India is in in men’s singles, numbers 1 and 2 are out

The men's competition in Basel is particularly evenly matched this year. This led to the favourites dying on the third day of the tournament.

Lee Zii Ja was warned. The world number ten from Malaysia and number 1 in the Yonex Swiss Open tableau didn't meet just any player in the round of 16, but Srikanth Kidambi. Although the Indian is currently only ranked 27th in the world, he was the first man from India to win a World Championship medal (silver) in 2021 and has also been ranked No. 1 in the world.

He proved that he feels very comfortable in the St. Jakobshalle when he won the title in 2015, beating a certain Viktor Axelsen in the final. And now he showed that he is definitely still a force to be reckoned with - he defeated Lee Zii 21-16, 21-15.

While it was a bad day for India in the women's singles with PV Sindhu out, the balance in the men's singles was positive. Priyanshu Rajawat and Kiran George also reached the last eight, the latter defeating Alex Lanier in a three-set thriller. Lakshya Sen, the tournament number 7, was another man from the billion-strong country to be eliminated.

Kenta Nishimoto is the third seed to fail on Thursday. The second seed from Japan, the world number 12, lost to Denmark's Rasmus Gemke. The highly intense match, in which the shuttles were severely strained, lasted 95 minutes. Denmark has a second quarter-finalist in Magnus Johannesen.

The Friday schedule is complemented by three players from Taiwan: Chia Hao Lee, Lin Chun-Yi and last year's finalist Chou Tien Chen. Another badminton festival in the battle for a place in the semi-finals is therefore guaranteed. (mke)