Al Ain (UAE), Oct 4 (IANS) India’s former World No.1 Kidambi Srikanth was stunned by Malaysia youngster Aidil Sholeh in the semifinals in the Al Ain Masters 2025, the BWF Super 100 tournament, which will see rising stars Tasnim Mir and Shriyanshi Valishetty facing off in an All-Indian women’s singles final on Sunday.
Things started on a poor note for Indian on Saturday as Sholeh recorded the biggest win of his career, stunning Srikanth in the men’s singles semifinals. For Sholeh, now competing as an independent player, this will be his second career Super 100 final after a silver medal at the Indonesia Masters last year.
“The second game was tough as my opponent (Kidambi) changed his game plan. There was some drift as well, but I’m happy I managed to stay composed,” said Sholeh after the victory.
In the other semifinal, Finland’s world No. 54 Joakim Oldorff delivered a commanding performance to defeat Vietnam’s Hai Dang Nguyen 21-17, 21-17. The Finnish shuttler, a European Championships bronze medallist, now advances to his first-ever Super 100 final. “This is my biggest breakthrough at the senior level, and I’m really excited for the final,” Oldorff said.
India’s rising stars Tasnim Mir and Shriyanshi Valishetty booked their places in their maiden Super 100 final and will now meet in an all-Indian women’s singles showdown on Sunday. The 20-year-old Mir, from Gujarat, battled back from a game down to defeat Turkey’s Neslihan Arin 9-21, 21-17, 21-10.
“I’m very happy to reach the final. This is a step forward toward competing at higher-level tournaments like the Super 300 and Super 500, and improving my ranking,” said Mir, the former world junior no. 1.
Valishetty was more clinical, brushing aside Indonesia’s Chiara Marvella Handoyo 21-11, 21-12 in straight games to book her spot.
Taipei teenagers stun Olympians
In women’s doubles, Chinese Taipei’s teenage duo Liang Ching Sun and Yan Fei Chen produced one of the biggest upsets of the tournament by defeating Australian Olympians and Oceania champions Gronya Somerville and Angela Yu 21-11, 21-17 in just 27 minutes.
The 17-year-olds, who are also Asian Junior U-17 champions, are through to their first Super 100 final, where they will face Bulgarian top seeds and multiple European champions Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva. “We aim for the top 30 by the end of the year, but first we want to be champions here,” said world No. 50 Liang Ching.
With around 300 shuttlers from 38 nations competing, the Al Ain Masters 2025 — the only BWF event in the Middle East—now heads to its much-anticipated finals on Sunday, promising a showcase of intensity and rising talent.
–IANS
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