World No. 1 doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty faced a surprising early exit at the Singapore Open after a stunning defeat to Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard in the opening round. The Indian duo, who were considered strong contenders for a gold medal at the upcoming Paris Olympics, fell short with scores of 20-22, 18-21 in a tightly contested 47-minute match of the Super 750 badminton tournament.
The defeat of Satwik and Chirag marked the beginning of a disappointing day for Indian badminton at the Singapore Open. Other Indian players also struggled to progress beyond the first round in their respective categories.
In the women’s singles, World No. 41 Aakarshi Kashyap was unable to overcome Thailand’s Pornpicha Choeikeewong, who is ranked just one place below her at No. 42. Kashyap lost 7-21, 15-21, failing to find her rhythm against a determined opponent.
Men’s singles player Priyanshu Rajawat put up a valiant fight but ultimately fell to Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu. Rajawat, ranked lower than his opponent, narrowly lost the first game 21-23 and continued to battle hard in the second before losing 19-21.
In the women’s doubles, the Indian pair of Rutuparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda showed promise by winning the second game but were unable to maintain their momentum, eventually losing 12-21, 21-12, 13-21 to Chinese Taipei’s Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun.
Similarly, the mixed doubles team of Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh faced a tough challenge against Hong Kong’s Lee Chun Hei Reginald and Ng Tsz Yau. The Indian duo were defeated 8-21, 17-21, bringing an end to their campaign in the tournament.
Despite the early setbacks, there remains hope for Indian badminton fans as top shuttlers PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, and HS Prannoy are set to begin their campaigns on Wednesday. These players bring with them a wealth of experience and a proven track record on the international stage, raising expectations for a strong performance.
