India’s badminton contingent is making waves at the Arctic Open Super 500 tournament in Vantaa, Finland. Lakshya Sen, who finished fourth in his debut Olympic campaign, received a fortunate walkover in the opening round of the men’s singles. This sets him up for a clash against either seventh-seeded Chou Tien Chen from Chinese Taipei or French qualifier Arnaud Merkle in the next round.
Meanwhile, another Indian player, Kiran George, will face Wang Tzu Wei in a bid to secure a place in the round of 16.
In the women’s singles, Malvika Bansod showcased her talent with a stunning upset over world No. 23 Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei. Bansod, who recently clinched her first title in over two years at the Azerbaijan International, emerged victorious in a hard-fought match, winning 21-19, 24-22 in 57 minutes. This victory propels her into a second-round encounter against former world champion, Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.
Unnati Hooda also continued her impressive run, defeating Juliana Viana Viera of Brazil 21-16, 23-25, 21-17. She will now face a challenging opponent in the round of 16: Michelle Li of Canada, who knocked out two-time Olympic medalist P V Sindhu in the first round.
Aakarshi Kashyap rounded off the successful day for Indian players by securing a victory over Germany’s Yvonne Li 21-19, 21-14. Her next opponent will be second seed Yue Han of China in the quest for a quarterfinal berth.
The Indian badminton contingent appears poised for a strong showing at the Arctic Open, with a number of players demonstrating their skill and resilience in the opening rounds.
