Speed Post News Network
Patna : World No 44 Sourabh Verma, 26, India, a former national champion, beat World No 84 Iskandar Zulkarnain, 28, Malaysia, to reach the final of IDBI Federal Life Insurance Hyderabad Open, a BWF Tour Super 100 tournament, on August 10, 2019. The winner of the tournament will get 5,500 points while the runner-up will get 4,680 points.
Sourabh beat Zulkarnain in straight games 23-21, 21-16 in 48 minutes in the semi-finals at G M C Balayogi Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, to enter the final. Sourabh won 44 rallies in the match to 37 by the Malaysian. Both the players won 5 games each in a row in the match. It was the first meeting between the two players.
Sourabh will face World No 41 Loah Kean Yew, 22, Singapore, in the final on August 11, 2019. Yew beat World No 50 Heo Kwang Hee, South Korea, 16-21, 21-10, 25-23 in 47 minutes in the semi-finals on August 10. Hee had stunned top seed and World No 13 Sameer Verma, India, in the 2nd round. Sameer is younger brother of Sourabh.
In the women’s doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa & Reddy N Sikki, India, reached final defeating Fan Ka Yan & Wu Yi Ting, Hong Kong, 21-12, 21-12 in 28 minutes in the semi-finals on August 10. Ponnappa & Sikki will face Baek Ha Na & Jung Kyung Eun, South Korea, in the final on August 11.