Swiss Open 2018: Sameer Verma, RMV Gurusaidutt win; Arjun MR-Shlok Ramchandran upset fourth seeds

2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt won an all-Indian second round match to join the second seeded Sameer Verma in the quarter-finals at the Swiss Open 2018 in Basel, Switzerland on Thursday. The 233rd ranked Gurusaidutt needed 40 minutes to prevail over the World No. 64 Sourabh Verma 21-18, 21-14 en route to the last-eight stage.

The 27-year-old, who is a qualifier at this tournament, next takes on the 49th ranked Kantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand for a place in the semi-finals.

After a one-year hiatus due to an ankle injury that subsequently required surgery, Gurusaidutt returned last year and triumphed at the Bulgarian International as a qualifier, being ranked outside the top 900. He also reached the final of the Welsh International towards the end of the year.

The performances hauled him up by over 700 spots and found him a place within the top 250.

At the currently ongoing Swiss Open, Gurusaidutt put up a stellar display in the first round to upset the third seeded Ygor Coelho in straight games.

Sameer Verma labours to a win

Syed Modi International champion Sameer Verma also made it to the quarter-finals, but in contrasting style. The World No. 46 came back from a game down to get the better of Japan’s Yu Igarashi 11-21, 21-18, 21-16.

He has a tough challenge up next as he meets the former World No. 2 Kento Momota, who is yet to drop a game this week.

19-year-old Sai Uttejitha Rao Chukka could not produce much resistance against the second seeded Minatsu Mitani in women's singles and went down 8-21, 13-21 in just 24 minutes.

In men’s doubles, Indian shuttlers had mixed fortunes. The World No. 51 combine of Arjun MR and Shlok Ramchandran was brilliant against the fourth seeds Jones Ralfy Jansen and Josche Zurwonne. The Indians carved out a 21-13, 21-17 win over the Germans in 36 minutes.

Iran International winners Francis Alwin and Kidambi Nandagopal did not have the same good fortunes and lost 14-21, 13-21 to the top seeded Danish team of Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen.