New Delhi, July 17 (IANS) Pranav Chopra and Prajakta Sawant kept Indian hopes alive in the Asian Junior Badminton Championships when they entered the mixed doubles semi-final here Friday.
Chopra and Sawant beat Malaysia’s Tan Wee Tat and Ng Hui Ern 21-17, 21-12 on a day when other Indians lost in their respective categories. Chopra and Sawant next play the Chinese pair of Lu Kai and Bao Yi Xin, who got a walkover in their quarter-final match.

In the men’s singles, B. Sumeeth Reddy lost to seventh seeded Thai Pisit Poodchalat 22-20, 12-21, 16-21 while H.S. Prannoy lost 18-21, 14-21 to third-seeded Zulfadli Zulkifli of Malaysia in the pre-quarter-finals.

It was the same story for the Indians in the women’s pre-quarter-final singles where Rane Saili lost 15-21, 17-21 to Indonesia’s Lestari Qoryatilsiti Anida and N. Sikki Reddy went down 15-21, 16-21 to Indonesia’s Rovita Ana.

In the men’s doubles, second-seeded pair of Chopra and B. Sai Praneet were thrashed 17-21, 8-21 to Indonesia’s Pratama Angga and Sugiarto Yohanes Rendy in the quarter-finals.

In the women’s doubles, second seeded Reddy and P.C. Thulasi gave a tough fight but went down 19-21, 21-15, 16-21 to Hong Kong’s Poon Lok Yan and Tse Ying Suet in the pre-quarter-final.