Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu progressed to the quarterfinals, while Kiran George delivered a gritty performance under pressure to keep the home flag flying in men’s singles at the India Open badminton tournament here on Thursday.
Title contenders Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who had won the 2022 edition, recovered from an opening game reversal to beat Japan’s Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura 20-22 21-14 21-16 to inch closer to the crown.
“I think they were quite good in their flat exchanges. As I said, we can speed up controlling easy errors which we shouldn’t have. I think we were cruising quite comfortably in the first game, but happy that we could. However tired the game was, we still managed to beat,” Chirag said.
Sindhu cruised past Japan’s world No. 46 Manami Suizu with a 21-15 21-13 win, while Kiran pulled off a stunning recovery, saving six game points to outlast Alex Lanier 22-20 21-13 to enter his maiden quarterfinals of a super 750 event at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall here.
Sindhu, a former world champion, will now face Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, while Kiran will take on left-handed Chinese shuttler Hong Yang Weng in the next round.
In other results, mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila went down to eighth seed Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito 18-21 17-21.
Women’s doubles combination of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha, Rutuparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda and mixed doubles pair of Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh also were knocked out in the second round.
Kiran shows grit & Determination
Kiran’s match against Alex started with the Frenchman leading 6-1 before a series of unforced errors allowed the Indian to claw back. Despite Alex using his smashes effectively, Kiran hung in and managed to close the gap.
Alex led by three points at the interval, but Kiran showed remarkable mental resilience.
Down 14-20, Kiran saved six game points, launching an eight-point burst to seal the opening game as Alex repeatedly missed the lines.
In the second game, Kiran led 14-11 after a fierce battle. Alex’s smashes went wide and long, while Kiran capitalised on every opportunity.
Alex lost both challenges as Kiran surged to a 19-13 lead, and a couple of net errors sealed the match for the Indian.
“I was just taking it one point at a time, not thinking about the lead. I think that helped me secure the first set. I was just being patient,” Kiran said after the match.
“This win feels good, but I’m focused on my next match. It’s a huge confidence booster. Going into tomorrow’s match will help a lot. It’s just hard work, I’m playing patiently. That’s what I think changed my game. Today, I didn’t have anything to lose, so I gave my all.”
Sindhu narrowly win over Suizu
Sindhu made a strong start, leading 11-6 at the break. Although Suizu briefly narrowed the gap to 11-13 and 13-14, Sindhu was always a step ahead, with the Japanese player unable to cope with the Indian’s powerful smashes.
Sindhu continued to hit deep returns and used precise drops to trouble Suizu. Soon, she was 20-14 up and sealed the game when the Japanese hit the net.
After the change of sides, Sindhu raced to a 5-0 lead. The second game was all about the Indian as she found cross court winners at will, quickly establishing a dominant 11-2 lead at the interval, and it became clear that Suizu had no answers.
“After a break, what I liked about my game today was my movement and my attacks were working well. Moving forward, I need to be ready for anything because matches will get harder,” said Sindhu.
Two-time Olympic medallist Viktor Axelsen beat Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason 21-11 21- 14 to also reach the quarterfinal, while former world champion Loh Kean Yew outwitted sixth seeded Japanese Kodai Naraoka 21-12 24-22 in another match.
Last edition’s runners-up Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong had to save a match point in the decider against Toma Junior Popov before winning the one hour 16 minutes clash 14-21 21-18 22-20 to advance to the quarterfinals.
In women’s singles, top seed and Olympic champion An Se-young streamrolled Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon 21-15 21-8 to also progress to the last eight.