Badminton: Sankar Muthusamy overwhelms Thai opponent to reach world junior final

Harpal Singh Bedi

Sankar Muthusamy poses after he defeated his Thai opponent Panitchapon Teeraratsakul 21-13, 21-15 to reach world Junior Championships Final at Santander, Spain on Saturday.

New Delhi: Sankar Muthusamy overwhelmed Thailand’s Panitchapon Teeraratsakul in straight games to become the second Indian to reach the final of Boys Singles event of the BWF World Junior Championships final at Santandar, Spain, on Saturday.

The former junior world No. 1 was in absolute control throughout the 40-minute clash, winning 21-13, 21-15. Sankar, who had won a marathon quarterfinal against China Hu Zhe An showed no signs of any fatigue as he controlled the rallies brilliantly against his giant killing Thai opponent.

He will now aim to become only the second Indian after 2008 winner Saina Nehwal to be crowned world junior champion. In the summit clash, he will face the winner of the other semifinal between Kuo Kuan Lin of Chinese Taipei and South Korea’s Byung Jae Kim.

Siril Verma came close to claiming that title in 2015 but lost the final against Chinese Taipei’s Chia Hung Lu.

Aparna Popat (1996) and Saina Nehwal (2006, 2008) were the other Indians to reach the world junior finals in the past.

HSB