Key Points

Lakshya Sen and the doubles pair of Satwik-Chirag secured convincing wins in their Japan Open openers. Meanwhile, PV Sindhu suffered another early exit, losing to Sim Yu Jin in straight games. Unnati Hooda also bowed out in the first round. Other Indian players continue their campaign in mixed results.

Key Points: Satwik-Chirag and Lakshya Sen Advance in Japan Open Round of 16

  • Lakshya Sen cruises past Wang Zheng Xing in straight games
  • Satwik-Chirag dominate Korean pair in men's doubles
  • PV Sindhu exits early after loss to Sim Yu Jin
  • Unnati Hooda falls to Pornpawee Chochuwong in opener
2 min read

Japan Open: Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya Sen progress to round of 16

Satwik-Chirag dominate in doubles while Lakshya Sen progresses in singles, but Sindhu suffers early exit at Japan Open 2025.

"Sen produced a composed performance to defeat China's Wang Zheng Xing 21-11, 21-18 – BAI Media"

Tokyo, July 16

India's top men's singles and doubles contenders advanced to the Round-of-16 at the Japan Open 2025, with Lakshya Sen and the duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty notching straight-game victories in their opening matches on Wednesday.

Sen produced a composed performance to defeat China's Wang Zheng Xing 21-11, 21-18, setting up a second-round clash with Japanese star and home favourite Kodai Naraoka, as per a press release from BAI Media.

In men's doubles, Satwik and Chirag made a strong start to their campaign, easing past South Korea's Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju 21-18, 21-10 to move into the last 16.

Elsewhere, PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda bowed out in the opening round of the women's singles draw.

Playing her first match since the Indonesia Open in early June, Sindhu, 16th in the badminton rankings, went down 21-15, 21-14 to the world No. 14 South Korean shuttler in 38 minutes. It was her first defeat to Sim Yu Jin in four meetings.

Sindhu made a sluggish start and trailed 9-3 in the opening game. The Indian badminton player fought back to make it 13-12, only for Sim Yu Jin to mount a late surge before taking the lead in the match.

The second game followed a similar script with Sim Yu Jin racing to a 6-1 lead. Sindhu clawed her way back to level at 7-7 and later 11-11, but failed to see it through.

It marks yet another early exit for Sindhu in what has been a challenging 2025 BWF World Tour season. Her best finish this year remains a quarter-final appearance at the India Open in January, which was followed by four first-round exits and two round of 16 finishes.

On the other hand, Unnati Hooda lost to Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-8, 21-12. Anupama Upadhyaya and Rakshitha Ramraj will face each other in an all-Indian affair.

Men's doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan-Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi and women's doubles duo Kavipriya Selvam-Simran Singhi will also be in the fray.

Rutaparna Panda-Swetaparna Panda were knocked out of women's doubles after losing to the Japanese pair of Kokona Ishikawa and Maiko Kawazoe 21-13, 21-7 on Tuesday.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Really worried about Sindhu's form 😔 She's been struggling since her injury. Maybe she needs a new coach or training approach? Wishing her a strong comeback!
A
Arjun K
Lakshya Sen is the future of Indian badminton! The way he handled the Chinese opponent was clinical. Next match against Naraoka will be 🔥
S
Sarah B
As an expat in Japan, it's amazing to see Indian players performing well here! The local crowd really appreciates Satwik-Chirag's game. Let's go Team India!
K
Karthik V
Unnati Hooda is just 18 and already playing at this level. We need to be patient with young players. They'll learn from these losses and come back stronger 💪
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Nisha Z
Why is BAI not addressing Sindhu's fitness issues properly? After being our Olympic medal hope, her continuous poor performance is concerning. Need better support system!
D
David E
The men's doubles team is showing what proper training and consistency can achieve. Other Indian players should take inspiration from Satwik-Chirag's journey.

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