There are two Indian players in the semifinals of the Indonesia Open badminton tournament, but they aren't the usual suspects Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu. While these two women might have brought glory to Indian badminton over the past several years, the men are slowly but surely catching up, creating their own path to success.
The latest achievements from the men came in this Indonesia Open, with HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth making it to the semifinals.
Saina and Sindhu were unable to find their form in this tournament, making early exits.
While Srikanth's progress to the semifinals is something to cheer about, the path that Prannoy has taken and the players that he has had to beat to get here is quite an achievement.
Prannoy beat Lee Chong Wei, one of the biggest names in badminton and the number one seed, in the second round and he then followed that up with an even better win, over Chen Long, the reigning Olympic champion.
Next up for the giant-killer is the Japanese Kazumasa Sakai in the semifinals. Prannoy will hope to continue his dream run in this Indonesia Open and, hopefully, set up a final with his compatriot.
Srikanth was impressive in his quarterfinal victory over Wang Wei of Chinese Taipei, with the Indian making sure he would have lots of rest going into the semifinal match by beating the world number 19 21-15, 21-14. The win was all the more commendable, because Wang was in top form, having taken out the great Lin Dan in the opening round.
This semifinal match will not be easy, though, because Srikanth will be up against the No.2 seed Son Wan-Ho.
If Srikanth and Prannoy can get past their respective semifinals, the fans will be in for a treat – an all Indian final at the Indonesia Open.
When and where to watch live
Prannoy's semifinal is the second of the day, with the first one beginning at 11.30am local time (10am IST).
Srikanth's match will begin after the third semifinal, which is set for a 3pm local time (1.30pm IST) start.
The Indonesia Open badminton Super Series will be shown live in India on TV on Star Sports 2, with the online live streaming link on Hotstar.
