Sai Praneeth becomes first Indian male shuttler to win World Championships medal in 36 years
Basel (Switzerland), Aug 23: B Sai Praneeth became the first Indian male shuttler in 36 years to secure a medal in the BWF World Championships after a straight-game victory over Indonesia's Jonatan Christie propelled him into the semifinals here on Friday.
World No. 19 Praneeth, who got the Arjuna Award this year, notched up a 24-22 21-14 win over Asian Games gold medallist and World No. 4 Jonatan in the quarterfinals.
Prakash Padukone was the first Indian to win a men's singles World Championships medal -- a bronze in the 1983 edition.
Praneeth, who had won the Singapore Open in 2017 and finished runners-up at Swiss Open earlier this year, came into the tournament with a 1-2 head-to-head count against the Indonesian.
In the opening game, the Indian jumped to a 8-4 lead, but Jonatan stepped up to claw back at 10-10 before Praneeth managed a slender 11-10 advantage at the break with the help of a delicate shot at the net.
The duo continued their battle after the breather as Jonatan kept breathing down the Indian's neck.
Praneeth eventually grabbed a game point at 20-19 with a cross court smash at the back, but Jonatan turned the tables and enjoyed a game point himself.
However, Praneeth ensured he had the last laugh. The Indian unleashed a powerful smash which the Indonesian hit wide and then his rival's weak return got buried at the net.
Praneeth missed the shuttle at the backline to concede a point but he grabbed the required two points the last one with a cross court smash to pocket the opening game.
The second game turned out to be a one-way traffic as Praneeth came out with all cylinders blazing to, first surge to a 7-1 lead, and then a massive 11-3 advantage at the break.
Jonatan tried to recover and narrowed the gap to 12-15 but the Indian stepped up to grab six match points, punishing a weak return and then shutting the door on Jonatan, who went wide.
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West Asia crisis: Rajasthan man goes missing near Oman after Iranian missile hits oil tanker
Jaipur (PTI): A man from Nagaur district in Rajasthan has gone missing after a missile struck an oil tanker he was aboard near Oman amid the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, according to his family members.
The family said they received information that an Iranian missile hit the vessel on the morning of March 1 while it was stationed at Khasab Port, causing significant damage to the ship.
Dalip Singh, the missing crew member, is a resident of Khinwatana village in Nagaur and began his duty on January 22.
He was serving as a crew member on the tanker operated by Skylight Company. At the time of the attack, Dalip was in the forward section of the ship with another crew member, Ashish Kumar, who hailed from Bihar. While Kumar's body has been recovered, Dalip remains untraceable, his brother Devendra Singh said.
Devendra further mentioned that the company informed them that most of the crew members were evacuated safely during the attack. However, Ashish and two others, including Dalip, have gone missing.
He noted that Dalip last spoke to the family on February 28.
Additionally, another man from Nagaur district, Sunil Kumar, was also working on the same vessel. Dalip is said to have taken over duty in the shift after Sunil completed his assignment, Devendra added.
