Top five Indian performers at Indonesia Masters 2021

These shuttlers put up memorable displays at the tournament.

The curtains closed successfully for the Indonesia Masters 2021, which took place between 19-21 November in Bali. Notably, this was an important tournament for the Indian shuttlers following its upgrade to a Super 750 tournament. A couple of Indian badminton players took part in the event but none of them were able to clinch a podium finish.

The best Indian performance came from Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu as they reached the semi-finals of the tournament. However, both of them were unable to convert it to a title victory.

Let's take a look at the top five best Indian performers at the 2021 Indonesia Masters. 

5. Lakshya Sen  

World No. 19 Lakshya Sen stunned the world No. 10 Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan in the very first round of the tournament. Tsuneyama had won the French Open recently but could not beat the Indian shuttler. The 20-year-old won the match by 21-17, 18-21, 21-17 to cruise into the pre-quarters. 

However, a tougher challenge stood right in front of Sen in the form of Kento Momoto of Japan. Facing the world No. 1, Sen fought valiantly but could not get over the line as he went down 13-21, 19-21 in the pre-quarterfinals of the Indonesia Masters.  

4. Dhruv Kapila and Sikki Reddy 

The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and N. Sikki Reddy began the Indonesia Masters on a bright note. They defeated second-seeded Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti of Indonesia 21-11, 22-20 in the first round to move into the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament. It was an extraordinary win as they defeated world No. 9 pair in straight games. 

In the pre-quarters, they fought hard but fell short against Supak Jomkoh and Supissara Paewsampran of Thailand. The Indian pair went down15-21, 23-21, 18-21 in an evenly matched encounter to end their journey in the tournament.

3. HS Prannoy 

World No. 32 HS Prannoy began his Indonesia Masters campaign with a victory in the first round. He got the better of Liew Daren of Malaysia 22-20, 21-19 in straight games and advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament. 

The 2014 Indonesia Masters champion shook everyone in the next match, which was against Tokyo Olympics champion Victor Axelson. Known for his backhand and smashes, he put on a gutsy performance to sink world No. 2 Axelson 14-21, 21-19, 21-16 in the pre-quarters and sailed into the quarterfinals of the tournament. 

The last eight was an all-Indian affair. Facing compatriot Kidambi Srikanth, Prannoy could not outperform the former world No. 1 and went down in straight games 7-21, 18-21 to end his campaign. 

2. Kidambi Srikanth

Srikanth was the only other Indian after PV Sindhu to reach the semifinals of the tournament. In the first round, he beat Cristo Popov of France 21-18, 15-21, 21-16 in a hard-fought three-game encounter to reach the pre-quarters. 

Up against world No. 8 Jonatan Christie in the last 16, Srikanth played brilliantly to turn the tables to his favour. After being down in the first game by 13-21, the Indian shuttler made a solid comeback to win the next two games by 21-18, 21-15 and secured the quarterfinal spot at the Indonesia Masters. 

In an all-Indian quarterfinal battle, Kidambi Srikanth reigned supreme as he defeated HS Prannoy in straight games 21-7, 21-18 in 39 minutes. He booked his place in the semifinal of the tournament comfortably. However, in the semis, the Indian shuttler went down 14-21, 9-21, against world No. 3, Anders Antonsen of Denmark. It marked the end of Indonesia Masters' journey for the Indian shuttlers. 

1. PV Sindhu

Double Olympic medalist and third-seeded shuttler PV Sindhu was the only women's performer from India to reach the semi-finals of the Indonesia Masters. With an easy draw in hand, a podium finish was expected from the star. 

The reigning World Champion began the tournament with a straight-game victory 21-15, 21-19 over Supanida Katethong of Thailand in a 43-minute encounter to cruise into the pre-quarters. Later, the world No. 7 defeated Spain's Clara Azurmendi 17-21, 21-7, 21-12 in a splendid match that lasted for over 47 minutes. 

Moving forward, PV Sindhu comfortably booked her semi-final berth by crushing Neslihan Yigiy of Turkey 21-13, 21-10 in a 35-minute encounter. Her toughest challenge arrived in the form of top seed and world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the semifinals. She went down 13-21, 9-21 to the Japanese which marked the end of her impressive run at the tournament.

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