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Satwik and Chirag progressed to the round of 16 by defeating the Indonesian duo of Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana 18-21, 21-18, 21-14
Satwik-Chirag duo in action (BWF Media)
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the pre-quarterfinals, but Lakshya Sen bowed out in the first round of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament on Tuesday.
Sindhu triumphed over long-time rival Nozomi Okuhara of Japan with a score of 22-20, 21-23, 21-15 in a captivating one-hour and 19-minute women’s singles match.
“I have been losing in the first rounds (of late), so it was very important for me to win matches like these,” Sindhu said after her match. She will face sixth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the round of 16.
Lakshya Sen, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, fought hard but lost 11-21, 22-20, 15-21 to world number two Shi Yu Qi of China in a 65-minute men’s singles contest. Shi had entered the event as world number one but slipped to the second spot in fresh rankings issued on Tuesday, soon after his match.
Sen, returning from a back injury that kept him out of last week’s tournament in Malaysia, showed remarkable resilience. Trailing 11-17 in the second game, he made a spirited comeback, saving a match point and clinching the game 22-20 to force a decider. However, Shi regained control in the third game to win the match.
HS Prannoy also exited the USD 1,450,000 tournament. The 2023 World Championships bronze medallist lost 17-21, 18-21 to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan.
Later, Satwik and Chirag progressed to the round of 16 by defeating the Indonesian duo of Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana 18-21, 21-18, 21-14 in their opening-round match, which lasted 67 minutes.
Sindhu vs Okuhara
Sindhu and Okuhara, both former world champions, have struggled recently. Sindhu’s best performance this season was a quarterfinal finish at the India Open in January, while Okuhara has not advanced past the second round in six events.
The two stars added another chapter to their storied rivalry, engaging in a grueling match filled with game points and match points.
“It is always good to play with her. It is not easy, but I should have finished it off in two sets. I needed to be more cautious because I had two match points,” Sindhu said.
The decider followed a familiar pattern of cautious play, with neither taking undue risks. Sindhu led 11-9 at the break and then unleashed a series of winners to surge to 20-12. She earned eight match points and sealed the win by converting the fifth, booking her spot in the round of 16.
The victory improved Sindhu’s head-to-head record against Okuhara to 11-9. Okuhara had previously defeated Sindhu in the 2017 World Championships.
Sindhu acknowledged that the game has evolved significantly in recent years. “If you see now the women’s circuit, it is more about long rallies, less of attack, and stronger defense. Previously, it was more about attacking and faster gameplay,” she said.
Sindhu also noted improvement in her game but admitted fitness is still a work in progress. “After the India Open, it has been a bit of a struggle. It has been a rough patch for the last few games, but I see some improvement. You need to keep trying patiently to find that rhythm,” she said.
“I am happy, but I need to improve a lot more, stay injury-free, and focus on my skills.”
Sindhu was the lone Indian woman to advance to the next round. Malvika Bansod retired mid-way through her women’s singles match against Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani. She was leading 21-16, 16-15 before slipping on the court and clutching her knee in pain, forcing her to retire.
Siddarth Sriram
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
- Location :
Jakarta, Indonesia
- First Published:
News sports Indonesia Open: Satwik-Chirag, Sindhu Progress To Pre-Quarters; Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy Out