Chirag and Satwiksairaj Progress to Second Round at India Open 2024

New Delhi: Asian Games gold medalists Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy achieved a challenging 21-15, 19-21, 21-16 win over Fang-Chih Lee and Fang-Jen Lee from Chinese Taipei in the India Open Super 750. The event, hosted by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, saw the Indian pair fight hard to advance to the second round.

The duo, coming off as runners-up at the Malaysia Open Super 1000, started strong, winning the first game easily. However, their opponents disrupted their rhythm in the second game, leading to a decider. In the final game, Chirag and Satwik regained control with their aggressive play, setting up their next match against the winners of Ben Lane/Sean Vendy and Lu Ching Yao/Yang Po Han.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy expressed satisfaction with their performance, highlighting their improved defense over the last two years. He was optimistic about their progress in the tournament.

In other matches, India’s Kidambi Srikanth suffered a defeat in the men’s singles opening round against Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong. The women’s doubles teams from India faced losses, with Ashwini Ponnappa/Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Bhat/Shikha Gautam being eliminated.

In women’s singles, defending champion An Se-Young and two-time former World Champion Akane Yamaguchi secured their victories. Indonesian shuttlers also performed well, with Jonatan Christie and Anthony Ginting winning their matches. The top seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang also secured a victory in their match.