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Prannoy stuns Lin Dan, Saina advances at Indonesia Open
Jakarta, July 3 (IANS) H.S. Prannoy stunned Chinese legend Lin Dan to join Saina Nehwal in the second round of the $1,250,000 Indonesia Open badminton championships here on Tuesday.
The Indian eighth seed Prannoy overcame two-time Olympic champion Dan 21-15, 9-21, 21-14 in 60 minutes in the opening round.
“Really happy with the win since I had couple of months off from the tournaments and to comeback to competition was great for me. Having a big win against Lin Dan also considering the conditions was pleasing, especially the way I played in the third game,” world No.13 Prannoy, who has a 2-1 head-to-head record against the five-time world champion, said.
“Now I am looking forward to get on court day after in front of the biggest crowd here in Indonesia.”
In the second round, the 25-year-old Prannoy will meet Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei, who defeated B. Sai Praneeth 21-10, 21-13 in 35 minutes.
Sameer Verma defeated Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke 21-9, 12-21, 22-20 in an hour and nine minutes. In the next round, Sameer will run into Danish top seed Viktor Axelsen, who won Indonesian Jonatan Christie.
In another upset in the men’s singles, Frenchman Brice Leverdez shocked Chinese fifth seed and 2016 Olympic champion Chen Long 17-21, 22-20, 21-19 in an hour and 26 minutes.
India’s fourth seed Kidambi Srikanth will meet Kento Momota of Japan on Wednesday.
In the women’s singles, Saina registered an easy 21-12, 21-12 vicotory over Indonesian Dinar Dyah Ayustine to set-up a clash against Chinese fifth seed Chen Yufei, who defeated Russian Evgeniya Kosetskaya.
Third seed P.V. Sindhu will open her campaign against Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the teenaged men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost to Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe 8-21, 15-21 in 30 minutes.
In another major upset of the day, Chinese Taipei’s mens’s doubles pair of Liao Min Chun and Su Ching Heng stunned Danish second seeds Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen 21-13, 21-15.
India’s men’s doubles pair of Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy will meet Chinese third seeds Liu Cheng and Zhang Nan.
India’s women’s doubles pair of J. Meghana and Poorvisha S. Ram fell to Indonesians Agatha Imanuela and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, who won 21-11, 21-18 in 32 minutes.
India’s mixed doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy will clash with Chinese fourth seeds Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.