots Saina Nehwal and Prannoy HS failed to clear the quarterfinal hurdle in the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament, Srikanth K was the lone Indian to survive and march into the semifinals Friday. Srikanth, seeded 13th, dominated his South Korean opponent Wan Ho Son taking just 40 minutes to beat him 21-17, 21-18. Both players put on a brilliant display of the net...
08:00 PM, Jun 07, 2013
Bangkok: Defending champion Saina Nehwal's hopes of retaining her Thailand Grand Prix Gold title went up in smoke as she suffered a stunning three-game defeat to Singapore's Juan Gu in the quarterfinals of the women's singles competition on Friday. The world number two Indian lost 21-13, 12-21, 18-21 to eighth seed Juan in a 53-minute match at the Nimitbutr National Stadium in Bangkok. This was Saina's first defeat to the...
04:49 PM, Jun 07, 2013
New Delhi: Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal on Sunday said she expects nothing but defence of her titles in Thailand and Indonesia as she returns to action post a freak toe injury. It will be a busy month for the young Hyderabadi as she will feature in an event in Singapore after playing in Thailand and Indonesia. The world number 2 Indian was forced to skip the Sudirman Cup after...
03:50 PM, Jun 02, 2013
Bangkok: Second-seeded Richard Gasquet won his first tournament of the year when he beat former champion Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-1 in an all French final of the Thailand Open at the Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani on Sunday. The No. 14-ranked Gasquet, who last won a title in Nice in 2011, routed the fourth-seeded 2009 champion in just 68 minutes, for his seventh career victory. He became the third Frenchman...
04:51 PM, Sep 30, 2012
Bangkok: Top-seeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia out-rallied Fernando Verdasco of Spain from the baseline to win 7-6 (5), 6-4 and move into the Thailand Open semi-final on Friday. Tipsarevic set up a match with 2009 champion Gilles Simon, who won the all-French quarterfinal with Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-1. "It was really tough but I expected it. I have played Fernando 5-6 times," said Tipsarevic, who improved to 4-2 against the...
08:47 PM, Sep 28, 2012
Bangkok: Leander Paes and Horia Tecau overcame a stiff resistance from the Dutch pair of Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer to progress to the quarter-finals of the ATP Thailand Open, here on Wednesday. The top seeded Indo-Japanese pair recorded a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 win over their unseeded rivals in one hour and 23 minutes in the opening round of the USD 551,000 hard court tournament. They next face Serbian Janko...
05:42 PM, Sep 26, 2012
New Delhi: Elated after lifting her second title of the year, Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal on Sunday said that patience and a newly-acquired calm demeanor made all the difference in her Thailand Open triumph in Bangkok. The 22-year-old world number five, who had defended the Swiss Open in March, rallied to defeat Thailand's Ratchanok Inthanon 19-21, 21-15, 21-10. "Overall, I am very happy with my performance because I was more...
03:44 PM, Jun 10, 2012
New Delhi: India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal defeated second seed Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand 19-21, 21-15, 21-10 to lift the Thailand Open on Sunday. After going down in the first set, Saina clawed back in the second game, as the local favourite, Inthanon looked lost. After that Saina kept the momentum going in the third with some brilliant moves at the net to clinch her second title of the season....
01:03 PM, Jun 10, 2012
New Delhi: Saina Nehwal continued to gain in confidence ahead of Olympics as the top-seeded Indian entered the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold final after beating Porntip Buranaprasertsuk in straight sets in Bangkok on Saturday. Saina won 24-22 21-11 to keep her unbeaten record against third seed Buranaprasertsuk intact, extending it to 4-0 overall. The Indian will be up against another Thai, second seed Ratchanok Inthanon, in the summit clash...
03:30 PM, Jun 09, 2012
New Delhi: Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal remained on course for her second title of the season as she reached the semifinals of the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold with a straight-game victory over Sapsiree Taerattanachai in Bangkok on Friday. Top seeded Saina played long rallies and used her effective smashes to stave off the challenge from the hosts, eighth seeded Taerattanachai 21-10, 22-20 in the women's singles competition. The...
04:14 PM, Jun 08, 2012
New Delhi: Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal notched up a straight-game victory over Chinese Li Han to advance to the quarterfinals of Thailand Grand Prix Gold in Bangkok on Thursday. The world number five Indian rode on her smashes to see off Li Han 21-17 21-13 in a 42-minute women's singles match at the CU Sport Complex. The 22-year-old from Hyderabad will next take on the winner of the match...
04:25 PM, Jun 07, 2012
Bangkok: Fourth-ranked Andy Murray claimed his 19th career title in beating American Donald Young 6-2, 6-0 in the final of the Thailand Open at the Impact Arena in Muang Thong Thani on Sunday. The top-seeded Briton was in complete control throughout the 48-minute match, exploiting the lack of experience and unforced errors from his 55th-ranked opponent. Young was playing in his first tour final. Murray opened the match by jumping...
05:06 PM, Oct 02, 2011
Bangkok: Top-seeded Andy Murray survived a second-set scare to beat Gilles Simon at the Thailand Open on Saturday and set up a final against American Donald Young. Murray won 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 against his French opponent while the 55th-ranked Young beat second-seeded Gael Monfils of France 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) to reach his first career ATP final. The fourth-ranked Murray won 88 percent of points on his first serve...
02:13 AM, Oct 02, 2011
Bangkok: Andy Murray reached the quarter-finals of the Thailand Open by beating Michael Berrer of Germany 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday. Murray, who had a bye in the first round, will next face either Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria or Simone Bolelli of Italy. "I started well and was serving well throughout the match," Murray said. "I got jet lag and didn't sleep well for a few days." The match started after...
11:27 PM, Sep 29, 2011
New Delhi: Indian challenge ended in the Thailand Open Grand Prix after ace shuttler Saina Nehwal and two others suffered contrasting defeats in the quarter-finals at Bangkok on Friday. Top seed Saina failed to live upto her reputation and lost 13-21 12-21 to seventh seed Xuerui Li of China in a half an hour women's singles encounter. Among Indian men, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist P Kashyap and promising shuttler Sourabh...
05:25 PM, Jun 10, 2011
New Delhi: Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal advanced to the quarterfinals of the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold after registering a thrilling three-game victory in the women's singles second round in Bangkok on Thursday. World number four Saina beat unseeded Japanese shuttler Mitani Minatsu 21-13 15-21 21-7 in a 46-minute match to set up a clash with seventh seed Xuerui Li in the quarterfinals on Friday. In men's singles, top...
07:03 PM, Jun 09, 2011
Bangkok: World number one Rafael Nadal suffered a surprise 2-6 7-6 6-3 semi-final defeat by unseeded Spanish compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at the Thailand Open on Saturday. The US Open champion looked set to cruise into the final after a polished first-set performance but had no reply to Garcia-Lopez's thrilling fightback that led to a second-set tiebreak where Nadal's game started to unravel. The 53rd-ranked Garcia Lopez will face Finland's Jarkko...
07:24 PM, Oct 02, 2010
Jyoti Randhawa has added an eighth Asian Tour trophy to his kitty. ...
12:39 AM, Mar 10, 2009
