New Delhi, Jan 14 — India’s badminton stars are in action on the second day of the India Open Super 750 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, promising an exciting slate of matches for fans.
The tournament got off to a high-octane start on Tuesday with former champion Lakshya Sen and Syed Modi International winners Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand making commanding starts. Sen needed just 36 minutes to defeat his academy-mate Shetty 21-12, 21-15, while the Indian women’s doubles pair dominated Thailand’s Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai 21-15, 21-11.
The opening day, however, saw top seeds stumble. Men’s fourth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, seventh seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan, and French sixth seed Alex Lanier were knocked out, adding an early upset factor to the BWF World Tour Super 750 event, organised by the Badminton Association of India.
On Wednesday, PV Sindhu, who returned from a three-month injury layoff with a semifinal finish in Malaysia, faces Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh in her opener. Should she advance, she could meet world No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi, who had beaten her in the Malaysia semifinals. Sindhu has a strong record against Wang, including her recent World Championship victory, and the home support could play a crucial role. Also in her section is Tomoka Miyazaki, whom Sindhu comfortably beat last week. Wang’s first-round opponent is 17-year-old Indian Tanvi Sharma, whose attacking style could create an early thriller.
Kidambi Srikanth survived a tough three-game battle against fellow Indian Tharun Mannepalli, winning 15-22, 21-6, 21-19, while HS Prannoy faces a resurgent Lee Cheuk Yiu, a former Delhi finalist who recently beat Lakshya Sen and Christo Popov.
In mixed doubles, India faced early heartbreak as Amrutha Pramuthesh and Ashith Surya lost to Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara 15-21, 7-21, marking their second straight defeat against the Japanese pair.
With more than double the matches compared to Day 1, Day 2 promises thrilling rallies, high-stakes clashes, and a chance for India’s top shuttlers to assert themselves in front of the home crowd.
Source: BWF
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