In the Macau Open Super 300 badminton tournament, India`s Tharun Mannepalli has sealed the semi-final berth of the men`s singles category.
He battled out a difficult game against China`s Hu Zhe, which lasted for 75 minutes. The 47th-ranked Indian athlete registered a win by 21-12 13-21 21-18 over his Chinese opponent.
The victory also helped him mark his first semi-final appearance at the BWF Super 300 event. Earlier, he registered a win over Hong Kong`s Lee Cheuk Yiu to enter the quarter-final of the ongoing event. Mannepalli defeated Yiu by 15, 19-21, 21-14, 22-20 in a clash that lasted for over an hour.
Previously, the 23-year-old had entered the quarter-final at the German Open.
Four years ago, Mannepalli joined the Pullela Gopichand academy, and since then, he has worked on his fitness, agility, and movement. He also clinched gold at the 37th National Games.
Coming to the match against Hu Zhe, Mannepalli was trailing by 4-7 in the first game, before cruising to 12-9. He then took control and scored six straight points from 15-11 to seal the game.
After the change of ends, Hu played with greater intent, leading 6-2 and extending the lead to 15-6. Mannepalli couldn`t close the gap as the Chinese player dominated the second game.
In the decider, Mannepalli surged to a 5-0 lead and maintained a healthy advantage up to 19-15. The finish got tense as he squandered three points, with Hu sending two returns on his forehand corner.
However, Mannepalli stayed composed and landed a timely body smash to earn two match points. He then secured the win with a precise push to Hu`s backhand corner, raising his arms in celebration.
He started pursuing the sport at an early age. He started playing badminton at the age of eight in Telangana, before shifting to Hyderabad after his class X.
(With PTI Inputs)
