November 22, 2024: It’s been an exciting yet bittersweet day for Indian badminton at the China Masters, with some stellar performances and a few tough losses.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (Men’s Doubles):
Satwik-Chirag made an impressive return to the court after their disappointment at the Paris Olympics 2024, and Satwik’s recovery from injury. Their win over Denmark’s Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard (21-19, 21-15) was a solid start, showing that they’re back in business. As reigning Asian Games champions, the duo’s performance was expectedly dominant, and now, they’ll be facing Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the pre-quarterfinals. This match is crucial, as they look to regain momentum and continue their strong run in the tournament.
PV Sindhu (Women’s Singles):
The two-time Olympic medalist continues to face challenges in her pursuit of a BWF title. Despite a valiant effort against Yeo Jia Min of Singapore, Sindhu lost in a gripping three-game contest (21-16, 17-21, 23-21). The match was a rollercoaster, with Sindhu coming back after losing the first game and even managing a 13-9 lead in the decider. However, Yeo fought back fiercely, and despite Sindhu saving four match points, the Singaporean closed out the match. This marks Sindhu’s first loss to Yeo in six meetings, continuing her title drought. After reaching the finals of the Malaysia Masters in May, fans had hoped for a breakthrough, but it looks like Sindhu will have to wait a bit longer for her next big win.
Lakshya Sen (Men’s Singles):
On a positive note, Lakshya Sen made a strong statement by beating Rasmus Gemke of Denmark in straight sets (21-16, 21-18). The Paris Olympics 2024 semifinalist looked solid on court, and his next challenge will be against Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the quarterfinals. With his consistency, Lakshya is one of India’s brightest prospects in the singles category, and fans will be hoping he continues his strong performance.
Mixed Doubles & Other Women’s Events:
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great day for the other Indian shuttlers in action. B Sumeeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy in mixed doubles had to give a walkover to the Chinese pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping, which was a disappointing end for them in the tournament.
In women’s singles, Anupama Upadhyaya was defeated by Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira (21-7, 21-14), and Malvika Bansod fell to Thailand’s Supanida Katethong (21-9, 21-9). In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand couldn’t get past the Chinese duo of Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning, losing 21-16, 21-11.
While Satwiksairaj and Chirag and Lakshya Sen delivered strong performances, the day was a mixed bag for India at the China Masters, with some disappointments in women’s events and mixed doubles. However, the wins by Satwik-Chirag and Lakshya provide hope for a successful run in the latter stages of the tournament.
Indian badminton fans will be hoping for more victories from Satwik-Chirag in the quarterfinals and looking to Lakshya for further success as the tournament progresses.
