Abu Dhabi Masters Super 100 Results Day 5: Samiya Imad Farooqui and Unnati set up an all-Indian final in the women’s singles category

The Abu Dhabi Masters Super 100 tournament witnessed over 40 of India’s upcoming generation of talented shuttlers battle it out on the court in the Gulf city.

In stark contrast to the Denmark Open that is simultaneously taking place in Odense, several Indians managed to reach the semifinals in Abu Dhabi. Players like Unnati Hooda, Samiya Imad Farooqui, and Tanisha Crasto gave Indian fans a glimpse of what is to come for Indian badminton in the next few years.

The Indian contingent had two shuttlers reach the semifinals in the men’s singles, two in the women’s singles, and two pairs in the women’s doubles category. While neither of the men’s singles player could manage to secure a place in the final, fans will get to witness an all-Indian affair in the finals of the women’s singles category.

A closer look at the results:

The semifinal stage of the Abu Dhabi Masters saw some thrilling matches take place. In the first men’s singles semifinal, India’s Raghu Mariswamy took on Mads Christophersen. The 25-year-old put up a spirited performance but ultimately lost to the Danish shuttler, Mads Christophersen, with a score of 9-21, 14-21.

It was a slightly closer battle in the other semifinal, where top seed Kiran George took on the Netherlands' Mark Caljouw. Throughout the match, Kiran showcased his incredible defense, and the Indian also hit some fabulous down-the-line smashes, but eventually, his unforced errors overtook his winners, and the experienced Dutch player sealed the game with a scoreline of 13-21, 21-23.

While the men’s singles players faced disappointment, it was a different story in the women’s singles semifinals. Unnati Hooda took on the top seed, Thet Htar Thuzar, in the first semifinal.

Unnati, the 16-year-old prodigy from India, played some impressively long rallies, and her strokes also showcased a maturity that is seen in very few players of her age. She dominated her opponent right from the first set and eventually secured a victory against Thet Htar Thuzar with a score of 21-18, 21-12.

In the other women’s singles semifinal that followed, Samiya Imad Farooqui took on Julie Dawall Jakobsen. The closely contested match saw Samiya start off with absolute dominance, taking the first set 21-9, but the Danish athlete fought back, narrowly taking the next set 21-19. Samiya displayed incredible resilience and eventually emerged victorious with a final score of 21-9, 19-21, 21-17.

The women’s doubles semifinals saw the top-seeded pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa face off against fellow Indians, Sikki Reddy and Arathi Sara Sunil. All four players have been playing with each other for years and know each other's games well. While both pairs played some remarkable badminton, Tanisha and Ashwini secured a win in straight sets with a score of 21-12, 21-18.

Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa will now take on Julie Finne-Ispen and Mai Surrow of Denmark, while Unnati and Samiya will battle it out in an all-Indian affair on October 22.