New Delhi [India], January 16 (ANI): Indian badminton duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty showcased resilience and dedication as they secured a hard-fought victory within the males’s doubles pre-quarterfinals on the India Open Super 750 event. The pair defeated Japan’s Hiroki Okamura and Kenya Mitsuhashi 20-22, 21-14, 21-16 to advance to the subsequent spherical.
The match started with a setback for the Indian pair as they dropped the primary recreation regardless of their efforts.
Reflecting on the opening set, whereas speaking to the reporters, Chirag mentioned, “…A few errors cost us the first game. The last time when we played them (Japanese badminton players Hiroki Okamura and Kenya Mitsuhashi), we managed to beat them in two straight sets…But we made a comeback and didn’t give them a chance in the 2nd and 3rd games…”Satwiksairaj admitted that dropping the primary recreation added stress however credited their means to adapt and push by way of.
“I was wondering after the first game that we have to play two more sets to beat them. It’s always challenging to play three sets when you’re playing back-to-back tournaments,” he advised the reporters.
The Japanese duo posed a robust problem, with Satwik acknowledging their combating spirit. “We were too comfortable going into the 1st game. They had a fighting spirit…We are lucky to be on the winning side,” he added.
Despite the demanding nature of the match, Satwik and Chirag displayed their trademark composure and teamwork to take management within the second and third video games, securing a well-deserved win.
The victory propels the Indian pair into the quarterfinals, the place they may look to proceed their sturdy run within the event, constructing on the momentum from this hard-fought win.
Former champion PV Sindhu rekindled recollections of her previous aggressive self whereas up and coming Kiran George stored his nerves underneath stress to register straight recreation wins to advance to the quarter-finals of the India Open 2025. Sindhu, taking part in solely her second event because the Paris Olympics, hammered Japan’s Manami Suizu 21-15, 21-13 whereas Kiran defeated Frenchman Alex Lanier 22-20, 21-13 within the males’s singles second-round conflict. (ANI)