Orleans Masters 2023: Priyanshu Rajawat upsets World No. 12 Kenta Nishimoto to reach quarterfinals

Priyanshu Rajawat in action at an earlier tournament (Image courtesy: BAI Media)

Rising Indian shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat caused a major upset at the ongoing Orleans Masters 2023 on Thursday, April 6, by knocking out the top seed and World No. 12 Kenta Nishimoto 21-8, 21-16 to reach the quarter-finals.

The fact that the Japanese came into this tournament on the back of a title win at last week's Madrid Spain Masters makes Rajawat's feat all the more commendable.

As many as 46 rankings sports separated the two, but that couldn't deter the 21-year-old Indian. Rajawat opened up a huge 10-0 lead and maintained it to pocket the opening game easily.

In the second game, Nishimoto inched ahead to 6-2 but couldn't hold off the surging Rajawat. He soon clawed his way back to even matters at 10-10 before going on a six-point burst to lead 16-10. Although the top seed staged a brief fightback, he failed to apply the brakes on Rajawat's progress.

The young Indian, hailing from Madhya Pradesh, next faces World No. 61 Chi Yu Jen for a place in the semi-finals of the Super 300 Orleans Masters.

Priyanshu Rajawat was a part of India's Thomas Cup-winning team in 2022. He has so far reached a solitary final on the BWF World Tour, which was at the Odisha Open last year. He finished runner-up to compatriot Kiran George in three games in a grueling encounter.

Other than this, Rajawat has four titles at the BWF International Challenge/Series level.

MR Arjun/Dhruv Kapila also reach the last eight at Orleans Masters

Priyanshu Rajawat was later joined in the quarter-finals by countrymen MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila, who made the men's doubles last eight. The seventh seeds held their nerves to eke out a gritty 21-15, 17-21, 21-16 win over the Japanese combine of Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura.

The Indian pair take on second seeds Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in their quest for a spot in the semi-finals of the Orleans Masters.

About the author

Sudeshna is a veteran Indian Sports and International Tennis journalist as well as editor at Sportskeeda. She has an overall experience of over 10 years with top publications like The Bridge, Fox Sports Asia, and gained a keen interest in Indian sports since the 2002 Commonwealth and Asian Games when she was in school.

Sudeshna holds a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She attends tournaments regularly and being a highly experienced journalist, she ensures she only contacts the correct people from her network for the most authentic information to be put in her articles.

Sudeshna’s favorite Indian athlete is PV Sindhu owing to her big-tournament performances. She also admires Tennis legend Rafael Nadal for his resilience and has witnessed the Spaniard in action at the French Open, due to which, Roland Garros is her all-time favorite Grand Slam tournament.

Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics made a lasting impact on Sudeshna. She has also interviewed him along with Badminton star Chirag Shetty and several other sports personalities. She has done on-ground reporting on multiple ITF tournaments along with the Premier Badminton League, Asian Boxing Championships and the Davis Cup.

When not using her skills and years of experience in crafting compelling content, Sudeshna likes to read, watch movies and travel.

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Edited by Ankush Das