World No. 39 Priyanshu Rajawat served further notice of his abilities at the YONEX Canada Open 2024 when he beat world No. 4 Anders Antonsen in the quarterfinals.
In a sensational match that lasted 79 minutes, the emerging Indian player held off the in-form Dane 21-11, 17-21, 21-19 to stay in pursuit of his first HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500 title.
Earlier, he defeated World No. 24 Rasmus Gemke of Denmark in the round of 32 and World No. 33 Takuma Obayashi in the last 16 on his way to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Priyanshu will face 2022 champion Alex Lanier, who beat third seed Kenta Nishimoto 21-17 21-17.
The other semifinal will be an all-Japanese affair, with last week’s US Open champion Yushi Tanaka taking on Koki Watanabe, who upset second seed Kodai Naraoka in three games.
The women’s doubles saw an upset, with third seeds Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand Pullela falling to Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Pei Shan/Hung En-Tzu 21-18, 19-21, 21-16. They face compatriots Hsu Yin-Hui/Lin Jhih Yun, while the other semifinal will pit US Open champions Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi against Laksika Kanlaha/Phataimas Muenwong.
There was heartbreak for home fans, with four-time champion Michelle Li falling in a narrow, 21-12 15-21 21-19 defeat to Busanan Ongbamrungphan.
Priyanshu Rajawat enters semifinal of Canada Open 2024 after defeating Anders Antonsen
