Mithun Manjunath sails into Orleans Masters final; Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam go down fighting in semis

Mithun Manjunath kept the Indian challenge alive by sailing into the men’s singles final in the Orleans Masters 2022 at the Palais des Sports in Orleans, France, on Saturday.

The unseeded Manjunath continued his splendid run by trouncing Indonesia’s Christian Adinata 21-18, 21-14 in the men’s singles semi-final that lasted 47 minutes.

However, the Indian women’s doubles pair of K Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam suffered a heart-breaking defeat in a thrilling semi-final against Germany’s Stine Kuespert and Emma Moszczynski.

Meanwhile, world No. 79 Manjunath outclassed Adinata to enter his maiden final of the BWF World Tour Super 100 tournament.

Manjunath and Adinata, ranked 189 in the world, started on an equal footing in the first game. The scores were tied at 16 all as both players engaged in fierce battles. The 23-year-old Indian captured five of the next seven points to clinch the opening game 21-18.

The second game began similarly, but Manjunath went into the break leading 11-9. The Karnataka youngster strengthened his grip on the contest, sealing the match in 47 minutes with a quality all-round display. The 20-year-old Adinata tried hard but could not stop his inspired opponent.

Mithun Manjunath to clash with Toma Junior Popov of France in summit clash

Mithun Manjunath will cross swords with world No. 32 and former European junior champion Toma Junior Popov of France in the summit clash on Sunday.

The fourth seeded Popov rallied brilliantly to down his older brother Christo Popov 15-21, 21-11, 21-13 in the other semi. Junior Popov took nearly an hour to overcome his brother's stiff challenge.

The 23-year-old Toma Popov is a Bulgaria-born Frenchman and ranked 32 in the world. It will be a big test for Manjunath against the local star on Sunday. The Indian, who shocked second seed and world No. 22 Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus of Denmark in the second round, will need to repeat that performance against Popov.

Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam squander two match points

The penultimate day’s play turned out to be a mixed one for the Indian camp. Manjunath progressed to the final, but Bhat and Gautam lost a close women's doubles semi-final.

The world No.70-ranked pair started off well, pocketing the first game quite easily. Just when it looked like they would seal the issue in straight games, their 100th-ranked opponents bounced back gallantly, claiming the second game 21-18.

In the decider, the Indian pair fought bravely and had two match points. However, the Karnataka girls squandered both to lose the game 22-24.