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2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt brought his fighting skills to the fore to upset the fourth seed Sahil Sipani on his way to the quarter-finals of the Yonex Welsh International 2017 in Cardiff, Wales on Friday. The 27-year-old needed 57 minutes to pull off the 21-17, 17-21, 21-19 win over his compatriot.
He next faces the 333rd ranked Ben Torrance of Scotland for a place in the semi-finals.
The currently 277th ranked Gurusaidutt is a qualifier at this tournament. The former World No. 19 is working his way back to the top echelons of the sport after losing nearly a year due to an ankle injury and a subsequent surgery.
Since playing at the US Open in July, 2016, he returned to the Thailand Open in May this year where he lost his first match. It didn’t prove to be a good decision as Gurusaidutt had to stay out of competitive play for another five months before he could participate at the Bulgarian International in October.
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He won that tournament that sent his ranking soaring up the charts. At last month’s Scottish Open Grand Prix, he bowed out in the quarter-finals.
Also read: BWF Rankings: Big jump for RMV Gurusaidutt after Bulgarian International title
Rajarajan and Lad progress
Men’s singles third seed Karan Rajan Rajarajan also made it through to the last-eight with a tough 21-13, 16-21, 21-17 win over the 18-year-old Valentin Singer of France. Up next for him is the seventh seed Nhat Nguyen of Ireland.
The 21-year-old Rajarajan is placed at a career-high ranking of 124th currently and won the Guatemala Future Series title in July.
In women’s singles, the top seeded Tanvi Lad had no hiccups on her way to the quarter-finals. The World No. 91 began her campaign with a commanding 21-9, 21-9 win over Marlene Waland of Norway. In the next round, she staved off a tough challenge in the first game and then raced away to a 21-17, 21-10 win over Monika Radovska of Latvia for a berth in the quarter-finals.
She next takes on the eighth seeded Manon Krieger of France. Lad came to this tournament following a quarter-final finish at the Scottish Open last month.
