Badminton: PV Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag begin Singapore Open with wins
Singapore, May 26
Indian seniors PV Sindhu and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty started their Singapore Open campaign on a positive note, advancing to the next round after defeating their respective opponents at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Tuesday.
Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medallist, overcame Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani 21-17, 21-18 in women's singles, while Satwik-Chirag defeated Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith 26-28, 21-15, 21-13 in men's doubles.
Sindhu, champion of the 2022 edition, defeated the fifth-seeded Indonesian in straight games to level their head-to-head record at 3-3. The Indian had early control in the opening game with a four-point advantage. Although she faced a brief setback, Sindhu, who won the silver medal in the Rio Olympics and bronze in Tokyo Games played in 2021, quickly recovered to draw level at 16-all before winning five consecutive points to secure the first game.
The second game witnessed an intense battle for every point, with Sindhu taking the lead at crucial moments before sealing the match in straight games. She will next face Japan's Riko Gunji in the pre-quarterfinals.
In men's doubles, World No. 4 Satwik-Chirag dropped the opening game despite saving seven game points in a tightly contested battle. The Indian duo responded strongly to force a decider and then dominated the third game, closing it out 21-13 after one hour and 15 minutes of play. Chinese Taipei's Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan await them in the Round of 16.
In men's singles, Ayush Shetty put up a strong fight against Victor Lai. After taking the opening game comfortably 21-11, the Indians could not maintain the same intensity and eventually went down 14-21, 12-21 in the following games. Other Indian contingents in action on day 1 lost to their respective opponents.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Honestly, Satwik-Chirag's opening game loss was worrying - they were so close yet so far. But the way they bounced back in the next two games is why they're world No. 4. Great fightback!
Good to see Sindhu back in form after that early exit in Malaysia. Hope she keeps this momentum for Paris. The doubles pair is looking strong too. 🏸
Ayush Shetty showed promise in that first game but needs to work on stamina. You can't just win one game and then collapse. Still, good experience for a young player. Keep grinding! 💪
Sindhu vs Wardani head-to-head is now 3-3 - that's a proper rivalry! The Indonesian is no pushover, so this win is really encouraging. Looking forward to seeing how far she goes in this tournament. 🎯
Satwik-Chirag are becoming such a reliable pair. That 26-28 loss in the first game would have broken many teams, but they just kept their cool. The third game domination was pure class. Arre wah! 👏
K Kavya N Glad to see Sindhu We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.