Devika Sihag Ousts Thailand Masters Home-Favourite Supanida Katethong To Move Into...

India’s Devika Sihag caused a major upset at the Thailand Masters Super 300 badminton tournament by defeating home favourite and top seed Supanida Katethong in straight games, securing her place in the women’s singles semifinals on Friday.

The 20-year-old unseeded Indian, who won her first BWF International Challenge title at the Malaysia International last year, maintained her calm to achieve a 21-19, 21-18 victory in the quarterfinals, which lasted just 40 minutes. Ranked world No. 63, Devika will next face fifth seed Huang Yu-Hsun of Chinese Taipei.

Devika has been steadily gaining momentum on the circuit. In August 2025, she won the Malaysia International, defeating compatriot Isharani Baruah in the final.

She was also part of the Indian mixed

team that claimed a bronze medal at the 2025 World University Games.

Last season, Devika finished runner-up at the Indonesia Masters Super 100 and reached four finals in 2024, winning titles at the Swedish Open and Portugal International, and finishing second at the Estonian International and Dutch International.

In another women’s singles quarterfinal, Isharani fought hard but was defeated 18-21, 21-16, 21-13 by Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching.

India’s challenge in the men’s singles ended at the quarterfinal stage after Tharun Mannepalli lost 11-21, 17-21 to China’s Zhu Xuan Chen.

Devika began tentatively and trailed 0-5 after hitting long and wide in the opening exchanges. However, she gradually settled into the contest and from 1-7 began to claw her way back as Supanida started committing unforced errors.

The Indian extended rallies well and drew level at 9-9 before edging ahead to take a slender one-point advantage at the mid-game interval after the Thai sent the shuttle wide twice.

The opening game remained evenly poised, with both players locked at 15-15. Devika then asserted control at the net, producing two precise net shots to move to 19-17 before Supanida won a long rally.

At 19-19, Devika erred on the lines but responded with a fine smash to earn game point and sealed the game with a well-judged lift.

The second game was equally tight, with Devika overturning a 3-5 deficit to take a 10-6 lead.

A shot into the net from Supanida helped the Indian go into the interval at 11-8. Devika continued to trouble her fancied opponent with sharp drops, half-smashes and quick movement, though errors allowed Supanida to draw level at 14-14.

The pair remained inseparable till 17-17 before a proactive Devika earned three match points as Supanida again went wide. After conceding one point due to an unforced error, the Indian closed out the match when the Thai smashed wide, completing a memorable victory.

(With Inputs From Agencies)