Rising Indian midfielder Priyanshu Rajawat caused a major upset at the ongoing 2023 Orleans Masters on Thursday, April 6, by knocking out top seed and World No.12 Kenta Nishimoto 21-8, 21-16 to reach the quarters. of end.
The fact that the Japanese came into this tournament after winning the Spanish Masters title in Madrid last week makes Rajawat’s feat all the more commendable.
As many as 46 sports rankings separated the two, but that couldn’t deter the 21-year-old Indian. Rajawat opened up a huge 10-0 lead and held on to easily pocket the opening game.
In the second game, Nishimoto inched up to 6-2, but was unable to stop Rajawat. He soon fought his way back to even at 10-10 before going on a six-point burst to lead 16-10. Although the top seed got into a brief fight, he was unable to stop Rajawat’s progress.
The young Indian, a native of Madhya Pradesh, now faces world No. 61 Chi Yu Jen for a spot in the semifinals of the Super 300 Orleans Masters.
Priyanshu Rajawat was part of India’s Thomas Cup winning team in 2022. He has so far reached a solo final on the BWF World Tour, which was at the Odisha Open last year. He finished second to countryman Kiran George in three games in a grueling encounter.
Apart from this, Rajawat has four titles at the BWF International Challenge/Series level.
MR Arjun/Dhruv Kapila also reach the quarterfinals at the Orleans Masters
Priyanshu Rajawat was later joined in the quarterfinals by his compatriots MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila, who reached the men’s doubles quarterfinals. The seventh seeds controlled their nerves to pull off a tough 21-15, 17-21, 21-16 victory over the Japanese combination of Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura.
The Indian pair face second seeds Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in their quest for a place in the Orleans Masters semifinals.