Indian shuttlers Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, and Tharun Mannepalli advanced to the second round of the men’s singles at the Macau Open Super 300 badminton tournament on Wednesday, registering confident wins in their respective openers.
Strong Start for Lakshya
Second-seeded Lakshya Sen, currently ranked 17th in the world, outclassed Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin 21-8, 21-14 in just 38 minutes. The Commonwealth Games gold medallist dominated the first game and held firm under pressure in the second. He will next face Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in the round of 16.
Ayush and Tharun Continue Momentum
World No. 31 Ayush Shetty, riding high on his Super 300-level form this season, breezed past Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu Kai 21-10, 21-11. The US Open champion will now face Malaysia’s Justin Hoh in the second round. Tharun Mannepalli got past compatriot Manraj Singh 21-19, 21-13 and is up against top seed Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong in his next match.
Prannoy, Sankar and Others Bow Out
India’s HS Prannoy suffered a surprise early exit, losing 21-18, 15-21, 15-21 to Indonesia’s Yohanes Saut Marcellyno. Sankar Subramanian also went down tamely to China’s Hu Zhe An, 18-21, 14-21. Sathish Kumar Karunakaran lost to Justin Hoh 19-21, 12-21, setting up a clash between Hoh and Ayush in the next round.
Mixed Results in Women’s Singles
In women’s singles, Rakshitha Ramraj staged a strong comeback to edge Thailand’s Pornpicha Choeikeewong 18-21, 21-17, 22-20 in a 63-minute battle. However, several other Indian women faltered in the first round. Unnati Hooda, who had upset PV Sindhu last week, lost 21-16, 19-21, 17-21 to Denmark’s Julie Jakobsen. Anupama Upadhyaya, Aakarshi Kashyap, Tasnim Mir, and Anmol Kharb also suffered straight-game defeats.
Mixed and Men’s Doubles: Bright Spots and Setbacks
Fifth seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto made short work of Thailand’s Ratchapol Makkasasithorn and Nattamon Laisuan, winning 21-10, 21-15 in 26 minutes. However, three other Indian mixed doubles pairs crashed out: Rohan Kapoor–Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, Ayush Agarwal–Shruti Mishra, and Hema Nagendra Babu–Priya Konjengbam.
In men’s doubles, the all-Indian clash between P. Krishnamurthy Roy–S. Pratheek K and D. Konthoujam–Amaan Mohammad ended with Roy and Pratheek winning 21-18, 21-19 to reach the second round.
With several top names out early, India’s hopes now rest on Lakshya, Ayush, Tharun, Rakshitha, and a handful of doubles pairs as the tournament moves into the business end.
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