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Unheralded Sameer Verma of India created a huge upset at the Yonex Sunrise Malaysian Grand Prix Gold Badminton Championships being played in Kuala Lumpur. Sameer shocked fourth seed and world number 12 Malaysian Wei Fen Chong 21-15, 16-21, 21-19 to march into the men’s singles third round.
The 190th ranked Indian, who once reached a career-best ranking of 93, was unperturbed by the reputation of the Malaysian. Sameer was nifty at the net collecting as many as ten winners to unsettle Chong.
He reeled off four points in a row to seize the initiative and maintained a decent lead midway through the opening set before wrapping it up at 21-15.
Chong regrouped in the second game and came out all guns blazing.
The Malaysian was quick off the blocks and once he lapped up seven points on the trot, it was always going to be difficult for Sameer to stage a comeback as the former closed out the second game at 21-16.
The decider was a gripping affair. Sameer stepped on the gas when it mattered and kept consistently stringing together lethal smashes, which brooked no answer from Chong.
The 19-year-old nosed out Chong 21-19 for a berth in the third round.
Sameer now takes on Hong Kong’s 67th ranked Chan Yan Kit.
The Indian had lost once to Chan in their only meeting so far.
Sameer is the third Indian men’s singles player to make it to the third round.
Earlier, K Srikanth kept the Indian flag flying high upstaging 14th seed Avihingsanon Suppanyu of Thailand in straight games 21-9, 21-19 to enter the third round.
Srikanth, who shocked Jan O Jorgensen in the first round of the recent Indian Open, next plays third seed Darren Liew of Malaysia.
The 63rd ranked Indian had lost to Liew in their only meeting so far.
K Srikanth had earlier put it across Korea’s 84th ranked Sung Min Park in straight games 21-13, 21-11 in the first round.
11th seed RMV Gurusaidutt – the only Indian men’s shuttler to be seeded in the tournament – also joined Sameer and Srikanth in the third round.
The world number 33 got the better of Malaysia’s 144th ranked Giap Chin Goh in straight games 21-8, 21-9. He had earlier defeated Singapore’s 191st ranked Chao Huang of Singapore 21-19, 14-21, 21-17 in the first round.
He next plays Japan’s 70th ranked Riichi Takeshita in the third round.
Top-seed PVSindhu gave the Indian women’s camp something to cheer about beating Singapore’s 48th ranked Chen Jiayuan 21-13, 19-21, 21-13 to advance to the second round.
She next plays Hong Kong’s 102nd ranked Ngan Yi Cheung in the second round.
