Priyanshu Rajawat reaches Orleans Masters final after win over Nguyen, HIGHLIGHTS

Welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the 2023 Orleans Masters men’s singles semifinal in which India’s Priyanshu Rajawat beat Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen. This was Nihit Sachdeva taking you through the action as it unfolded at the Palais des Sports in Orléans, France.

SECOND GAME

• ⦿21-9: Rajawat finishes things off with a great smash down the line. The Indian is through to his first final on the BWF World Tour where he will face either China’s Lei Lan Xi or Denmark’s Magnus Johannsen on Sunday.
• ⦿
  20-9: Nguyen saves three of them. Still, a huge task ahead.
• ⦿
  20-6: Nguyen lifts one long. Fourteen match points for the Indian.
• ⦿
  19-6: Cross-court winner from Rajawat. Two points away from his maiden BWF World Tour Final.
• ⦿
  18-6: Cross-court drop shot from Rajawat goes wide.
• ⦿
  18-4: First point after the break for Nguyen as his net shot forces Rajawat to lift one wide.
• ⦿
  18-3: Wayward cross-court smash from Nguyen.
• ⦿
  17-3: Drop shot from Nguyen finds the net.
• ⦿
  16-3: Relentless aggression from Rajawat. Nguyen simply unable to handle it. Another return from the Irishman finds the net.
• ⦿
  15-3: Solid defending via backhand before finishing the point with a cross-court smash. Rajawat!
• ⦿
  14-3: Rajawat is running away quickly. Nguyen lifts another wide.
• ⦿
  13-3: Short lift from Nguyen, simple smash down the line from Rajawat.
• ⦿
  12-3: Nguyen seemed to be the one in control of the rally before lifting one wide.
• ⦿
  11-3: Return from Nguyen finds the net. Eight-point lead for Rajawat at the mid-game interval.
• ⦿
  10-3: A big cross-court smash from Rajawat and Nguyen fails to send the return over the net.
• ⦿
  9-3: Faulty net shot from Nguyen. Six-point gap now. The player from Ireland is getting his right ring finger sprayed by the medic.
• ⦿
  8-3: A sublime cross-court drop shot from Rajawat.
• ⦿
  7-3: Rajawat drives one into the net.
• ⦿
  7-2: Nguyen was all over the place but it was all in vain as Rajawat finished the point with a simple cross court net shot.
• ⦿
  6-1: The clear shot from Nguyen lands wide. The Irishman wastes a challenge as well.
• ⦿
  4-1: Nguyen wins his first point of the second game as an unconvincing smash from Rajawat finds the net.
• ⦿
  3-0: This is gorgeous stuff from the Indian. A cross-court smash from Rajawat and Nguyen looks absolutely clueless.
• ⦿
  2-0: Lovely net shot from Rajawat.
• ⦿
  1-0: Rajawat begins the second game with a smash down the line. No respite for the Irishman.

FIRST GAME

• ⦿21-12: Rajawat wraps up the opening game in 20 minutes with a winner down the line.
• ⦿
  20-12: Rajawat with another powerful smash down the line and Nguyen sends the return wide.
• ⦿
  19-11: Nguyen nets a cross-court drop shot.
• ⦿
  18-11: Rajawat dives to make the return and succeeds as the shuttle just manages to go over the net. Nguyen clearly did not expect it and reacts too late.
• ⦿
  16-11: Rajawat goes for deception and instead of a jump smash, tries the drop shot but the shuttle only finds the net.
• ⦿
  16-10: Error on the net shot from Nguyen.
• ⦿
  15-9: Drop shot by Rajawat from the back of the court hits the top of the net and drops dead on Nguyen’s side. Lucky.
• ⦿
  14-9: Solid defensive work from Rajawat before winning the point with a simple cross-court return.
• ⦿
  13-9: Superb cross-court smash from the back of the court by Rajawat. Nguyen dives but his return only finds the net.
• ⦿
  11-9: Service error from Nguyen. Two-point lead at the mid-game interval for Rajawat.
• ⦿
  10-9: Nicely constructed point from Nguyen. Forced Rajawat into the back right corner and finished it with a net shot.
• ⦿
  10-8: Beautiful smash down the line from Rajawat.
• ⦿
  9-8: Desperate defending from the Irishman but the Indian wins the point anyway as he forces one faulty backhand return out of Nguyen.
• ⦿
  8-8: Scores level. Rajawat’s return to Nguyen’s serve goes wide.
• ⦿
  8-6: Body smash from Nguyen ends Rajawat’s run of six straight points.
• ⦿
  8-5: Yet again, Nguyen lets Rajawat’s drive go, only to watch it land in.
• ⦿
  7-5: Make that five in a row and what a rally it was! Solid defending from both players and in the end, it was the Indian who won the point with a smash down the line. Nguyen challenges the call but the original decision stands.
• ⦿
  5-5: Three in a row for Rajawat. Judges the trajectory of Nguyen’s return correctly as the shuttle is long.
• ⦿
  3-5: Finally, a strong smash down the line from the Indian and Nguyen’s return goes wide.
• ⦿
  2-5: Cross-court smash from Rajawat lands well wide. Four straight points for the Irishman.
• ⦿
  2-3: Rajawat nets two consecutive smashes.
• ⦿
  2-1: Error in judgement from Nguyen as Rajawat’s return lands well inside the baseline.
• ⦿
  1-1: Net shot from Rajawat lands just wide.
• ⦿
  1-0: Nguyen to serve first. A cross-court smash from Rajawat to win the opening point.

4:37PM – Time for men’s singles semifinal between India’s Priyanshu Rajawat and Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen. The two shuttlers are on court now.

4:20PM: Anand Pawar is the only Indian who has won in any category in Orleans. Pawar won the men’s singles title in 2012 when the tournament was sanctioned as International Series. From 2018 to 2022, the tournament was raised to a Super 100 level while 2023 is the first time it is a Super 300 level event.

4:10PM: This is the first meeting between Priyanshu Rajawat and Nhat Nguyen.

4:05PM: How Nhat Nguyen has reached the semifinals –

Quarterfinal – Misha Zilberman (ISR) gave walkover

Round of 16 – Won 21-15, 21-17 against Jan Louda (CZE)

First Round – Won 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 against Sameer Verma (IND)

4PM: How Priyanshu Rajawat has reached the semifinals –

Quarterfinal – Won 21-18, 21-18 against Chi Yun Jen (TPE)

Round of 16 – Won 21-8, 21-16 against top seed Kenta Nishimoto (JPN)

First Round – Won 21-18, 21-13 against Kiran George (IND)

PREVIEW

Priyanshu Rajawat has a chance to make it to his maiden final on the BWF World Tour at the Orleans Masters Super 300 tournament in Orleans, France.

A trainee at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad, the 21-year-old from Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, is a nimble-footed shuttler, combining his foot speed with his quick hands to beat his opponents.

Rajawat’s opponent, Nhat Nguyen, who is ranked 35th in the world, is an Irish player of Vietnamese lineage. Like the Indian, he too has not won anything bigger than an international series-level title, with the last coming in December 2017, at the Welsh International.

Heading into the semifinals, Nguyen, who defeated India’s Sameer Verma in a three-setter in the opening round, will be fresh from a day’s break since his opponent in the quarterfinal, Misha Zilberman, awarded him a walkover.