The China Open 2023 started on a poor note for Indian shuttlers as there was not even a single victory for them in the first two days with all the Indian participants eliminated from the tournament. After Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu withdrew from the tournament, all hopes were on Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy to finish on a high, however, things didn’t go in their favour.
World-class pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy was also eliminated in their first round which was a bit of a shocker for Indian badminton fans, especially after their remarkable achievements over the last couple of years.
Here are the highlights of Day 1 and Day 2
Men’s Singles
HS Prannoy vs Ng Tze Yong
One of the finest Indian shuttlers in the present era, HS Prannoy surprisingly got eliminated in the first round of the China Open on Tuesday. The 31-year-old lost his battle against the Malaysian baddie Ng Tze Yong by 12-21, 21-13, 18-21.
Prannoy lost the first game with nothing going his way, however, the Indian baddie made a spectacular comeback in the next one to level the match. The final game went down to the wire but it didn’t go in favour of India, leaving Indian fans disappointed in the end.
Lakshya Sen vs Anders Antonsen
Another match that didn’t go India’s way was between Lakshya Sen and Danish player Anders Antonsen. The young gun from India started on a good note and took the first game towards the end, however, lost the game by 21-23.
Lakshya Sen lost his first-round match against Anders Antonsen
Sen made a terrific comeback in the next game to outclass Antonsen by 21-16. With the kind of display Lakshya was showing, it looked like he would steal the final game easily but some poor shot selection kept him away from winning and he lost the final game by 21-9.
Priyanshu Rajawat vs Shesar Hiren Rhustavito
New Indian badminton star Priyanshu Rajawat lost his battle against the Indonesian shuttler Shesar Hiren Rhustavito by 21-13, 26-24. Rajawat tried his level best throughout the first game but couldn’t succeed in overturning the Indonesian’s advantage.
The young boy from Madhya Pradesh was not ready to give up till the end as he took the second game to 24-26, however, the lack of experience proved to be the foremost reason behind the defeat. The 21-year-old will surely have a bright future but this was not his stage to shine.
Men’s Doubles
Arjun Madathil Ramachandran/Dhruv Kapila vs Keiichiro Matsui/Yoshinori Takeuchi
The pair of Arjun and Dhruv has been phenomenal on several occasions for their nation but they couldn’t handle the pressure created by the Japanese duo of Matsui and Takeuchi on Tuesday. The duo lost the battle in straight games 21-23, 19-21.
They played well in both the games but couldn’t capitalize on their good form towards the end. They have been terrific over the years and would like to make a comeback in the next tournament.
Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy vs Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana
It was a complete shocker for everyone to see the world number two Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy losing in the first round of the China Open 2023. Though their defeat was against a top pair of Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana, many would argue that it should have been India’s match with the way they have performed in the past.
The champion duo of India lost the three-game affair by 17-21, 21-11, 17-21. After being down in the first game, the duo made a spectacular comeback and won the second game 21-11, but they couldn’t continue their momentum and lost the final game and match.
Women’s Doubles
Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand vs Jia Yifan/Chen Qingchen
It is never easy to defeat the world’s number one pair when you are facing them in the first round itself. The Indian pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost their first-round battle to the Chinese duo of Jia Yifan and Chen Qingchen by 18-21, 11-21.
There was hardly any fight from the Indian pair as they lost in the straight games. The second game of the match was a mere formality for Yifan and Qingchen as they were completely in control of the match. Jolly and Gopichand have made India proud on numerous occasions, however, this time it was not their moment on the big stage.
Mixed Doubles
Nelakurihi Sikki Reddy/Rohan Kapoor vs Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei
The pair of Rohan and Sikki crashed out of the tournament after being defeated by the Malaysian pair of Tang Jie and Ee Wei by 15-21, 16-21 in the round of 32. There was not even a single moment where it looked like they would steal the game as the Malaysian pair was way ahead throughout.
There were a lot of expectations from the pair after their sensational victory in the Denmark Masters 2023 but the duo failed to impress the badminton fans. Now, they would be looking to qualify for the Paris Olympics by showing some good performances.