India's Rising Badminton Stars Shine at Macau Open

In a remarkable feat at the Macau Open, India's Tharun Mannepalli stunned top-seed Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong, securing his place in the quarterfinals alongside compatriot Lakshya Sen. Tharun managed to overcome Lee in a grueling match that lasted over an hour, demonstrating his emerging prowess on the international badminton scene.

Tharun, ranked world No. 47, displayed exceptional resilience, turning the game in his favor with scores of 19-21, 21-14, and 22-20. This victory marks his second quarterfinal appearance in a Super 300 tournament this year. He is set to face China's Hu Zhe An, ranked world No. 87, in the upcoming round.

Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen, the Commonwealth Games champion, battled past Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in a three-set thriller. However, Ayush Shetty exited the tournament following a defeat by Justin Hoh of Malaysia. In other matches, India's stars faced mixed fortunes, as Rakshitha Ramraj, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, and the men's and women's doubles teams faced losses, yet hope remains for upcoming clashes.

(With inputs from agencies.)