V. Diju, left, and J.B.S. Vidhyadhar, second left, got past Rudy Sototo and Ryo Tazo to qualify for the quarterfinals in the +35 category. Josekutty PanackalKochi: The stage is set for some exciting and entertaining encounters in the Malayala Manorama World Senior Badminton Championships at the Rajeev Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Kadavanthra, with matches in the quarterfinal stage starting on Friday.
As a semifinal berth guarantees a medal, players will be raring to go.
As many as 40 quarterfinals in eight categories will be played on the day. In the first tie, Pune-based Malayalee shuttler Prathibha Nair will take on England’s Sue Sheen in the women’s singles +55 category.
In a high-profile encounter, Malayalee pair Jaseel P. Ismail and Jaison Xavier will lock horns with Denmark’s top-seeded duo Morten Aarup and Carsten Loesch in the men’s doubles +40 event.
In the men’s doubles +35 section, top-seeds and local favorites Sanave Thomas and Rupesh Kumar will fight it out with Lars Klintrup and Morten Eilby Rasmussen of Denmark for a last-four spot.
Another Indian pair, V. Diju and J. B. S. Vidyadhar, seeded second, will meet Japanese pair Masaharu Okawara and Kyohei Sato in the same category.
In the men’s doubles +50 category, India’s Bhushan Akut and George Thomas will play Sri Lanka’s Arnold Dendeng and Wijekoon Niroshana.
In the men’s singles +45 quarterfinals, Keralite Jaison Xavier will take on Sweden’s Stefan Edvardsson.
Malayalee shuttlers Joy T. Antony and K. A. Aneesh will be seen in action in the men’s singles +40 event. While second-seeded Joy will play against Japan’s Takuya Yamamoto, Aneesh’s opponent is third seed Englishman Carl Jennings.
In the men’s singles +35 category, a mouth-watering contest between Olympian Nikhil Kanetkar and Germany’s Hendrik Westermeyer is in the offing. The match begins at 6.40 pm.
Semifinals and finals will be played on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
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