Badminton
Kiran George clinches BNI Indonesia Masters title with a straight-game win
World no. 50 Kiran beat Japan's Koo Takahashi 21-19, 22-20 to win his second BWF Super 100 title. Kiran won his maiden Super 100 title at the Odisha Open in 2022.
Shuttler Kiran George poses for a photo with the winner's medal after winning the BWF Super 100 title at BNI Indonesia Masters.
Kiran George won the BNI Indonesia Masters Super 100 men's singles title on Sunday in Indonesia.
The world no. 50 Indian shuttler beat Japan's Koo Takahashi 21-19, 22-20 in 56 minutes in the final to win his second BWF Super 100 title. Kiran won the Odisha Open in 2022 for his maiden Super 100 title.
Kiran, who has developed himself as a giant killer on the BWF World Tour, defeated Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia in the semifinals in a three-setter.
Throughout the tournament, the 23-year-old Indian shuttler has displayed his sublime technique and good fitness level.
In the final, Kiran and Takahashi, ranked 82nd in the world, played a close match. In the first game, Kiran, who deployed a fast game with quick feet movement, got the better of the Japanese with solid net dribble and a criss-crossing game to take the lead.
In the second game, Takahashi started with a 2-0 lead but the Indian was quick to gain the lead at 4-3 before breaking away to an 11-9 lead at the interval. Takahashi made a quick recovery but trailed against the nibble-footed Indian.
The Japanse would level the game at 18-18, but Kiran soon broke to a 20-18 lead. Takahashi managed to draw level the game again at 20-20, but Kiran held his nerves and wrapped up the match with two crosscourt smashes.
Earlier this year, Kiran, who trains at Prakash Padukone Academy in Bengaluru, defeated Chinese star Shi Yuqi and Weng Hong Yang at the Thailand Open.
