India's star shuttler Kiran George delivered a stunning performance and caused a massive upset to the highly-ranked French player Toma Junior Popov to advance to the men’s singles quarterfinals at the USD 475,000 Hylo Open Super 500 on October 30. George, who is currently ranked 38th in the world and is the son of former national champion George Thomas, faced a major challenge from the eighth seed, World No. 13 Popov.
Kiran George pulls off major upset at Hylo Open
The match was a thrilling, gritty contest that lasted 69 minutes, with George ultimately prevailing in three close games, 18-21, 21-18, 21-19. This victory marks a significant achievement for the 25-year-old, who hones his skills at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy. It is his deepest run into a major tournament since he reached the quarterfinal stage of the Super 750 India Open back in January.
Despite being a two-time Super 100 winner, claiming titles at the 2022 Odisha Open and the 2023 Indonesia Masters, his progress had been hampered by a string of injuries and narrow defeats, notably after he shocked former World No.1 Shi Yu Qi in 2023. George will now face a high-caliber opponent in the quarterfinals, taking on either second seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia or Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen. His victory over Toma Junior Popov was a true test of grit and resilience. After losing the first game despite battling hard to narrow the gap to 16-17, George came out firing in the second, surging to a 7-1 lead. Although Popov fought back to make it 19-18, George held his nerve to force a decisive third game. The final game was the most dramatic. George trailed significantly at 6-11, but he displayed nerves of steel to meticulously claw his way back. He eventually overturned the deficit at 19-17 before sealing a memorable win.
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Lakshya Sen eases past compatriot S Subramanian
George was not the only Indian player to secure a spot in the quarterfinal stage. Lakshya Sen, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, progressed with a comfortable win, easing past compatriot S. Subramanian 21-14, 21-11. Meanwhile, Rakshitha Ramesh battled through an all-Indian women's singles contest, overcoming Shriyanshi Valishetty 19-21, 21-8, 21-13 in a 58-minute encounter.
The draws for the Indian players in the next round promise more exciting action. Lakshya Sen is set to face fourth seed Alex Lanier of France, and Rakshitha will meet Denmark’s sixth seed Line Christophersen. In another men’s singles pre-quarterfinal yet to be played, Ayush Shetty faces a tough challenge against sixth seed and former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore, adding to the country's strong presence in the tournament's final stages.