Sameer Verma goes down in quarter-finals of Thailand Masters

21-year-old Indian shuttler Sameer Verma put up a great fight but could not prevent the World No. 13 Hu Yun from advancing to the semi-finals of the Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters 2016 in Bangkok on Thursday. In their first ever meeting, the third-seeded Hong Kong player Yun edged past Verma 23-21, 11-21, 21-11 after a 48-minute battle in the quarter-finals.

With Sameer’s loss, the Indian campaign at the Thailand Masters comes to an end.

The 44th ranked Indian had an impressive end to the 2015 season where he won three international level titles. He brought that confidence into this match as he fought tooth and nail with his experienced opponent but Yun snatched the first game 23-21.

The 15th seed, however, was undeterred and stormed out of the blocks in the second game. His ultra-aggressive game stunned the third seed as the Indian wrapped up the second game 21-11.

Unfortunately for Sameer, his efforts drained him out and he had no energy left in the deciding game. Sensing the opportunity, Yun launched an all-out attack and raced away to 4-1. Verma weathered the storm briefly and evened the score at 5-5.

That was short-lived and Yun once again gained the upper hand and this time he built a big lead of 11-5. Sameer tried to push Yun to the corners but he could not knock off the Hong Kong player off his perch as he sailed away to victory.

Earlier in the second and the third round, Verma had prevailed over his compatriots, Anand Pawar and Harsheel Dani respectively.