A file image of Kiran George
| Photo Credit: K. Ragesh
India’s Kiran George’s impressive run at the Korea Masters badminton came to an end with a semifinal loss to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the men’s singles on Saturday (November 9, 2024).
The 24-year-old, ranked 41st in the world, went down 12-21, 20-22 to the top seed and world No. 5 Vitidsarn in BWF World Tour Super 300 event.
Kiran, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA), had earlier registered a fine win over fifth seed Takuma Obayashi of Japan in the quarterfinals. The semifinal loss brought an end to India’s campaign. Kiran kept it tight in the opening game, staying level at 5-5 before Kunlavut pulled ahead to 11-6 at the break. The Thai shuttler extended his lead further, moving to 17-8 after the interval, and quickly sealed first game.
In the second game, Kunlavut surged to a 13-4 lead, but Kiran mounted a sensational fightback, levelling the score at 20-20. However, Kunlavut held his nerve to win the final two points and close out the match.
Published – November 10, 2024 06:23 am IST
