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DUBAI: Emirati badminton player Bharath Latheesh and doubles pair Dev Ayyappan and Dhiren Ayyappan won their respective qualifying matches as the KhiladiX.com Dubai 2023 Badminton Asian Championships kicked off at the Al Nasr Club on Tuesday.
Latheesh, fresh off three junior international titles in Spain, Uganda and Cyprus, continued his winning streak with victories in two qualifiers – against Iraq’s Yousif Alhumairi and Iran’s Salar Bayat in C Team leader and advanced to the men’s singles main draw.
“I am very happy to be participating in this prestigious competition. It is an important event in my career; I hope to do my best and learn from the top players here. The recent championship victory has given me a lot of confidence, and tomorrow I will Will go out with that confidence,” said the aggressive Latheesh, who faces fourth seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the men’s singles round of 32.
Latheesh also added that he’s put in a lot of work on his batting and fitness over the past few months and it’s paying off. As a fan of Li Zongwei, the 15-year-old Li Zongwei next year aims to achieve good results in the World Junior Championships.
The UAE’s athletes have gained a wealth of experience on the big stage, which will help them realize their Olympic dreams.
Credit: James Varghese/Badminton Photo
twin brothers go forward
The Ayyappan twins had advanced to the Men’s Doubles main draw before Latheesh’s stunning smash and deft toss display.
“This is a very important event in our careers and we are so excited to watch and play our idols here. We even got goosebumps when we got to know our opponents in the round of 32,” said New Vision Badminton Academy of the students said they dream of representing the UAE in the Olympics one day.
The 17-year-old has recently won doubles titles at the Cyprus International Championships and the India U-19 National Championships.
olympic dream
The Ayyappan brothers bounced back from a 16-21, 21-15, 21-19 qualifying win over Bangladesh’s Mohammad Abdul Hamid Lukman and Gourab Singha, who will face third-seeded Indonesian duo Mohammad Ahsan and Gourab Singha. Hendra Setiawan plays Wednesday.
Noura Aljasmi, President of the UAE Badminton Association, was delighted with the performance of the teenagers and hoped that this experience would give wings to their Olympic dreams.
Among other Emirati badminton players, mixed doubles duo Dev Vishnu and Taabia Khan impressed against India’s Rohan Kapoor and Sikki Reddy, but ultimately it wasn’t enough.
Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar qualified and will face defending champion Wang Zhiyi (6th seed) of China in the women’s singles round of 32.
Credit: James Varghese/Badminton Photo
the real battle begins
On Wednesday, the real battle for the crown will begin, with all the top players in action. The defending men’s singles champion and third-ranked Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia will face Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long in the women’s singles round of 32, while the No. 6 seed China’s Wang Zhiyi will face the qualifier Thet Htar Thuzar of Myanmar.
Other top players in the tournament on Wednesday include top seed and last year’s defeated finalist, top seed Jonathan Christie and men’s singles second seed Anthony Ginting from Indonesia, Japan’s world number one Akane Yamaguchi, top seed and last year’s loser Finalists and South Korea’s Ahn Se Young (Second Seed), etc.
The KhiladiX.com Dubai 2023 Badminton Asia Championships will run until April 30, featuring about 300 badminton players from 28 countries, with Sobha Realty as the Platinum Sponsor.
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