The 2024 French Open started with a bang for India as the pairs of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/ Chirag Shetty and Treesa Jolly/ Gayatri Gopichand won their inaugural matches in Paris and advanced into the Round of 16 with impressive performances.
Afterwards, Lakshya Sen also gave a laudable performance in his opening match at the Adidas Arena and secured a spot in the next round, where he will be facing a tougher competitor. However, the challenge of Priyanshu Rajawat ended as the 22-year-old got knocked out in the first round.
Hence, without further ado, let’s take a look at the day 1 matches:
Men’s Singles
Lakshya Sen vs Kanta Tsuneyama
Lakshya Sen faced Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama in his Round of 32 match of the 2024 French Open. The match started on an equal plane as both shuttlers were having a tough time scoring points. However, due to a series of errors, Tsuneyama managed to get the better of Sen, 15-21 in the first game.
Nevertheless, the BWF World No. 19 Lakshya Sen had different plans for the remaining game. The Indian shuttler crafted a spectacular comeback in the second game by defeating Tsuneyama with the same scoreline of 21-15. However, the biggest stunner came in the decider as Sen thrashed Tsuneyama 21-3 to seal the victory.
Lakshya got off to a blazing start in the 2024 Yonex French Open with a dominant 15-21, 21-15, 21-3 win over Kanta Tsuneyama. In the next round, the Indian shuttler will face China’s Li Shifeng on Thursday. Shifeng, who entered the tournament as the third seed, defeated Japan’s Koki Watanabe in straight sets 21-11, 21-17 in the first round.
Priyanshu Rajawat vs Viktor Axelsen
India’s Priyanshu Rajawat was drawn against World No. 1 Victor Axelson in the Round of 16. Rajawat started strong against the Danish shutter, however, Axelson was quick to respond and take the lead against the 22-year-old.
Failing to stay compact in the pressure situation, Rajawat lost the first game with the scoreline reading 21-8. In the second game, Axelson started strong as he didn’t drop easy points against Rajawat. The Indian shuttler was not ready to lose as he put on a gritty display against the Dane. However, the BWF World No. 1 eventually managed to prevail victorious 21-8, 21-15.
Men’s Doubles
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty vs. Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded first in the men’s doubles event of the 2024 French Open, are the favorites to ace the top prize in Paris.
On Day 1 of the 2024 French Open, they faced the Malaysian pair of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi. The match started as a contest on nip and tuck between the two pairs. However, as soon as the first game caught pace, Satwik and Chirag stunned Sin and Yi to grasp an eight-point lead at 15-7 and eventually sealed the set 21-13.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated the Malaysian pair of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in straight sets
The second game started in a similar fashion, however, the Indian pair again got into a pole position as the scoreboard read 16-9. The Malaysian shuttlers were not ready to accept the defeat as they came back from behind to make the score 20-21. However, despite all attempts, Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi failed to upset the favorites and lost the match 21-13, 24-22.
Up next, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be facing the Malaysian pair of Wei Chong Man and Kai Wun Tee in the Round of 16 on Thursday. Man and Tee handed a comfortable 21-16, 21-8 defeat to Canadian shuttlers Ty Alexander Lindeman and Kevin Lee in the first round.
Women’s Doubles
Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa vs. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand
In the Round of 32 of the women’s doubles event at the 2024 French Open, the stage was set for an all-Indian fixture as Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa faced Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand.
The match got underway with Ponnappa looking fresh with agile with her smashes and with eminent support from Crasto’s side, they managed to win the first game 16-21 with a decent margin of five points. However, Jolly and Gopichand managed to recover immediately from the deficit by forcing the match into a decider after winning a hard-fought second game 21-19.
Jolly and Gopichand advanced to the next round with a thrilling win over Crasto and Ponnappa
The pair of Ponnappa and Crasto looked dull and sombre in the deciding game as they once forked out a difference of seven points as a result of unforced errors. Consequently, the sluggish display eventually cost them the match as they lost against Jolly and Gopichand 16-21, 21-19, 21-17.
In the Round of 16, Jolly and Gopichand will lock horns against the likes of Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota, who are seeded 7th in the tournament. The Japanese pair stunned the United States’ Annie Xu and Kerry Xu 14-21, 22-20, 21-12 in their inaugural match.
What’s on Day 2?
In the men’s singles event, India’s Srikanth Kidambi will lock horns against Taiwan’s Chou Tien-Chen while HS Prannoy will be face-to-face against China’s Lu Guangzu in their respective Round of 32 fixtures.
On the other side, PV Sindhu will be making her much-awaited return against Canada’s Michelle Li. The 2016 Olympic Games silver medalist would be looking forward to booking a spot in the further rounds of the 2024 French Open.