Sameer Verma, Kiran George, Ashmita Chaliha progress to main draw of Thailand Open

Indian shuttlers Sameer Verma, Kiran George, and Ashmita Chaliha showcased impressive performances in the qualifying round of the Thailand Open Super 500 badminton tournament in Bangkok as they secured straight-game victories over their respective opponents to advance to the main draw of the singles event.

Former world number 11 Sameer Verma, who recently won the Slovenia Open, continued his comeback journey with a comfortable 21-12, 21-17 win against Malaysia's Yeoh Seng Zoe.

Sameer received walkovers in the previous rounds against Indonesia's Christian Adinata and Spain's Luis Enrique Penalver. He will now face Denmark's Magnus Johannesen in the opening round of the main draw.

Kiran George, the 2022 Odisha Open winner, displayed excellent form as he defeated fellow Indian Kartikey Gulshan Kumar 21-14, 21-18, followed by a convincing 21-10, 21-14 victory over Korea's Jeon Hyeok Jin. In the main draw, Kiran will face third seed Chinese player Shi Yuqi.

In the women's singles category, Ashmita Chaliha, who secured a spot in the individual events of the upcoming Asian Games, overcame Unnati Hooda 21-16, 13-21, 21-19 in a hard-fought match.

She then defeated Estonian player Kristin Kuuba 21-19, 21-11. Ashmita will now face compatriot Malvika Bansod, who was promoted to the main draw.

Among others, Tokyo Olympian B Sai Praneeth and national champion Mithun Manjunath were promoted to the main draw and will meet France's Christo Popov and Thailand's second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn respectively.