Hylo Open: Malvika Bansod advances to her second BWF Super 300 final, Ayush exits

Malvika Bansod continued her impressive run and secured a spot in the final of the Hylo Open Super 300 Tournament with a straight-game win against her Danish opponent in Saarbrücken, Germany, on Saturday.

She achieved a hard-fought straight-game victory (23-21, 21-18) over Julie Dawall Jakobsen of Denmark in the semifinal, marking her second appearance in the final of a BWF World Tour event since the 2022 Syed Modi International.

Malvika had a shaky start, losing some easy points due to unforced errors and falling behind with a large deficit at the first mid-game interval.

However, she bounced back strongly, taking the lead in the latter part of the game.

Julie challenged her till the end and forced a deuce in the first game, but Malvika ultimately won it 23-21, capitalizing on a few unforced errors by the Danish player at game point.

In the second game, Malvika had a more commanding start, as Julie struggled to anticipate her deceptive drop shots and trailed 4-11 at the mid-game interval.

Just as it seemed like a one-sided game, Julie fought back with an impressive comeback, leveling the score at 18-18.

Malvika, however, kept her composure and clinched the final three points to seal the match.

Malvika will now face experienced Danish player Mia Blitchfield in the final tomorrow, aiming for her first-ever title at a BWF World Tour event.

On the other hand, Ayush Shetty suffered a straight-game loss (17-21, 13-21) to the higher-ranked, second-seeded Christo Popov of France, ending his tournament in the semifinal stage.