Suhas, Nitesh and Thulasimathi seal semi-final spot

Paris: Tokyo Games silver medallist shuttler Suhas Yathiraj and Nitesh Kumar continued their impressive run to secure spots in the men’s singles SL4 and SL3 semi-finals, respectively, at the Paralympics here on Friday. Murugesan Thulasimathi also made it to the women’s singles SU5 semi-finals after topping Group A. She beat Beatriz Monteiro of Portugal 21-12 21-8 for her second win in the group.

Suhas, a 2007 batch IAS officer, defeated Korea’s Shin Kyung Hwan 26-24, 21-14 in his second match, topping the three-man Group A in the SL4 category.

Meanwhile, Nitesh, a 29-year-old IIT Mandi graduate, dominated China’s Yang Jianyuan with a convincing 21-5, 21-11 victory, ensuring a top-two finish in the four-man Group A of the SL3 category.

In the SL4 class, the group toppers advance to the last four, while in the SL3 class, the top two players from each of the two groups qualify for the semifinals. Nitesh, who suffered permanent leg damage due to an accident in 2009, will next face Thailand’s Bunsun Mongkhon in his final Group A match. However, it was a disappointing day for Manasi Joshi and Manoj Sarkar, as they both suffered their second consecutive defeats, ending their chances of reaching the semi-finals in their respective groups.