Indian shuttlers Nitesh Kumar and Sukant Kadam advanced to the semifinals of the men's singles SL3 and SL4 categories, respectively, after winning their final group matches in Paris on Saturday.
Nitesh, who earned a silver medal at the Asian Para Games in China last year, defeated Thailand's Mongkhon Bunsen 21-13 21-14 to win his third consecutive match and lead Group A.
In the SL3 class, which is designed for players with significant lower limb disabilities participating on a half-width court, the top two finishers from each of the two groups go to the semifinals.
In group A, Manoj Sarkar, who had already withdrawn from the event, defeated Yang Jianyuan of China 21-1 21-11. Manoj has already lost to Bunsun and Nitesh.
This was his second straight victory in the three-player group. Sukant had won bronze in the Asian Para Games in China last year.
This is my debut tournament. I am overjoyed to have qualified for the semifinals. I was adequately prepared for today's game. The first match was far more difficult than this.
And I had played against him many times before, so I was confident. So I wanted to take it one point at a time, and then I played pretty well, Sukant remarked after the match.
"The drift and ambiance in the hall are really distinct. "I'm glad I was able to adapt well this time," he continued.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Mandeep Kaur defeated Australia's Vinot Celine Aurelie in the women's singles SL 3 event, advancing to the quarterfinals.