Indian shuttlers made an impressive start to their US Open badminton campaign on Wednesday, with World Junior Championships silver medallist Tanvi Sharma and Thailand Masters champion Devika Sihag advancing comfortably to the second round after straight-game victories.
Tanvi overcame Germany’s Yvonne Li in a competitive opening game before sealing a 23-21, 21-16 win to book her place in the next round of the women’s singles event. Devika also enjoyed a commanding outing, defeating Peru’s Ines Lucia Castillo 21-14, 21-14 to continue her strong run of form.
The tournament also witnessed the first of two all-Indian contests, where rising shuttler Rounak Chouhan emerged victorious against former World Junior Championships silver medallist S. Sankar Muthusamy. Chouhan edged a closely fought opening game before completing a 23-21, 21-16 victory to move ahead in the competition.
Fifth seed Kidambi Srikanth produced an equally convincing display in the second all-Indian clash, brushing aside compatriot D. Saneeth 21-14, 21-12. The experienced Indian wrapped up the contest in just 30 minutes to progress to the next round with ease.
India’s successful opening day continued in the women’s singles draw as Rakshitha Sree secured a dominant win over Czech Republic’s Tereza Svabikova. Rakshitha controlled the match from the outset and registered a comfortable 21-15, 21-8 victory to join her compatriots in the second round.
The country’s mixed doubles challenge also received a boost as the seventh-seeded pairing of Dhruv Rawat and K. Maneesha advanced with an efficient straight-games win. The Indian duo needed only 26 minutes to defeat Indonesia’s Wirawan Ihsan Adam and Serena Kani 21-15, 21-16, showcasing strong coordination throughout the contest.
With multiple Indian players progressing across singles and doubles categories, the opening day of the US Open provided an encouraging start for the country’s contingent. Comfortable victories from established names and promising young talents alike underlined India’s depth in badminton as the tournament moves into the later rounds.
