Kiran George's Korea Masters Run Ends in Semifinals With Loss to Kunlavut

Indian shuttler Kiran George's impressive run at Korea Masters came to an end with a semifinal loss to Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in men's singles competition here on Saturday.

24-year-old, ranked 41st in world, went down 12-21 20-22 to top-seeded and world number five Vitidsarn in BWF World Tour Super 300 event.

George, who trains at Prakash Pukone Bminton Acemy (PPBA), h earlier registered a fine win over fifth seed Takuma Obayashi of Japan in quarterfinals.

semifinal loss brought an end to India's campaign in tournament. George kept it tight in opening game, staying level at 5-5 before Kunlavut pulled ahe to 11-6 at break.

Thai shuttler extended his le furr, moving to 17-8 after interval, and quickly sealed first game.

In second game, Kunlavut surged to a 13-4 le, but Kiran mounted a sensational fightback, levelling score at 20-20.

However, it was Kunlavut who held his nerves to win final two points and close out match.