- JAKARTA — India’s
top-ranked men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, kept
the country’s hopes alive at the prestigious Indonesia Open Super 1000 with a
determined opening-round win on Tuesday. Against the home favourites, Leo Rolly
Carnando and Bagas Maulana, the Indian duo showed composure and grit, bouncing
back from a game down to secure an 18-21, 21-18, 21-14 victory in 67 minutes.
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- Their win comes as a timely boost for the Indian contingent,
with top singles players Lakshya Sen and H.S. Prannoy exiting early in Jakarta.
Satwik and Chirag, who have consistently led India’s doubles revolution over
the past couple of seasons, showed why they remain one of the strongest
contenders in the tournament. After a slow start, they upped their intensity in
the second game and dominated the decider with powerful smashes and intelligent
net play.
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- “We knew it wouldn’t be easy against an Indonesian pair on
their home turf,” Chirag said after the win. “But we stuck to our plan and
trusted our rhythm. The crowd was loud, but we used that energy to push
ourselves.”
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- In women's singles, PV Sindhu added to India’s day of mixed
fortunes with a dramatic three-game win over long-time rival Nozomi Okuhara. In
a battle of former world champions, Sindhu emerged victorious 22-20, 21-23,
21-15 after one hour and 19 minutes of intense badminton.
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- “It feels good to win a match like this,” Sindhu said after
her hard-fought triumph. “I’ve had a string of early-round exits lately, so
getting through a tough one against someone like Nozomi really helps build my
confidence.”
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- Sindhu, who saved a game point in the opener and squandered
two match points in the second, showed mental strength to close out the
decider. The win improved her head-to-head record against Okuhara to 11-9 and
set up a Round-of-16 clash with Thailand’s sixth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong.
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- Elsewhere, it was a disappointing day for India in men’s
singles. Lakshya Sen, returning from a back injury, fell short despite a
spirited effort against world No. 2 Shi Yu Qi. The 2021 World Championships
bronze medallist stretched Shi to three games, eventually losing 11-21, 22-20,
15-21 in a match that lasted 65 minutes.
