India suffered a major setback in the opening round of the Japan Open. The men’s doubles campaign was forced to end early on Tuesday, July 14, after Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty retired from their opening-round match in the competition. Notably, the decision to withdraw came after Satwik suffered a recurring shoulder injury and as things stand, they will also miss the upcoming China Open. If the duo remains fit, they could be seen in the BWF World Championship in India next.ย
Coming back to the Japan Open, the Indian duo lost the opening game 19-21 to Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard. Soon after that, they announced their retirement.ย
Meanwhile, the latest setback continues an injury-plagued season for Satwik, whose shoulder problem has repeatedly interrupted the pair’s schedule. They had previously withdrawn from the Swiss Open in March, the Badminton Asia Championships in April and the Indonesia Open in June because of the same issue.
Even with those interruptions, Satwik and Chirag delivered two significant results this year. They claimed a bronze medal at the Thomas Cup before ending a two-year title drought by lifting the Singapore Open crown in May.
Following the World Championships, the pair are expected to compete at the Asian Games in Japan in September and October, where they will defend their men’s doubles title.
PV Sindhu advances to second round
India had better news in the women’s singles draw as PV Sindhu advanced to the second round with a commanding straight-games victory over Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching.
The world No. 10 defeated the world No. 37 by a score of 21-14, 21-11 after controlling the contest from the outset. Sindhu established an early lead in the opening game and steadily widened the gap through consistent stroke play before carrying the momentum into the second game to complete the win without facing any serious challenge.
Dhruv and Tanisha progress to
India’s mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also progressed after defeating Scotland’s Alexander Dunn and Julie Macpherson 21-16, 21-14 in their opening-round match.
Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, however, bowed out after suffering an 11-21, 10-21 defeat to China’s top-seeded pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping.
In another men’s doubles fixture involving India, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun were eliminated after losing a three-game match to Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan, rounding off a mixed opening day for the Indian contingent at the Japan Open Super 750.
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