Vantaa, Oct. 11 -- India shuttler Anmol Kharb's memorable run at the Arctic Open 2025 badminton tournament's women's singles draw ended after a heartbreaking semi-final defeat against Japanese top seed Akane Yamaguchi in Vantaa, Finland, on Saturday.

The 18-year-old shuttler had defeated Denmark's Amalie Schulz on Friday to storm into her first semi-final in a BWF Super 500 tournament. However, the top-seeded Japanese shuttler lost the match 21-10, 21-13 in just under half an hour. Kharb currently holds the 62nd spot in the women's singles badminton rankings. On the other hand, world No. 4 Yamaguchi is a three-time and reigning world champion.

Kharb showed promising intent from the outset at the Vantaan Energia Areena. At the halfway ma...