Tharun upsets top seed at Macau Open

Macau

India’s Tharun Mannepalli delivered a stunning performance at the Macau Open 2025, defeating top seed Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong to enter the quarterfinals of the BWF Super 300 tournament on Thursday.

Ranked 47th in the world, 23-year-old Tharun came from behind to win 19-21, 21-14, 22-20 in a thrilling one-hour match. This marks his second Super 300 quarterfinal this year, the first being at the German Open in February. Tharun will now face China’s Hu Zhe An, ranked 87th, for a place in the semifinals.

However, it was a disappointing day for other Indians. Seventh-seeded Ayush Shetty exited after a 21-18, 21-16 defeat to Malaysia’s Justin Hoh. In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, seeded fifth, lost despite winning the first game against Malaysia’s Jimmy Wong and Lai Pei Jing.

In women’s singles, Rakshitha Ramraj fought hard against second seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand, forcing a third game but eventually losing the 51-minute contest.

Later in the day, all eyes will be on Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen as he takes on Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in the men’s singles second round.

India's top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded second, are also in action, facing Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi. Meanwhile, in women’s doubles, Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra will play the eighth-seeded Indonesian duo of Meilysa Puspitasari and Rachel Rose.