PV Sindhu cruises past Hooda to reach Syed Modi final, Lakshya Sen too makes title clash
Lucknow, Nov 30: Top Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen cruised to the women's and men's singles finals with dominating victories at the Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament here Saturday.
Top seed Sindhu outclassed the 17-year-old compatriot Unnati Hooda 21-12 21-9 in just 36 minutes in the semifinal, while Lakshya outclassed Japan's Shogo Ogawa 21-8 21-14 in 42 minutes.
Hooda struggled to challenge Sindhu, committing a series of unforced errors that allowed her illustrious opponent to maintain control throughout the match.
"I am happy with today's performance. From the beginning, I maintained the lead. I was just trying out a few strokes and overall, I was confident with the way I was playing," Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, said after the match.
"Unnati played her best, but I didn't give her a chance to overtake me. She is an upcoming player, and I wish her all the very best."
A former world champion, Sindhu, currently ranked 18th, will face China's Wu Luo Yu in the final as she chases her third Syed Modi International title.
"I need to go back and prepare for tomorrow because it's not going to be easy. From the beginning, I need to give my best," said Sindhu
Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya, on the other hand, will face Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh in the summit clash.
India's mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila advanced to the final with a convincing straight-game victory over China's Zhi Hong Zhou and Jia Yi Yang.
The fifth-seeded Indians secured a 21-16, 21-15 win in the 42-minute semifinal. They will meet Thailand's sixth-seeded pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran.
Indian men's doubles pair of Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K entered final with a 21-17 17-21 21-16 win over fellow Indians Ishaan Bhatnagar and Sankar Prasad Udayakumar.
Indian women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand beat Thailand's Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard 18-21 21-18 21-10 to advance to the finals.
But top seeds Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa missed out of a summit clash after going down 21-15 16-21 13-21 to China's Bao Li Jing and Li Qian in another semifinals.
In men's singles, second seed Priyanshu Rajawat went down 13-21 19-21 to Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh in 48 minutes to end his campaign at the semifinal stage.
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Minister Patil inaugurates Amazon’s Corporate Office in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil on Monday inaugurated Amazon’s newly constructed, fully equipped 11 lakh sq ft corporate office near Yelahanka here.
Built on a five-acre site approximately 15 kilometres from Kempegowda International Airport, Amazon said this is its second largest office in Asia.
The 12-storey campus will support over 7,000 employees across ecommerce, operations, payments, technology, and seller services in India, Amazon said in a statement.
Patil said this is Amazon’s 10th corporate office in the state. The company, which has shared a two-decade association with Karnataka, plans to invest USD 35 billion in India over the next four years.
"This investment is expected to support 15 million small businesses and generate lakhs of employment opportunities. Karnataka will receive a significant share of this investment," the minister said after inaugurating the new office.
The minister pointed out that Karnataka has an annual per capita income of over Rs 3.80 lakh, ranking highest in the country.
According to him, the state also stands second in annual GST contributions to the national exchequer, contributing Rs 1.6 lakh crore. Bengaluru has climbed to the 21st position globally in the Global Innovation Index and is the only Indian city to feature among the top 30 in the Tech-Cities Index.
Last year, the city recorded 14.6 million square feet of industrial leasing, the highest in the country, he said.
Of the 900 Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India, nearly 35 per cent are located in Karnataka, he added.
In a statement issued by the minister's office, Patil said the state also leads in infrastructure required for e-commerce operations, with warehousing capacity of 42.48 lakh tonne and 233 cold storage units. Correspondingly, e-commerce transactions in the state are growing at 11 per cent annually.
To further promote industrial growth, projects such as dedicated freight rail corridors, multimodal logistics parks, dry ports and truck terminals have been planned. Patil urged Amazon and other global companies to leverage Karnataka’s industry-friendly ecosystem by enhancing their investments in the state, manufacturing here and exporting to global markets.
According to Samir Kumar, Country Manager, Amazon India, "India continues to be a long-term priority for Amazon, and Bengaluru has played a central role in our journey here. Over the years, the city has been home to some of our earliest technology and business teams, and today it remains a key hub for innovation and talent."
