French Open Day 3 Roundup: PV Sindhu and Satwik/Chirag storm into the quarters with dominant wins
The Day 3 of the French Open 2024 offered breathtaking action for Indian badminton enthusiasts as Treesa Jolly/ Gayatri Gopichand stunned the seventh-seed Japanese pair in the Round of 16 while PV Sindhu also looked crisp with her smashes and entered the last eight in Paris.
Lakshya Sen and the duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also secured a spot in the quarter-final stage but Srikanth Kidambi’s campaign ended with an upsetting loss. Here’s a look at the Day 3 matches:
Men’s Singles
Srikanth Kidambi vs Lu Guangzu
After a gritty win in the first round over Chou Tien-Chen, Srikanth Kidambi locked horns against China’s Lu Guangzu in the Round of 16. Srikanth started strong in the first game as he didn’t concede any points due to unforced errors.
After developing a lead of 10-17, the Indian shuttler eventually sealed the first game 19-21. As soon as the second game got underway, Guangzu stepped on the aggressive plane and started dominating the match on serve. With a prudent lead of nine points, the World No. 17 comfortably won the second game 21-12.
With scores levelled, the match was forced into a deciding game. In the third game, both shuttlers displayed their on-court prowess and elite mentality. Srikanth looked strong against Guangzu as he accumulated a lead of 13-17, however, the Chinese shuttler didn’t let the former BWF World No. 1 advance into the quarter-final by eventually winning the match 19-21, 21-12, 22-20.
In the quarterfinal, Guangzu will face compatriot Shi Yuqi, who has been seeded second in the 2024 French Open. Yuqi defeated Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen in the Round of 16 in straight games 21-10, 21-14.
Lakshya Sen vs Li Shifeng
Lakshya Sen defeated World No. 4 Li Shifeng on Day 3 to enter the quarter-final
After Srikanth’s latest elimination, Lakshya Sen was India’s last hope in the men’s singles event at the French Open and the young Indian shutter has managed to stay in the race with his elite mentality. Facing China’s Li Shifeng, Sen had a huge challenge to overcome.
However, the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist outplayed the World No. 4 in a heated contest, which lasted 81 minutes. After losing the first game by a margin of five points 16-21, Sen crafted an astounding comeback to seal the victory 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 and enter the next stage.
Currently, on a five-match winning streak, Sen will face Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in the next round who defeated Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the Round of 16 in a three-game thriller.
Women’s Singles
PV Sindhu vs Beiwen Zhang
PV Sindhu entered the 2024 French Open as India’s only representative in the women’s singles event. In the first round, she defeated the United States’ Michelle Li in three games. In the Round of 16, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist faced another American shuttler.
Sindhu faced Beiwen Zhang, who recorded a major win over Spain’s Carolina Marin in the first round. However, facing Sindhu turned out to be a strenuous task for the American shuttler. After being outplayed in the first game 13-21, the Indian shuttler made a spectacular comeback in the remaining games to secure a spot in the last eight.
Sindhu stunned the likes of World No. 10 to win the match 13-21, 21-10, 21-14 in three games. The top Indian shuttler will now face World No. 2 Chen Yufei in the quarter-final.
Yufei defeated Dane shuttler Line Drost Christophersen 22-20, 21-18 in the Round of 16. Sindhu and Yufei will be facing each other for the first time since May 2022. Moreover, their last meeting was won by the Chinese shuttler.
Men’s Doubles
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty vs Wei Chong Man and Kai Wun Tee
Top seed Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty took down the likes of Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi on Day 1 in Paris. In the second round, they were drawn against another Malaysian pair, Wei Chong Man and Kai Wun Tee.
Facing Man and Tee, the Indian shuttlers started on a dominant note by demonstrating their power and agility on every single point. While the Malaysian pair was struggling to accumulate a few points to stay in the match, Satwik and Chirag were continuously increasing the winning margin. Following the same approach in both games, the BWF World No. 1 men’s doubles pair ended the match 21-13, 21-12.
In the next round, they’ll face Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren. Last year, the Indian pair was eliminated in the second round of the tournament, however, this time, they have been giving compelling performances in Paris. As a result, they are the favorites to lift the silverware in the men’s doubles event at the French Open.
Women’s Doubles
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand vs Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand faced Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa in their inaugural match in Paris, where they claimed a hard-fought victory. Nevertheless, the Indian pair were up against the likes of Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota in the second round.
Jolly and Gopichand defeated Fukushima and Hirota in the Round of 16
Seeded seventh, the Japanese pair stunned USA’s Annie Xu and Kerry Xu in the Round of 32. The match started equally on both sides as the pairs were looking strong and heavy smashes were witnessed throughout the court. However, Jolly and Gopichand were keen to finish the match in a timely manner as they quickly finished the first game 21-18.
The Indian pair seemed even stronger in the second game as they concluded the match with the scoreline reading 21-18, 21-13. In the quarter-final, Jolly and Gopichand will face China’s Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan, who are currently the top-ranked pair in the BWF rankings. Qingchen and Yifan defeated another Japanese pair, Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto in the Round of 16.
What’s on Day 4?
The quarter-finals will be played on the fourth day of the French Open where Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will be up against World No. 1 Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren.
In the single’s category, PV Sindhu will challenge China’s Chen Yufei for a spot in the last four while Lakshya Sen will lock horns against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew with a vision of entering the semi-final.