Nagpur: In the absence of big names, 23-year-old Malvika Bansod of Nagpur has been leading India’s challenge in the prestigious China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament in Changzhou. Malvika reached the quarter-final round of the women’s singles event after beating Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour in a hard-fought second-round outing on Thursday, September 19.
Malvika, who had recently won a bronze medal in the US Open, shocked Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia pulling off a sensational straight-game victory in the women’s singles opening round to emerge as the lone Indian survivor in the China Open Super 100 badminton tournament on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Malvika was made to work harder by Kirsty Gilmour, a two-time Commonwealth Games medallist. The young Indian needed an hour and five minutes to clinch a 21-17, 19-21, 21-16 over the Scotland shuttler and book her place in her first-ever Super 1000 tournament quarter-finals.
Malvika expressed delight at her performances in China, saying it’s the biggest achievement of her life so far. The Indian shuttle has shown flashes of brilliance this year, reaching the semi-final of the US Open Super 300 in June. However, after first-round exits in the Korea Open and Japan Open last month, Malvika’s run in Changzhou has come as a big surprise.
“This is the first time I will play a quarterfinal of a Super 1000 tournament so it is a dream come true and the biggest achievement of my life so far. I dreamt about this before the tournament, how would it be if I reached the quarters and now I’m top 8, so it’s a great feeling,” Malvika said, as quoted by a news agency.
Malvika will face the toughest test of her career when she faces fourth seed Akane Yamaguchi in the quarter-final. The Japanese shuttler, a two-time world champion, is one of the favourites to win the title in the tournament. Malavika has not managed to take a game against Yamaguchi so far, but with renewed confidence, the Indian will be looking for a better show on Friday in the quarter-final match.
She was the sole Indian bright spot in the women’s singles as compatriots Aakarshi Kashyap and Samiya Imad Farooqui exited in the first round. Aakarshi lost to Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-Chian 15-21 19-21, while Samiya was outplayed by Gilmour 9-21 7-21 in one-sided contest. A left-handed shuttler, Malvika, from Nagpur, transitioned to the senior international circuit in 2019, winning the Maldives International title and finishing runner-up at the 2022 Syed Modi International.
