The Indian badminton scene saw a mix of fortunes at the Hong Kong Open and Vietnam Open this week. While some shuttlers soared, others faced early exits.
At the Hong Kong Open, the mixed doubles pair of B Sumeeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy kept the Indian flag flying high. The husband-wife duo showcased their prowess, overcoming their compatriots Tarun Kona and Sri Krishna Priya Kudaravalli in a dominant 21-9, 21-10 victory. This win propelled them to the second round, where they’ll face the eighth seeds, Masgoh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie.
However, the news wasn’t as positive for other Indian singles players. Priyanshu Rajawat fell to Japan’s Takuma Obayashi in a tight three-set match (9-21, 21-16, 9-21), while Kiran George suffered a lopsided defeat against Su Li Yang of Chinese Taipei (16-21, 16-21). In the women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap and Tanya Hemanth also faced early elimination. Aakarshi lost to fifth seed Aya Ohori of Japan (15-21, 9-21), while Tanya’s valiant effort ended in a 16-21, 21-26 loss to Indonesia’s Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi. The mixed doubles pair of Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh also failed to advance past the opening round.
Across the continent in Vietnam, Indian shuttlers shone brightly at the Vietnam Open. Alap Mishra, Tharun Mannepalli, and Bharat Raghav all impressed in the men’s singles, advancing to the pre-quarterfinals. Alap, displaying incredible resilience, triumphed over top-seeded Indian Sathish Kumar Karunakaran in a thrilling three-set match (21-16, 20-22, 21-13). Tharun, meanwhile, edged out Chinese Taipei’s Ting Yen-Chen in another three-set encounter (15-21, 21-17, 21-18). Bharat completed the Indian trio’s success by defeating compatriot Meiraba Luwang Maisnam (21-19, 20-22, 21-16).
In the women’s singles, Isharani Baruah and Rakshitha Sree Santosh Ramraj fought their way into the second round. Isharani, a member of India’s Uber Cup team this year, defeated fellow Indian Anupama Upadhyaya (21-7, 17-21, 21-15). Rakshitha secured her place in the next round with a hard-fought victory over sixth seed Rachel Chan (21-13, 22-20). Aashi Rawat, Tasnim Mir, and Shriyanshi Valishetty, however, faced early exits in their respective opening round matches.
The mixed doubles competition saw promising performances from several Indian pairs. Top seeds Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath, sixth seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, and Bokka Navaneeth and Ritika Thaker all qualified for the second round. Second seeds Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra also advanced to the next stage. The men’s doubles pair of Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala also secured their spot in the pre-quarterfinals.
