Kiran George, a ray of hope for India

NEW DELHI: When the initial draw was made for men's singles at the 2025 India Open, three Indians were looking to lead India's challenge. Paris Olympics semifinalist Lakshya Sen, 2023 World Championships bronze-medallist HS Prannoy, and youngster Priyanshu Rajawat had the responsibility of going deep into the tournament.

After a spate of withdrawals from several foreign players, two more Indians were added to the men's singles draw - former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth and a rising star Kiran George.

While Srikanth withdrew after not being able to reach Delhi in time for his first-round match, Lakshya, Prannoy and Priyanshu suffered contrasting first-round defeats. Only Kiran was able to cross the first-round hurdle. On Thursday, he improved his showing to enter the quarterfinals.

"It's all about being relentless and just playing patiently. That's what has worked for me over the years," Kiran said about his run.

Kiran hails from Kochi, Kerala. Born in a family of badminton players, Kiran began his tryst with the racket and shuttle at a young age. His father George Thomas is a former national champion and an Arjuna awardee. His mother Preetha was a state level player. Elder brother Arun is also an international - a doubles specialist.

Kiran's father enrolled him at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru. He gained recognition after winning a silver in the Under-17 Boys singles in the Asia Youth Championships in 2016. By 2019, he had secured his first international title, winning the Ghana International. In 2021, he won the Polish International title after defeating Singapore's Jason Teh in the final.

In 2022, Kiran won the Odisha Open - a BWF Super 100 tournament - marking his first World Tour title. In 2023, Kiran pulled off one of the biggest achievements of his career by defeating former All-England champion and current world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China at the Thailand Open - a Super 500 tournament.